Human-centered SEO is the approach to search marketing that focuses on understanding and influencing human behavior signals that are driving search engine rankings. It’s a shift from the traditional machine-led marketing approach that has dominated the industry for years.
The Problem with Machine-Led Marketing
Many SEOs practice the traditional machine-led marketing approach by following a list of standard practices related to keywords. This approach focuses on the machine, but many ranking signals, including links, are based on human interactions.
Why Machine-Led Marketing Fails
The reason machine-led marketing fails is because it doesn’t take into account the underlying human behavior signals that are driving the rankings. It’s based on a misconception that what’s ranking is the perfect example of what Google wants to rank.
Human Behavior Signals
Human behavior signals are the core essential ingredient of Google’s ranking algorithms from day one. They include user behavior, user feedback, and trust signals. These signals are what make the difference between ranking well and ranking poorly.
PageRank: A Model of Human Behavior
PageRank, invented in 1998, is commonly understood as a link ranking algorithm but it’s based on a model of human behavior. The concept of quality comes from user behavior, and the PageRank paper states that human behavior signals are valuable and something they planned on exploring.
Strategic Content Planning Based On Human-Centered Considerations
The most popular content strategies are based on copying what competitors are doing but doing it bigger, ten times better. However, this approach is based on a misconception that what’s ranking is the perfect example of what Google wants to rank.
The same lessons about human-centered innovations carry forward to content planning. There is no amount of keyword volume data that will tell you that people will respond to a better product return policy. A return policy is a human-centered concern and it’s the kind of thing that humans respond to and, if everything we know about Google’s use of human behavior signals holds true, then that will show up as well.
User feedback is an important signal from day one, as evidenced in the PageRank paper. Google uses user feedback to modify the ranking function and see the impact of these changes on all previous searches.
User behavior and user feedback are the core essential ingredient of Google’s ranking algorithms from day one. Googlers have confirmed the importance of human-centered SEO.
These are all human-centered signals and if you use tools for your content it’s the kind of thing that only a human can intuit. An AI cannot go to a conference to hear what customers are saying. An AI cannot decide for itself to identify user sentiment that is indicative of pain points that could be addressed in the form of new policies or content that will make your brand a superior choice.
The artful application of human-centered SEO is a skill that no AI will ever replace. It’s clear that focusing on user experience as a way of differentiating your brand from the competition and generating enthusiasm is key to ranking better.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| • Human-centered SEO focuses on understanding and influencing human behavior signals that are driving search engine rankings. |
| • Machine-led marketing approaches focus on the machine, but many ranking signals are based on human interactions. |
| • Human behavior signals, including user behavior, user feedback, and trust signals, are the core essential ingredient of Google’s ranking algorithms. |
| • PageRank is a model of human behavior based on user behavior. |
| • Human-centered SEO requires a human in the loop to make decisions and an AI to execute. |
Conclusion
Human-centered SEO is the next phase of search marketing. It’s a shift from the traditional machine-led marketing approach that has dominated the industry for years. By focusing on understanding and influencing human behavior signals, SEOs can create content that resonates with users and differentiates their brand from the competition. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to revolutionize your SEO strategy and create content that truly resonates with your audience.
References
- PageRank Research Paper
- Google SearchLiaison (Danny Sullivan)
- Siteimprove and MarketMuse Co-founder, Jeff Coyle
“AI is redefining how enterprises approach content creation and SEO, and at Siteimprove, now powered by MarketMuse’s Proprietary AI Content Strategy platform, we’re bridging innovation with human creativity.
