Talking about Creative SEO seems a contradiction in itself. In order to make good SEO we need to have data on our side.
In fact, many times the copys and the SEO do not always get along. Whereas a copywriter seeks to tell and convey a story in a much more creative way, SEO always tries to ground that story in the information that the search engine (and the user) needs.
Fortunately, I will say that the Creative SEO exists and that both aspects can coexist. It is not always easy, especially in certain subject areas, but it can be the key to making a content really captivate the customer.
If we make the searcher fall in love but not the public, we will only have done half the work and we will not achieve our objectives.
On the other hand, I would also like to say that not all content should be SEO. It is possible to make content more related to the branding and the brand image in which the following are not fulfilled SEO criteria.
In addition, we can de-index them so as not to affect global positioning. of the website. They can be shared on social mediaby means of a newsletter or, simply that they are available to those who browse the different tabs of the website.
These contents do not have to respond to the SEO guidelinesSo here we can be as creative as we want to be.
However, that's not what I want to talk about today, but the opposite is the case. How can we introducing creativity in SEOHow can we provide that extra something beyond keywords, the writing and structuring of texts and the more technical aspects?
In short, how can we add just the right amount of spice to a perfectly cooked dish?
Incorporating creativity into SEO copy
The first thing that probably comes to mind is adding creativity in storytelling. It is possible to use a SEO structure of headingsa good use of keywords and semantic fields and still be as creative as we want to be.
The aim of the content for SEO is to answer the user's question. The way to do this, following minimum standards, can be worked out in different ways.
There is no limit to the way we can count. The storytelling can really live with the SEO and in many cases it is the best way to incorporating creativity.
In any case, I do think it is important that the identity of the site is maintained. It does not make sense to have a very different style in some content, but to maintain stylistic coherence.
If we are talking about a blog, you can create a new section and separate it by categories or tags. Even so, everything must be placed within the identity that we have pre-established.
Within that identity, there is room for everything, without going crazy and without turning its back on SEO if we want to index such content and check its performance.
For example, we can switch to the first person and speak from our own experience or, if we usually speak in the first person, we can add a story that conveys what we want to say.
This is all in terms of text, but as we will discuss below, there are others types of content that we can also use and where creativity will play an even more decisive role.
Titles and meta-descriptions
One of the places where we can play the most with the Creative SEO is in the titles and meta-descriptions of our articles. While the SEO title must take into account the keyword we want to position, we have the option of using a more creative H1 that does not respond directly to the keyword we want to position, we have the option of using a more creative H1 that does not respond directly to the keyword we want to position. intention to search.
The same applies to the meta-descriptionsbeing one of the most important fields in the CTR of our articles. For this reason, we cannot get creative without forgetting the data.
It is important to measure and check whether a meta-description more creative offers us a CTR than a more traditional one, and the data can be easily checked with Google Search Console.
If creativity doesn't work, change the system. Don't see it as a failure. It is, in fact, another opportunity to apply that creativity you are looking for. And in case you run out of ideas, going back to a meta-description or a more descriptive SEO title may be the best option.
But at least you will have tried.
There will be times when you will be surprised. Of course you will, creativity must not be empty. You must put yourself in the place of your customer archetype. Speak to them with their own codes and with your interests in mind.
Language that does not appear to be imposturedespecially in content aimed at young people. Otherwise we will become the famous meme of Mr. Burns dressed as a teenager and no brand wants to be THAT brand.
Titles are a good opportunity to bring out the writer in us, but if we don't have the tools to do a good job, it's better to opt for something much more descriptive.
We can get very creative and metaphorical, but it is important not to forget that the user has to understand what we are referring to, if not with the H1, at least with the H2 or vice versa.
Creative keyword research
The Creative SEO can also start much earlier, in our keyword research.
This is for me, really the biggest opportunity for creative SEO. Of course, it also requires a prior study of your current audience and, more importantly, of the audience you want to reach.
We are not so much talking about what we say in the text, but what we say in the text. The choice of topic can allow you to open up possibilities that you would never have imagined and that will get you much deeper into the heart of your audience.
In this regard, it is also important to bear in mind that not all SEO content should be focused on the conversion. By means of the inbound marketing it is also about becoming a reference for the user so that when they reach the decision in their sales funnel, they remember us and keep us in mind.
For example, if we are a brand specialising in a specific food product, such as, for example, chia seeds and derived products, it may be interesting to move away from the standard keywords of "recipes with chia", "benefits of chia seeds", "how to eat chia" and jump to more general topics such as "healthy recipes for Christmas" where we can incorporate our product into a broader and more interesting topic.
We can even be more creative and search for "chia seeds: films and series where they appear" and try to appear on Google Discover in those profiles interested in chia as well as in series and films.
In this case, finding the keywords is more complicated because we won't be able to use the search in competitors with our tools. That said, it is probably also easier to position.
Search volumes
Similarly, in the Creative SEO we can be more flexible with the search volumes. It should be borne in mind that search volumes are not an exact science.
That is to say, the volumes provided by the tools are estimates taking into account historical data. And therefore volumes may change according to circumstances.
This is why, for example, keywords related to Christmas or New Year's Eve go up every year as the dates approach or, to speak of something unforeseen, keywords related to travel fell during the first COVID-19 confinement.
As I said Álvaro Vázquez in his article on how to get the tourism sector back on its feet after the COVID crisisWhen keywords are low and no one is paying attention to them, it is a good time to focus on them and have a good starting position for when the recovery occurs.
Likewise, we can identify keywords that do not have any searches at all but that we know will have them soon. We can do this with future events, with newly established techniques or methodologies, or with anything that we foresee will be important in the future.
It will be easy for us to get into pole position and we will become the rival to beat. It's a gamble and may not get the volumes we expect, but it's also a creative solution that we can apply in our SEO content strategy.
Images, videos and infographics
Finally, images, videos and infographics are another excellent opportunity to do creative SEO. We have already mentioned that it could help to improve the Dwell Time but it is also an opportunity to tell things in other formats.
Be careful with the weight and page experience since after the latest update of Google's algorithm the Core Web Vitals are going to be indispensable in organic positioning.
Even so, there are formats that we can integrate how to create a podcast for businesswhich do not involve a load slowdown and that can allow for all the creativity we can think of.
Video and audio are key, because they allow us to play as much as we want without being tracked by Google. Even so, the SEO on Youtube or podcast platforms are also elements we can play with.
As for the imagesare also another of the aspects most highly valued by the Google DiscoverIt is therefore not only an opportunity to be creative, but also to generate another engagement opportunity with the user.
