Everything I Ever Needed to Know About SEO I Learned in Kindergarten

Published on January 25, 2017

Remember nap time? Ugh, what could be better than having a built-in hour of sleep right in the middle of a busy day?

Looking back at it from an adult’s perspective, kindergarten truly was an amazing time. Not just because of the naps – and the painting and the toys and the recess – but because it was one of the most fertile learning periods that any of us are likely to have. The lessons about civility, integrity, and hard work that we got back as five year olds still serve us today – particularly in our field of content marketing.

Don’t believe us? Here are five lessons from kindergarten that we use in the realm of SEO every single day:

Keep It Simple

A lot of people are daunted by the prospect of getting started with SEO, fearing that it’s all about complex codes and algorithms. But at its core, the same things that make you successful at crafting content are the same things that made you successful at writing an essay back in school.

Above all, write like a human being! Think about who your audience is and what they want to see, and then give it to them. Write with a strong voice and a point of view, and your copy will already be leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of the stilted, robotic writing of your peers. Just think like an author, be creative, and above all, create something worth searching out, reading, and sharing.

Always Check Your Work

Before clicking “publish,” have you dotted your t’s and crossed your i’s? (Or is it the other way around?)

Every piece of content you put out into the world is a reflection of your brand, so make it count! Proofread all of your work and make sure it’s up to the highest standards; you’d be surprised how many readers are completely turned-off by sloppy mistakes in punctuation, grammar, and splleing (just kidding).

And while you’re checking over your content, pay attention to all of the places on your page that you can optimize for search engines and users. Is your meta-description snappy and accurate? Is your URL pared down to its most valuable keywords? Do your images have titles and “alt-text” written in? Like your most treasured Power Rangers action figures, all of these little SEO elements combine to create a ton of power and value for your SEO campaign; overlook them at your own risk!

Play Nice

Now that you’ve written something great, it’s time to share it with the world!

In today’s digital landscape, think of social media as the fridge where your parents hung up your greatest fingerpaint and macaroni masterpieces. Post your articles and multimedia to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social platforms that appeal to you; circulating your valuable, original content among your audience is a great way to not just generate clicks and leads for your site and bolster your content’s credibility in the eyes of search engines, but also to establish a great reputation and inspire loyalty for your brand!

And stay active on social media! Use it for attention-grabbing polls and contests, listen and respond to your audience’s feedback, and build up a tight-knit community of friends, fans, and followers. Give just a little, and you’ll likely get a whole lot right back!

Don’t Cheat

Just like your teachers probably taught you to play fair, and later, not to look at other kids’ tests, we’re here to remind you that successful SEO comes from strategic thinking and quality work, and decidedly not from underhanded or “blackhat” tactics like keyword stuffing, buying phony back-links, and copying blog posts from other websites.

In fact, playing dirty to puff up your SEO will actually have the inverse effect, and cause your brand more harm than good: Customers will be turned off by your ugly copy and lack of originality, and Google’s smart algorithms will give your cheating site an automatic “fail.”

Follow Your Heart

Remember the first time you realized that coloring outside the lines could be even more satisfying than sticking to the pages of the coloring book? Successful SEO campaigns need some of that ingenuity and creativity to truly thrive.

No one ever charted a new path by sticking to the most obvious route forward, right? So experiment! Experiment with different styles of writing. Experiment with different kinds of multimedia, from videos to infographics to galleries to podcasts. Even experiment with posting at different times of the day. You never know what could pay off big time for your brand.

Have any more questions or concerns about getting started with SEO-focused content? Here at Geek, class is always in session! Drop us a line today to keep the conversation going, and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest in news and trends from the world of digital marketing.