Want to rank #1 on Google for your keywords?
In this article, I’ll show you exactly how I did it – step by step. One of my past sites (HealthVI) ranked #1 for keywords that get thousands of searches every month.
This wasn’t luck – it was a repeatable process that I’m about to teach you.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How to write content that hits your target market’s pain points
- How to sound like a human, not a robot
- How to blend friendly, persuasive writing with “business talk”
- How to funnel readers toward action (without sounding pushy)
Sounds good?
Let’s begin.
Step 1: Identify The Problem
If it’s one thing I’ve learnt from my content marketing, it’s this:
The main reason why someone is digesting your content is coz they need help with a problem they can’t solve themselves. Think about it – they wouldn’t be clicking on your content if the problem didn’t exist (and to a degree of “annoyance” that forces them to actively search for a solution).
For example, my Local SEO guide helps New Zealand business owners who want to become the go-to business in their city on Google.
If these business owners already knew how to do SEO, they wouldn’t need my guide. But because they’re reading it, evidently that’s not the case. And that “truth” is very telling (at least for me).
These readers aren’t reading my guide coz they like me. They don’t know me from a bar of soap. They’re reading it coz I can help them solve their problem. This makes my job waaaay easier.
Keep the focus on helping them solve their problem, and we’ll be fine and dandy.
This brings us back to the fundamentals of business/trade.
You give me something you have that I want, and I give you something I have that you want. We’ve been “doing business” for millions of years since our caveman era.
You’ve got meat, I’ve got fruit. – You want fruit, I want meat. If we trade, then tada – we’ve done business.
However, that “business” is only born out of a burning desire.
This is what I’m asking you to focus on:
- Your target market wants something from you.
- They want help solving a problem that bugs them.
- A pestering itch they need to scratch, but don’t know how.
Make sure that when you’re creating your content, scratch that itch for them.
Step 2: Write With Flair
People want to connect with people, not robots. When you create content, write like you’re talking to that person. I like to visualise that I’m at a bar with a person from my target market.
They’re asking me a question, and I’m providing them with the answers. When I visualize this, I’m not talking to them like AI. I’m talking to them just like how I’d talk to an old friend over a cuppa’ Joe at 9 am on a crisp-winter Sunday mornin’.
For example, instead of using the word “because,” frequently I’ll replace it with “coz.”
Why do I do this? Coz this is how I talk.
People prefer colour, personality, and flair. If you write with a hint of flair, people will sense it and be drawn to your content.
They’ll connect with you on a deeper level that surpasses your business relationship – and this is where true trust is built. As they see your human side, they’ll show you theirs.
A quick side note – this takes practice. I’ve been writing for 10 years, and I still fall short on my content.
Sometimes I’ll miss an opportunity to inject a story. I’ll over-explain something. I’ll ramble. That’s okay, too.
Just keep practising – you can bring up ChatGPT and just start mind-dumping. It’s like learning to play an instrument. It can take years to become proficient enough at the instrument.
But once you’ve learnt it, now it’s time to just let go and play.
Step 3: Interweave Your Writing With “Business Talk”
Once you’ve identified the problem and you’ve practised how to write like you talk, the next step is to weave the two together. The “yin-yang” of content creation.
This is what I like to call entertaining education.
Here’s the intended goal:
You want the person consuming your content to “feel things.” Happiness. Laugh. Curiosity. Doubt. Skepticism. Emotions that hook them into your content.
But you want to combine that flair-voice with solving their problem.
There’s a simple framework I’ve used over the past 10 years that’s helped a ton with this.
Here it is:
- Identify exactly what you’re helping them with
- Tell them the benefits of consuming their content.
- Teach them how to do it
- Use stories to drive home the credibility and make it concrete.
This is exactly what I did with my SEO for Dentists guide. I state exactly what the content is about as well as the benefits they’ll receive from reading the content.
After that, I give a few concrete examples that solidify the credibility and show that it works.
Then I get straight into teaching them exactly what it is and how to do it:
Ultimately, this framework is about providing crystal-clear answers to the fundamental questions:
- What is it you’re teaching them?
- Why should they care,
- Why should they trust you, and
- How to do it.
That’s the 80/20 of content creation.
Here are a few more content-creation tips I’ve picked up over the past few decades:
Tip #1 – Don’t jumble your text.
Take a look at this paragraph here:
Compare that with this one:
Can you see how much more visually appealing the second image is compared to the first?
What’s funny is they’re both literally just text. No images. No videos.
But coz the second example has been formatted properly, it looks 10 times more visually appealing, readable, and scannable than the first.
This is coz the second example separates their text with:
- Headings.
- Lists, and
- Shorter, snappier paragraphs.
The first example feels like you’re reading the slides off of a dull, bland university lecture.
The second example feels like a human-to-human conversation.
Tip #2 – Use Images.
Adding images is one of the easiest ways to break up the text and add colour to your work. It also gives you the opportunity to communicate with your reader in a visual format.
Take this example from my Local SEO guide:
In it, I’m showing an example of what the Google SERP’s look like when they search for the keyword “roof repair rotorua.”
Instead of just using text as an example, I wanted to give a visual that will make it more concrete and also break up the text.
Tip #3 – Shorter, Snappier Paragraphs.
This one doesn’t need too much explanation.
Shorter, snappier paragraphs don’t just force your text to have spacing between them; they also teach you how to communicate effectively.
Rather than taking 3 blocks of text to explain a point, you learn how to do it in a few sentences.
Step 4: “What’s Next?”
Now that you’ve put all that effort into creating content, it’s time to give the reader an opportunity to take the next step into your business funnel.
It could be something like:
An invitation to join your email list. Book an SEO audit. A strategy call.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Something natural that flows on from your piece of content that gives them the opportunity to become a client of yours.
You’ve already put all the time and energy into creating the content; it makes sense to capitalise on the rapport you’ve just built with them and invite them to take a bigger step into your business world.
For example, in my Local SEO guide, I invite the reader to grab a free Local SEO audit from me, where I can show them personalised strategies to help them rank higher on Google:
This is a logical, sequential flow-on invite to take a further step into my business world that gives them real value.
Not only that, but it gives me an opportunity to strengthen my rapport with them in hopes that, if we’re a right fit, we can do business together.
Here are a few other invites you can extend for your business:
- Download a free resource (like a PDF checklist, mini course, or toolkit relevant to your offer)
- Start a free trial of your product or service
- Watch a demo video that shows how your solution works
- Join a private community or group where they can connect with others like them
- Take a quiz that gives them personalised insights or recommendations
- Schedule a discovery call to talk through their specific situation
Whatever is the best fit for you and your business, just do that.
(Hint: usually it’s something – especially free – that gives them a whole lot of value from their end but takes not too much time and energy from your end).
Wrapping It All Up
That’s the exact same content-creation process I’ve used to build my own websites from 0 to 1,000 + daily visitors.
It’s the exact same process I’ve used to help other businesses reach traffic levels of 80,000 + monthly visitors.
It’s proven through experience. It’s been battle-tested, dragged through the mud, and has come out on top.
Use it for your own business and watch the content-creation magic work wonders.
