Cramming keywords into your blog? Here’s why it’s backfiring
I met with a prospective client for a coffee recently - someone who was keen to up their SEO game but wasn’t sure where to start. They’d read all the advice: use the right keywords, place them strategically, make sure they appear in all the right places. But the more they looked into it, the more confused they became.
“How do I actually do this without ruining my brand identity?” they asked. “I don’t want my website to sound robotic or generic - I’ve worked hard to make sure it sounds like me.”
They were absolutely right to be concerned, and even more correct to ask these questions.
SEO isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s not a case of cramming in keywords and hoping for the best. And when it’s done badly, it can strip away the personality and voice that makes your brand stand out.
So this is what we discussed…
Why keyword stuffing is hurting your blog
One of the biggest misconceptions about SEO is that more keywords = better rankings. It’s the reason so many businesses fall into the trap of keyword stuffing (fitting in as many search terms as possible, even at the expense of readability).
But here’s what actually happens when keywords take priority over clarity:
Your content feels unnatural. If a blog reads like it was written for an algorithm rather than a person, readers won’t connect or engage with it.
Your brand voice disappears. When writing becomes an SEO exercise, personality and authenticity take a back seat.
Google takes notice. High bounce rates and low engagement send a signal that your content isn’t valuable, even if it’s technically optimised. That signal is going to send you down in rankings, effectively undoing the work you did to optimise with keywords in the first place.
The client I was speaking with was worried about getting SEO ‘wrong’, but their instinct to prioritise brand voice over keywords was completely right (trust that gut feeling!).
Ranking on Google is only half the climb. The real question is: What happens once people land on your blog?
Which led us to the next part of our conversation…
SEO should support your content, not define it
The mistake a lot of businesses make is assuming that SEO is the goal. But it’s not. SEO is just the tool that helps people find you. What actually keeps them engaged is the content itself - how well it flows, how useful it is, how much it sounds like something worth reading.
This was the advice I gave the client:
“You don’t want your blog to rank just for the sake of it. You want the right people to find it and feel like it actually speaks to them so that they build a relationship with you.”
And that’s exactly the mindset to have.
Because SEO should enhance your content, not hijack it. If all you’re doing is focusing on rankings, you’re forgetting the actual point of content marketing - to engage, inform, and connect with your audience.
By the end of the chat, the client wasn’t just clearer on how to approach SEO - they felt more confident that they could do it without losing their voice. And that’s the key.
The balance between SEO and strong writing
So, what’s the answer? It’s not about ignoring SEO completely. It’s about using it strategically - without sacrificing readability, tone, or brand identity.
A well-optimised blog does a few things well:
It naturally integrates keywords without sounding forced.
It keeps people reading - because engagement is just as important as rankings.
It builds trust and authority so readers see you as the go-to expert in your field.
The best way to tell if your blog is working? Read it out loud. If it sounds awkward or repetitive, chances are you’ve focused too much on SEO and not enough on the story you’re trying to tell (and that’s another thing - all blogs are stories, whether you realise it or not).
If you’re struggling to find that balance, don’t worry about it. The client I spoke with had been through the same frustration - wanting to improve SEO but not at the expense of their voice. The good news? You don’t have to choose between ranking well and sounding like you. The right balance is what turns traffic into conversions.
Need helping striking the right balance on your blog?
SEO is important, but it’s not the whole picture. The words on the page still need to do the heavy lifting. If your content isn’t connecting with your audience, all the keywords in the world won’t fix that.
If you want content that ranks without losing your brand identity, let’s have a chat over a brew. Together we can identify how to help you achieve your goals through your content, and the best ways to approach content writing for your business.
Remember, great content isn’t just about getting seen - it’s about keeping people interested.
