TL;DR: The Best SEO Strategy Is to Ignore SEO and Build Something People Actually Share
The best SEO strategy isn’t obsessing over algorithms but creating products and content so engaging that people naturally share them. Focus on solutions that answer real questions, prioritize user satisfaction, and drive engagement in spaces like Reddit and LinkedIn.
• Build shareable, community-driven products people love.
• Shape content around human stories, not just keywords or metadata.
• Aim for platforms where users organically promote great ideas.
Start by creating meaningful experiences, and refine your content to serve user intent, let search engines follow the buzz naturally.
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The best SEO strategy is to ignore SEO jargon and algorithm-chasing, and instead focus on building something people actively want to share. This has been my mantra since I started building startups, and let me tell you, it works. Forget obsessing over meta descriptions or chasing backlinks like you’re running on a treadmill; instead, ask yourself, “What would someone bookmark, recommend, and use?”
Why I Ignore SEO (Mostly)
I’m Violetta Bonenkamp, the founder of Fe/male Switch and CADChain, and I’ve been bootstrapping startups in Europe for over a decade. Along the way, I’ve learned that SEO should be about 10% of your effort, with the other 90% focused on building amazing products and content. It’s easy to get sucked into productivity theater, obsessing over keyword density and schema markup. But real value? That makes people share, link, and promote your work naturally, turning your digital strategy into a virtuous cycle.
Reddit shares, Product Hunt buzz, and mentions on Hacker News drive better quality traffic than organic search. These platforms thrive on great ideas, user-first design, and trust, keywords can’t override that. Here’s why I prioritize engagement over old-school SEO optimization tactics:
- Great content attracts natural backlinks with zero chasing.
- Social platforms provide viral potential that search engines can’t replicate.
- Focus on users, not rankings, user satisfaction creates organic demand.
What Founders Should Focus On Instead
SEO should never be your foundation. Here’s what should be:
- Build a valuable, shareable product that people need.
- Create content that answers REAL questions, not robots.
- Engage your users on platforms they trust, like Reddit or LinkedIn.
- Optimize for your audience first and algorithms second.
What I’ve Learned About Shareable Content
Let me share a quick example. When I launched Fe/male Switch, a gaming-incubator for women learning entrepreneurship, we focused not on SEO, but on creating a community-driven game that people genuinely wanted to talk about. You know what happened? Reddit threads discussing our innovative incubator format. Women sharing their “gamepreneurship” milestones on X (formerly Twitter). Organic word-of-mouth exceeded any traffic we could have achieved through SEO hacks.
Here’s the formula for shareable content that I apply to everything:
- Relate to your audience: What problem are you solving?
- Storytelling wins: Humans share stories, not data.
- Actionable and helpful: Include insights people can use immediately.
- Controversy (within reason): Challenge the norm, don’t be boring.
Trust me, no one has ever said, “I shared this article because the focus keyword was perfectly placed.” They share because it felt authentic, useful, or even provocative.
Platforms That Matter More Than Google
If you’re building products or content in 2023, your users are hanging out somewhere online, and that place is often NOT Google. Here’s where you should pay attention:
- Reddit: Communities and niches where passionate people live. Start threads, listen to comments, and build authority here.
- Product Hunt: Perfect for launching startups. Get early feedback and buzz.
- Hacker News: Developers and thinkers share only the best, and if your product’s solid, it could go viral.
- LinkedIn: For direct engagement with professionals, leveraging expertise posts.
I focus on these spaces because people share content organically that feels credible and practical. And when these shares come back to me (via links or mentions), Google notices too. The cycle feeds itself.
Why Women and No-Code Founders Should Care
Let me tell you something about the world of startups: women often face unique structural barriers when entering this space. That’s why focusing on user-driven engagement instead of SEO metrics is such a game-changer. If you’re bootstrapping your startup (like I did with CADChain and Fe/male Switch), you have limited funding, limited time, and, let’s be honest, limited patience for chasing robot-readability.
No-code founders especially benefit from this approach. Why waste time on keyword research when you could spend that effort building an MVP in hours using AI tools and zero-code platforms? It’s truly never been easier to execute ideas and capture audiences where they actually exist.
- Women thriving as entrepreneurs don’t need “perfect SEO”, they need shareable value that screams relevance.
- No-code tools empower founders to prototype anything without coding, and share ideas immediately via engaged platforms.
- Make sharing your product easy, generate templates, run experiments, and get on forums like Reddit fast.
What I’d Do Differently
If I could rewind to my early startups, I’d adjust one thing: start testing more self-replicating share loops earlier. By that, I mean creating content so good it drives user recommendations, backlinks, and trust with minimal effort.
When I prioritized SEO for CADChain initially, I wasted weeks tweaking minute details for search rankings when I could have focused on community engagement. Over time, I learned that helping people create content supported by your product ignites trust and opens the floodgates.
- Create referral systems where users talk about you.
- Returns value in real-time (integrations they can showcase).
- Stop chasing passive ranking, chase active conversations.
If you’re wondering whether polished SEO tactics are better than messy engagement, my answer is simple: messy engagement multiplies effort through virality, whereas tactical SEO… well, it just decorates your website.
