Magic happens when you combine content strategy, data & SEO.

I first started creating content as a technical writer in 2005. Prior to that I had done some writing, communication coordination and translation, so technical writing and content seemed like the natural direction. From that time on I’ve had my hands in about every type of content there is, including writing ads for bus stops. I realize I didn’t specifically answer the “how long” part, I’ll let you do the math – I’ve already aged myself once!

For as long as I’ve been writing for the web, I’ve been working in SEO. As you can imagine, I’ve seen the industry change tremendously over the years. In early days, SEO was the Wild West, with target sites, thin content, white over white text and keyword stuffing ruling the day. Now, Google’s on trial and we’re all testing ways to appear in AIOs and fix our INP – ah, progress!

It’s true, the way people find information online has been forever changed. People started using ChatGPT as a search engine long before Search GPT existed. And the time between the fall of 2023 through the end of 2024 has been the most volatile in Google’s history. You know the world of search is in a bit of chaos when regular people complain about how hard it is to find simple information and post their frustration about being served nothing but ads and Reddit results from 7 years ago.

So yes, SEO is different but it isn’t dead. Companies cannot approach SEO like they have in the past. Those sky scrapper articles and hub and spoke models can’t be at the center of your content strategy. Simple keyword research and old-fashioned topic mapping won’t lead you to pop up in AI Overviews and Search GPT results, which is a big part of the new playing field. SEO has always been about being adaptable, but now those changes come faster and more dramatic than ever before. So SEO isn’t dead, it’s moving at lightspeed and you have to be ready to move with it.

This is too big a question to answer here, but I’ll give a quick overview. First, I’d suggest that you start with understanding the business goals so you can align your strategy with them. There’s no need to dive into auditing content and create a plan if you don’t understand what that plan should be achieving. 

The main goal of optimizing legacy content is to revitalize old content, improve what can be improved and cut ties with content that is damaging. Before you dive in and start giving things a facelift to make them appealing and relevant, you’ll want to do a content audit. Before you do that, you need to set criteria for that audit.

So it’s a many layered process but it is well worth it. When done well, you can dramatically improve your site’s position, share of voice, ranking on vital keywords and the content quality. And if you do it very well, you will have a process in place that prevents run-away content decay and ensures your content is always top tier!

Okay, this one is a set up, but I built this website. I wanted it to be an extension of my resume while also acting as a portfolio. In the past I had a content creation education website, which I sincerely miss, so I thought I’d go the website route over a basic portfolio. When I started in content and marketing, you had to know a bit about everything, building websites included. It was frustrating then, but quite handy now.

I have my eyes on several types of roles at the moment, all around content, marketing, and SEO because that is where my talents and passions intersect. It is most important to me that I am somewhere that I can be effective and have a positive impact. Life is too short to do anything less than try and make a difference.

You can email me at jtgrinder@gmail.com. You can also go to my LinkedIn profile, connect with me and send me a message. That is a great way to see my experience, endorsements, and recommendations as well.