Is Your Content Good Enough to Earn a Recommendation?
A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by a guy from a marketing agency who was looking for a writer. He said he found me through an organic search.
In the olden days, that meant he typed a simple phrase into Google, and a page from my website appeared at or near the top of a list of blue links.
But that’s not what happened.
He engaged in a short but detailed chat with search or AI (didn’t say which one), explaining that he was looking for a writer with a certain approach, a certain type of expertise, and a certain amount of experience, which he outlined in the chat.
The platform recommended me. He went to my website, poked around a bit, and sent me an email.
This is the evolution of search.
Traditional search was a content retrieval system that responded to simple queries by generating a list of blue links based on matched keywords and a few other factors.
Modern search and AI use more complex user interactions. They analyze and summarize content from multiple sources and generate answers with recommendations.
Even if your query isn’t exactly clear, AI can understand your intent and objectives. If not, it asks for clarity.
Instead of giving you a list of options to investigate, it handles the investigation and tells you what you should know, what you should do, and who you should engage.
Recommendations carry a lot more weight than blue links.
Clicks don’t happen as often with modern search and AI, but they convert at a much higher rate.
Problem is, every AI platform uses different criteria and models for citing content and generating recommendations.
The SEO people say most SEO best practices will help your brand get the attention of AI. I’ve also read that most web pages cited by AI don’t even appear on Google’s first page, so who knows?
And who has the time, resources, or desire to optimize content for every platform and update it every time they decide to change the rules?
Optimize content for your brand and ideal client to land the recommendation.
Content written for humans and grounded in basic marketing fundamentals has never been more important or valuable. And content that’s clear, valuable, and relevant to humans will make perfect sense to search and AI.
Instead of trying to please machines, optimize content for your brand and your ideal client.
That means focusing on connecting the dots between your solutions and the wants, needs, goals, challenges, priorities, and aspirations of your ideal client.
The stronger and clearer your connection, the stronger and clearer your case for earning a recommendation.
Clearly articulate who you are, what you do, the value of what you do, the outcomes you make possible, what makes you different, who you serve, why someone should choose you over competitors, and how you make people feel.
This messaginf should live on and off your website. Reinforce it with content that digs deeper into common client questions and your experiences and solutions.
Blog posts. LinkedIn posts. Newsletter articles. Videos. Case studies. Webinars. Podcasts.
Make sure your directory listings, profiles, and pages are clear, current, and consistent.
Apply a consistent tone and voice across the board.
When you have trustworthy content that clarifies what you want to be known for, you send signals that your brand is worthy of a recommendation.
If this sounds kind of basic, well, it is.
It’s the old “know, like, and trust” factor. It’s the warm referral vs. the cold call. It’s the nuts and bolts of communicating your value proposition. It’s delivering the right message to the right audience.
Basic marketing fundamentals will never change because they’re rooted in logic and common sense.
With search and AI handing out recommendations to brands that get the fundamentals right, marketing 101 has never been more important.
Don’t try to split the atom with your content. Focus on the basics. They’ll get you farther than you think.
