Some romances start slow and build over time. Google’s search rankings now prefer the same content that your customers like. Keywords still matter—but only when they fit comfortably within visitor-friendly text.

Want Google to put your company on its pedestal (top 5 natural search list)? Put your customers’ needs and interests first wherever they find you online, including your website, social media, ads and Google My Business profile.

Be relevant. Understand each of your customer groups. Provide information and experiences that address needs, provide answers and showcase your company’s ultimate value as it relates to their lives. Connect the dots between what customers want and what you provide.   

Be newsy. Share your knowledge about your industry. Help your audience make sense of trends that impact their lives. Be funny, if that’s part of your brand. Routine communications show customers that you care. Google likes this because clicks on blogs and social media demonstrate you have a relationship with customers. And isn’t that what you want?

Be a little bossy. You know your industry and your customers. Demonstrate your knowledge by creating “evergreen content,” blogs and articles that help your customers understand important ideas related to your industry. These topics are not time-sensitive so they stay relevant for a long time.

Show and tell. Video and other visual media can say what words often can’t. They convey emotion and concepts—in addition to information—in a relatively short amount of time. People love videos and memes. Google does, too.

Be a conversationalist. Ask questions. Solicit opinions. Request feedback. Answer questions. Share interesting discoveries. Respond to comments and feedback. That’s why we call it social media!

Encourage feedback. The best way to stay relevant to customers is to deeply know what they want, like and need—and whether your company delivers those things. Ask for reviews, of course. And gather input via social media. Stay on top of the feedback you earn. Addressing complaints and owning mistakes (only when appropriate) earns trust. And Google’s attention.

Be consistent.  Better to do something well once a month than to communicate in a flurry every now and then. Make sure the way you talk about your company, products and services is consistent across all your venues (website, social media, ads, etc.). When Google sees your consistency, it pays attention.

Your company, big or small, can improve its Google search rankings just by creating content that  customers like. This also helps you engage prospects so they respond to your call to action on your ads, social media posts and website. Remember to keep the romance (and content) going and you’ll keep Google happy for the long-term.