We Need to Stop Writing for Algorithms and Start Writing for People Again — Here’s How
This will make you a better writer.
Stop telling people, that every blog post has to be 1000+ words long. It’s bullshit advice.
Why do people still recommend this? The simple answer? Google.
The Google algorithm is the one and only reason, why your blog post should be extra-long. In fact, it’s the reason for most blogging advice.
Yes, we want google to list our blog posts. Yes, we want to give people the chance to find our content. But at what price?
When you write for Google, you write about topics with high search volume and low competition. When you write for your readers, you write about, what’s important to you.
When you write for Google, you optimize for SEO. When you write for your readers, you optimize for being helpful.
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” — Ernest Hemingway
The Google Experience — Sounds familiar?
Whenever I google something, I want to find an answer to a question — fast. And I guess, so do you.
Let’s say, you want to find out, how to write better Medium articles. You google „How to write better Medium articles“.
What do you hope to find?
A: A 3000+ word piece about Medium, writing advice, the ins and outs of each tip, how the author used each tip to reach X readers and Y claps… or
B: A list of step-by-step advice, what you need to do next. Proven formulas, that you can apply immediately.
If you’re anything like me, this is what happens next:
- You click on article A (because, that’s what Google will offer you first).
- You don’t read it, because — let’s be honest — it’s the internet, and nobody has time for that.
- You scan the subheadings, maybe you find something useful, but it’s all a little vague and you don’t really know where to start.
- So you go back to Google, click on the next article and start all over.
- You get lost.
- You read (or scan) for 30 minutes.
- Your time is up. You have the next thing to do.Didn’t you want to write something? Well, let’s try again tomorrow.
5 reasons, why shorter content is better:
- It’s easier to start writing. The thought of having to write 1000+ words is paralyzing.
- You can skip the fluff and just make it actionable.
- Everyone can read more.
- Shorter and more actionable advice leaves you more time to take action.
- You can write more, publish more, gather more feedback, reach more people and grow faster as a writer.
Okay, but what about Google?
Google is important to get traffic. But it’s not the only, and certainly not the best method to get traffic. Ever heard about social media? Go, where your readers are. Share your articles. Be helpful. Give your readers real value. Focus on your writing. Get better. Don’t let Google bring you down.
Write something helpful. Now.
