What Is ‘Natural Writing’ And Why Is It So Popular In Digital Marketing Right Now?

With the rise of AI, it’s not surprising that some people are mistaking the term ‘natural writing’ as meaning ‘anything written by a human’. That’s not the case. You can understand why that assumption is made, but natural writing means something else entirely and is very important in digital marketing today.

So, what does it mean? And is it really all that? Stick about and let’s find out…

What is natural writing?

Natural writing quite simply refers to the process of producing content that reads as naturally as possible – as it would in conversation.

Ideally, if your website visitors read your content out loud, it should sound as though you are speaking directly to them.

This means using simple and direct language with a commitment to keeping the industry jargon to a minimum.

Why is natural writing so important in digital marketing?

So, what’s all the fuss about? Why is natural writing becoming more and more popular? There are several reasons for this:

• Because it’s good for your audience.
• And Google likes it.

First, writing with natural language means a more engaging and positive on-page experience. If a website visitor found their way to your website and were presented with some clunky block of text that had keywords stuffed into it awkwardly, unnecessarily complicated language, and no clear purpose, they’re going to have a terrible time and likely abandon the website for one of your competitors (Be mindful of keyword stuffing as a black-hat SEO technique).

On the other hand, if they arrive on your website and find natural-sounding text with well-placed keywords, lots of useful information, and an engaging story-driven narrative that speaks to their unique pain points and desires, they’re going to like what they read and have a much higher chance at sticking around and (hopefully) converting into a loyal, paying customer.

Why does Google love natural language?

It’s all down to Google’s recent ‘people first’ / ‘helpful content’ update. For a long time, marketers have been producing low-value content packed with focus keywords, thus leading to the internet being chock-full of robotic and boring content that serves no real purpose besides trying to gain more visibility online. In an attempt to combat this commitment to low-value content, Google decided to start rewarding websites that provide a people-centric experience.

This people-first approach has many, many important factors (e.g., UX design and page load speed, etc.), but the primary focus is the language used.

Since natural, conversational language consistently outperforms all other writing, it was a no-brainer to encourage this style of writing.

Put it this way: would you want to read a blog post that reads like Terms & Conditions?

No, thank you!

What does unnatural language look like?

A prime example of unnatural language is when you read an article in English that was clearly not written by a native English speaker. Some of the sentences don’t quite work, multiple tenses are often used, and the word choice often seems a little forced and awkward.

Make no mistake, I am not saying that you should only hire native English writers; there are many highly capable writers who can produce high-value content in multiple languages. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the internet is littered with low-value content that does not read naturally and, as you can imagine, it doesn’t perform well with Google or the reader.

Conclusion: By people, for people

People want to buy from people. When they are getting to know your brand and business they want to feel like they are engaging with a living, breathing entity. They want to feel a connection with you and your employees. As such, using natural language is a very good way to go about it!

Of course, this is much easier said than done – especially if writing isn’t your area of expertise.

The good news? There are many professional digital marketing agencies out there that can easily accommodate your needs. This marketing agency in Singapore comes particularly well-recommended by their clients if you are in the market!

In any case, we hope this article has cleared up any confusion and that you better understand the role of natural language in the modern digital marketing landscape.