Don’t dumb it down, humans want deep content

As search engine users, we grow evermore intent on getting the search results we want returned to us as quickly and efficiently as possible. So, it’s tempting as website owners, content and blog publishers and writers to create content that’s simple to read and obvious to find. Right?

Wrong. Well, sort of.

While it’s true we do want content returned to us in searches that fulfil our requirements, in lightning-fast time, research shows that it is the longer, more insightful and discursive content that gets read.

Hey Google, how many ounces in a pound?

While speed and efficiency of reading, as well as SEO expertise, are what you need in order to feature in popular search return results that just answer a factual question, you are going to need more expertise in your content planning and writing to return the deeper content that browsers also look for.

One of the most popular searches in 2020 was, “Coronavirus symptoms”. Again, a factual question with a factual answer, according to published medical research. But try asking Google, “Why do I get coronavirus?” And the search results returned will be about how the virus spreads, where the virus started, how long it’s existed and various FAQ pieces.

Google will also prompt you with its ‘commonly asked questions’ that may be similar to your search but not quite getting to what you need.

Google doesn’t know what to do with your ‘I’

Searches that implicate you and your personal circumstances, commonly featuring ‘I’ are more difficult to get results returned that answer your search query. And for good reason, since what you mean by ‘I’, search engines can’t necessarily know or intuit.

Can you always find what you want on Google?

Be honest. How many times have you spent a dissatisfying hour or two on Google when you are looking for more nuanced content and information? If you are looking for opinion, thoughts and ideas around a subject, that don’t just repeat the same thing, it is going to take you way more time to find it than “Afternoon tea near me”.

Tips for searching on Google

Google will sometimes admit when it can’t find what you’re looking for, but not often, since it will come up with suggestions for further searches, and results that could, perhaps, maybe, not really, match your search.

You can read a lot of tips for searching on Google, to help you get better results from your searches. Some may argue however, that these just try to modify you into being more like a search engine, than the human you are.

You still need a human for unique perspective

The fact is, as much as algorithms, search engines, and the AI that drives them is getting really good at returning search engine results that are MOSTLY helpful, it still struggles when we want the deeper content that answers more personal, nuanced searches.

For this reason, not all marketing, content and digital interaction can be fulfilled by even the cleverest of AI-driven bots, not just yet anyway.

For unique perspective, surprising opinion or differentiated offering, or value, you are still going to need a human to write that insightful content. And be in no doubt, that this is still the content that people, who are not looking to find out the height, or weight, of the highest mountain in the world are searching for, and getting frustrated because they can’t find it.

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