Google’s guidelines provide a constant reminder to any SEO that your viewers should be the focus of your website. The world’s major search engine has a somewhat frustrating habit of answering any tricky questions about SEO guidelines with ‘do it for the viewer.’

If the reasons for this weren’t clear enough, the psychology of the average human would give us the answer. Humans are, fundamentally, selfish. Without many of the social restrictions that constrain our reactions and habits in real life, on the internet people will pursue only their own interests. In essence, the main thought that drives a person visiting your site is, ‘What’s in it for me?’

This is quite a harsh way of describing the complex interactions between the public and the World Wide Web, but when it comes down to it, it’s true. This is why taking your viewer into account in everything you do on your site is so important.

A lot of good SEO is geared toward these kinds of considerations. Many SEO companies try to work in numbers. This is because numbers, formulas and statistics fit in nicely with the expectations of most businesses. While they do play an important part in designing an SEO campaign, the real difference between a dabbler and an expert is the experience and knowledge of what viewers are looking for in a web page. The importance of what your viewers are thinking cannot be overestimated.

A lot of the factors that work on the viewer in order to get them to stay on your page are psychological. Your site’s content needs to contain the elements that will make your viewer first trust you, then like you. This will lead to their following your advice, buying your products, and returning to your site.

Two of the things to take into consideration when approaching your search engine optimisation strategy are your ideal viewer’s mindset and the world they live in. People like it when they are made to feel important. They also like feeling like they are a part of a community. You can draw on these two factors when designing the content of your site. Things such as feedback forms and comments sections help build a relationship with your viewer.

This could be interpreted cynically, but the motives behind appealing to your viewers can be wholly friendly. Understanding your viewer’s needs helps you to help them more effectively.

For example, take the SEO community itself. Unlike some of the technical communities on the net, the SEO community tends to be very open and easy about sharing information, and fairly forgiving about the mistakes of newcomers. The community encourages feedback and questions, facilitating open communication that makes it easier for sites to approach what is a very technical subject.

Anticipating the needs of your viewers is a complex and tricky business, and it is one of the less-considered reasons having an expert on board when you SEO. When analysing the requirements of your target viewers, talk to us at SEO Consult.

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