What's a Good Web Content Strategy in the Age of SEO and AIO?

Because it’s people who read, decide, and buy — and if they don’t get it or trust it, no machine will save you.

How to Get Results with Your Writing

Every word on your site should have a job. We’ll show you how to write with purpose and turn scrolls into calls.

Writing for AIO (and What the Heck Is That?)

You may have seen them before — those AI summaries that pop up when you search for something. This is where things are heading, and learning how to write so they see (and cite) you is only going to matter more.

Nobody cares how long you’ve been in business until you show them how it can benefit them. Most business owners write about themselves because that’s what they know. But the truth is, people don’t read your website to learn about you — they’re there to solve a problem of theirs.

Your content shouldn’t be about proving your worth — it should be about providing a solution. Speak to their reality. Name the things they’re struggling with. Acknowledge their journey. Then show them how you can help. When people see themselves in your content, they listen. It’s all about putting your value in a context your reader actually gives a damn about.

Here are a few ways to make your reader the hero:

• Lead with their pain, not your pitch: Start by describing the problem they’re trying to solve, not what you sell.
  

• Use “you” way more than “we”: Your content should feel like a conversation with them, not a spotlight on you.
  

• Frame your service as the guide, not the star: You’re the helping hand; they’re the one crossing the finish line.
  

Benefits Beat Features Every Time

You love your product. You think your service is the best. You’ve worked hard on it, you know it inside out, and yeah, you’re proud of what it can do, but most people don’t get excited about the same stuff you do. They don’t care that it has three levers, twelve settings, or that you use a high-performance motor.

What they do care about is what it actually does for them. Will it save them time? Help them sleep better? Cut down on stress? That’s what sticks. That’s what sells. Features are facts. Benefits are the reasons people buy.

Here’s how to highlight benefits that actually matter:

• Translate the tech: Instead of “12,000 BTUs,” say “cools your space in minutes, even during a heatwave.”

• Speak to the real-life outcome: Not “HEPA filtration system,” but “breathe cleaner air, so your kid’s asthma doesn’t flare up.”

• Ask: so what?: Every time you write a feature, follow it with “so you can…” — and finish the sentence.
  

How to Write Content for a Website “Authentically”?

Trying to “sound professional” often just makes things vague, boring, or awkward. If your day-to-day style is casual, helpful, and direct, lean into that. Good content writing for websites doesn’t mean big words or complicated sentences. It means being clear and genuine. People aren’t hiring a brand voice. They’re hiring you.

• ​​Write how you talk: If you’d never say “our dedicated team empowers scalable growth,” don’t write it. Say what you’d actually say to a customer face-to-face.
  

• Keep it simple: Short sentences. Everyday words. Clear ideas. If your ideal customer wouldn’t get it, rewrite it.

• Cut the fluff. Get rid of filler words like “we strive to,” “in order to,” or “leveraging our expertise.” Say what you mean in the fewest, clearest words possible.
  

If you want your content to show up in search results, you need to know what people are actually searching for. And no, it’s probably not “innovative roofing solutions for residential infrastructure.” It’s “roof repair near me” or “how to fix a leaking roof.” Use plain, direct language your customers would type into Google. Tools like Google’s autocomplete, Answer the Public, or even your own inbox are gold mines for understanding what people genuinely want to know.

The goal? Write content that answers real questions — and use the same words your customers use when they’re looking for help.

Help Google Understand (So You Show Up First)

Google’s job is to serve people the most helpful, relevant content — fast. And to decide what deserves that top spot, it looks at a few key things on your page: your title, your headings, your meta description (the text below a page title on the search result page), and — most importantly — how well your content matches the searcher’s intent.

Intent is what someone actually wants when they type something into the search bar. If someone searches “furnace making loud noise,” they’re not looking for a deep history of heating systems. They’re looking for someone who can repair their furnace fast. 

So how do you figure out search intent if you’re not sure? Simple: Google the phrase yourself. Look at the top results. Are they blog posts, service pages, how-to guides, product listings? That’s a clue. Google’s already showing you what people want based on what’s working. Use that as your roadmap. If your content matches that intent, both Google and your future customer are more likely to trust it. This kind of web content strategy is how you climb the rankings — by being the answer people were actually hoping to find.

Best Practices to Rank

Want to give your content the best shot at showing up in search and actually keeping people on the page? Follow these tried-and-true writing practices:

• Use one H1 (main title) per page: This tells Google and your reader what the page is about. Keep it clear, direct, and don’t double up.

• Break things up with H2s and H3s (subtitles): H2s and H3s help readers skim and tell Google how your content is organized.

• Write short paragraphs: Stick to 2–3 lines max. Big blocks of text are hard on the eyes, especially on mobile. The white space keeps things clean and easy to follow.

• Use bullet points and numbered lists: People love lists. They’re fast to read, easy to scan, and great for outlining steps, features, or key info without the fluff.

• Add internal links: Link to other relevant pages on your site. It keeps people clicking around longer and helps Google understand the structure of your site.
  

You’ve probably noticed that Google’s starting to feel a little different. You type in a question, and instead of a list of websites, you get a box at the top with a full answer — like the internet just answered you directly.

It’s a new way search engines are using AI to grab info from websites and serve it up right on the results page — before anyone even clicks a link. Google’s rolling it out. Bing already does it. And it’s changing how people find information online.

Instead of visiting your website to get an answer, people might see a quick summary pulled from your content. If your writing is clear, helpful, and well-structured, you’ve got a shot at being featured in that answer. If it’s not, you will get skipped — no matter how good your service is.

Why It Matters (Like, a Lot)

So, why do AIO actually matter? Because it’s changing who gets seen and who doesn’t.

Before, people had to click on a link to visit your website. Now, with AI pulling quick answers right onto the search results page, they might never get that far. That means your content has to work harder, faster. It has to be clear enough that AI can understand it and helpful enough that it gets picked to show up.

If your content isn’t structured the right way, you’ll be left out completely — even if you’re the best in town at what you do. This isn’t about keeping up with tech trends. It’s about staying visible to the people already searching for what you offer.

How to Write for AIO (Without Sounding Like One

If you want AIO to notice and feature your content, structure is everything. Keep things clean, clear, and easy to scan — for both people and machines.

Here are some AIO-friendly writing tips:

• Lead with clear answers: Don’t bury the solution halfway down the page — give the most helpful info right up top.

• Use everyday questions in your subheadings: Think “How much does it cost?” or “Is it worth it?” — things real people actually ask.

• Add short summaries at the start of key sections: One or two lines that give a quick answer before diving into the details.

• Label sections clearly: “Installation steps,” “Pricing breakdown,” “How it works” — the more obvious, the better.

• Keep your tone natural, but your layout sharp: No rambling, no fluff. Get to the point without losing your personality.

• Answer one thing at a time: AIO looks for clear, specific info — not five ideas mashed into one paragraph.