Search engine optimisation has come a long way since the early days of keyword stuffing, black hat tactics and link farming!
In the past, businesses and marketers were often encouraged to produce content solely to rank within the search engine results pages (SERPs). As long as your page had the right keywords in the right places, it could climb the rankings in a flash! But as the digital space has matured and evolved over the last decade or so, so has the important role of content! Today, creating valuable content that prioritises people over algorithms is not just recommended, it is absolutely essential to running a successful website or online store.
What is people-first content?
Put simply, people-first content refers to content that is written primarily to inform, engage or help your target audience and real people, as opposed to using content to manipulate the search rankings. People-first content reflects a wider shift within society as a whole as we all gravitate towards authenticity, clarity, trustworthiness and an enjoyable user experience above all else. As Google and other search engines grow increasingly sophisticated, utilising AI-driven algorithms to analyse and rank websites, they are placing more weight on the quality, purpose and helpfulness of content rather than simply the presence of keywords or technical optimisations. As such, it’s more important than ever for website owners and ecommerce brands to craft high-quality and relevant content that their target audience will resonate with, if they want to rank within the SERPs!
The impact of algorithm updates
The major shift towards people-first content has been led (in part) by a series of major algorithm updates from search engine giant, Google. Their recent E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) and Helpful Content algorithm updates aim to reward sites that provide highly-valuable content written by real people, for real people. As a result, improving the quality of the results they show within the SERPs by demoting pages and content that solely exists to draw in user clicks without offering any meaningful value to visitors. The focus on E-E-A-T is heavily influencing how content is crawled, analyses and ranked so if you’re not adhering to these standards, your blog posts or web content is likely to flop and not get much traffic at all.
Understanding your audience’s needs
So how does this shift affect the way we should approach content writing and creation? For starters, it demands a deeper understanding of your audience. Before you even put pen to paper you should be asking questions such as;
- Who are my audience?
- What questions are they asking?
- What kind of content will truly meet their needs?
Gaining a deep understanding of your audiences wants, needs, preferences and pain points involves looking way beyond surface-level keyword research and instead focusing on user intent. For example, a person searching for “how to fix a washing machine” is not looking for when the first washing machine was invented, are they? No, they want a clear, practical answer that they can act upon, right away. For a search term such as this, we’d highly recommend creating listicle style articles or how-to tutorials to ensure your content is meeting your audience where they are and building trust and rapport with users. Often, this is the first interaction or encounter a user will have with your brand so it’s important that you get this right so you can begin to improve brand recognition and nurture that user relationship.
SEO and people-first content go hand in hand
People first content does not mean abandoning traditional SEO techniques. In fact, traditional SEO (which includes things such as site speed, keyword research, internal linking amongst many other elements) remains an integral aspect of any SEO strategy. The difference is that any SEO practitioner should always aim to enhance the user experience, not try to manipulate the algorithm. SEO now works best when it offers high-quality, value-driven content that resonates with your target audience and meets users where they are within the buying journey.
As the rise of AI-generated content has created mistrust for many users across the globe, genuine value, originality and authenticity have become the true differentiators that will allow your brand to stand out from the crowd in the eyes of search engines and users alike. Search engines are increasingly focused on rewarding original insights from authoritative figures, thought leadership, original research, statistics and content that comes from a place of lived experience. Automated tools can generate keywords and phrases but they truly cannot replicate the authenticity and originality of human-written content that offers a unique perspective, opinion, insights or value.
In 2025, people-first content is not just best practice, it is the foundation of building an authoritative website that garners respect and trust. It encourages brands to prioritise quality, originality and relevance above all else and deters website owners from plunging into black-hat SEO tactics and shortcuts. By prioritising content written with an end user in mind, you will build credibility, customer loyalty nad set your brand up for long-term, sustainable success.
Need a helping hand with your content marketing or SEO strategy? Don’t hesitate to get in touch!