Closing Thought: Build What People Share
Here’s what I tell every founder: forget chasing the Google algorithm or optimizing for machines. Optimize for humans, build tools they’ll use, create content they’ll love, and start conversations worth having. SEO isn’t dead, but trying to hack it without offering direct human value might as well be.
Whether you’re a female founder, no-code entrepreneur, or bootstrapped solopreneur, this is your edge: focus on building something so good people can’t help but share it. And let Google catch up.
People Also Ask:
What is the most effective SEO tactic?
Effective SEO tactics include using quotes and research to improve credibility, adding internal links to boost page rankings, creating a sitemap for better indexing, optimizing metadata, applying A/B tests, refining navigation structures, and developing topic clusters to organize content strategy.
What is the 80/20 rule for SEO?
The 80/20 rule for SEO suggests that 80% of your organic traffic and results come from 20% of your SEO activities. By identifying high-performing keywords, top content pieces, and impactful backlinks, you can focus efforts on these elements for better efficiency and ROI.
How can you apply the 80/20 rule in SEO?
Applying the 80/20 rule involves prioritizing high-impact keywords, enhancing your most effective content, focusing on quality backlinks, resolving major technical issues, and improving user experience on pages that drive most conversions.
What are the 3 C's of SEO?
The 3 C's of SEO are Content, Code, and Credibility. Each represents a key area to focus on: creating valuable content for users, ensuring clean technical structures for accessibility, and demonstrating trustworthiness through authoritative links.
How do you optimize the 3 C's of SEO?
Optimizing the 3 C's involves crafting high-quality content that matches user intent, maintaining a website with strong technical SEO features, and cultivating credibility by earning backlinks from trustworthy sources and presenting consistent business information.
Which SEO techniques should be avoided?
Harmful SEO techniques include keyword stuffing, writing solely for search engines, spamming comment sections, hiding text, duplicating content, swapping backlinks, and neglecting mobile SEO. These practices can lead to penalties and harm rankings.
Why is keyword stuffing bad for SEO?
Keyword stuffing is discouraged as it can make content unnatural and difficult to read. Search engines penalize this tactic, which results in lower rankings and a poor user experience.
How important is mobile SEO?
Mobile SEO is critical as a large portion of online searches happens on mobile devices. A mobile-friendly website improves usability, ensures faster loading speeds, and provides better rankings on search engines.
What is internal linking in SEO, and why is it important?
Internal linking refers to linking pages within the same website. It improves navigation, helps search engines understand site structure, and distributes link authority across pages, thereby enhancing rankings and user experience.
How do I create SEO content that people share?
To create shareable SEO content, address user needs clearly, use engaging formats, include credible sources, and provide value beyond expectations. Content should be unique, informative, and aligned with the interests of your target audience.
FAQ on Building Shareable Content Instead of Chasing SEO
Why is focusing on shareable content more effective for startups than traditional SEO?
Shareable content naturally attracts backlinks and creates buzz on platforms valued by your audience, such as Reddit and LinkedIn, which drive high-quality traffic. This organic engagement builds trust and authority over time. Learn how social engagement beats traditional SEO.
How can founders balance audience-first content with basic SEO practices?
While prioritizing your audience, integrate foundational SEO elements like clear meta titles, fast-loading pages, and mobile-friendly design. These basics support visibility without detracting from user engagement. Explore an SEO checklist for better audience focus.
Are viral platforms like Product Hunt better for startup visibility than search engines?
Yes, platforms like Product Hunt amplify your reach through engaged user groups who share recommendations and feedback. They create fast-moving momentum that search engines often reward through improved rankings. Leverage Product Hunt for early-stage traction.
Can AI tools help startups create better shareable content?
AI tools simplify generating appealing visuals, drafting content, and analyzing trending topics, helping to create content worth sharing. Embrace tools that address audience intent and emotion for maximum impact. Learn how AI powers startup growth strategies.
What are some practical approaches to improving content relatability?
Focus on storytelling that resonates with your audience’s pain points, provide actionable solutions, and occasionally challenge conventional wisdom to spark interest and dialogue. Discover actionable steps for content engagement.
How can startups make the most out of social platforms for content sharing?
Engage on relevant platforms, like Reddit for niche dialogues or LinkedIn for professional reach. Authentic participation and responses in these spaces boost content visibility. Unlock the power of LinkedIn strategies for startups.
Why should women founders especially adopt engagement-over-SEO strategies?
Women founders often juggle limited resources, making engagement-focused strategies more efficient. Offering immediate tangible value on social platforms costs less than extensive SEO campaigns but can yield equally impactful results. Explore insights tailored for women entrepreneurs.
How does mastering semantic search improve startup visibility for shareable content?
Semantic search optimization connects your content with user intent more effectively by improving topic relevance, internal linking, and emotional resonance. This drives higher quality traffic and engagement. Master semantic search for AI-driven SEO.
What role does educational content play in shareability and SEO?
Educational content builds trust, positions you as an authority, and naturally generates backlinks. Focusing on user-first topics ensures your content remains relevant and highly shareable. Explore why startups must prioritize education-driven strategies.
How do structured experiments affect content virality and SEO performance?
Regular experiments, like refining storytelling angles and identifying peak engagement times, guide what resonates with your audience. This improves both virality and SEO signals such as time on page. Learn structured experimentation for startups.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the point of view of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
