Decrease Uncertainty ➡️ Increase Happiness
Hello Reader,
Next week, I'm teaching the third and final installment in my Summer of SEO workshop series. This is actually my favorite in the whole sequence because it's so fun and so simple. We're talking about how you can answer people's questions to 1) rank in Google and 2) attract awesome clients and customers who are ready to buy from you.
This is the most overlooked search strategy and I honestly don't know why! Perhaps it's because it is so approachable that it almost doesn't seem real? You've got me!
Here's the reality of working with other humans: We humans are quite literally hardwired to avoid uncertainty.
We hate it. It ramps up our anxiety, our stress levels peak, and we become less skilled at decision-making. To us, uncertainty equals danger.
This is why it's so helpful to tell people what the next steps are, or to make price tags easy to read, or make buttons obvious on appliances. Uncertainty reduced, happiness increased.
When I teach the Get Found with Q&As workshop, we're doing the same thing: decreasing uncertainty and increasing happiness.
What does this have to do with search engine optimization (SEO)?
A whole lot, actually!
Keyword data tells us exactly what our people are asking the internet, whether Google or Siri or Alexa. And they often begin their questions with phrases like:
- How do I... ?
- What is... ?
- Should I... ?
Google knows this and has a specific way it rewards sites for presenting answers to questions, a kind of structured content called FAQ Schema.
Now, I'm not going to get into what all that means, but basically think of it as a specific question and answer format that Google gives you search engine bonus points for.
So, we can infuse our websites with questions and answers—in a specific, progressive manner—about our subject matter expertise using this format and get significant search benefits AND build brand awareness (an important, but under-appreciated goal of SEO).
Here's what this looks like in action:
For example, if an IP attorney regularly has to explain to their clients who are coaches that they should probably file a trademark application for their program name, that's worth including in an FAQ. They could pose the question, "Is it worth trademarking my coaching business' program name?" And then answer it thoroughly.
By eliminating uncertainty, their leads who are likely nervous that their new attorney may say, "No your program name isn't special" (we humans love to assume the worst) come to them KNOWING that their services are worth protecting, and they don't have to overcome people's anxieties around the "shoulds."
What I've experimented with a lot since FAQ schema was rolled out in 2019 is the structure of my FAQs, and where they work best in terms of leveraging the search engine to make you more visible—and that's what I'm going to share more about in my workshop. It's cool stuff and probably the most accessible to experts who are uncomfortable with techy stuff.
When I teach this to my private clients, they often respond with "Ohhhh, THIS I can do!" And these are busy folks who wear 15 different hats in their businesses. You can do this—I promise!
Plus, this kind of SEO-fueled content is perfect fonder for your repurposing efforts, which makes marketing easier.
As always, if you have questions, do reach out—my team and I are here to guide you in the right direction.
Talk soon,
Sarah