The Truth About SEO Settings on Medium: Are They Really Useful?

Ever wondered if tweaking those SEO settings on Medium could skyrocket your story’s visibility? You’re not alone.

Many writers on Medium have pondered the same question, hoping to unlock the secret to more views and better engagement. But is it really as simple as adjusting a few settings?

In this article, we’ll dive deep into the world of SEO on Medium, exploring what it means, how it works, and whether those enticing SEO settings are truly the golden ticket to success.

Prepare to uncover the truth and discover strategies that actually work for boosting your Medium stories’ visibility.

TLDR

Medium’s SEO settings for individual stories are largely ineffective for improving search engine rankings. Instead, focus on creating high-quality, problem-solving content that aligns with popular search queries to attract organic traffic from Google.

Key Insights

🔍 SEO Basics: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, aimed at improving a story’s ranking on Google and other search engines.

⚙️ Medium’s SEO Settings: Medium allows writers to adjust SEO title and description for stories, but these settings have minimal impact on search rankings.

🚫 Ineffective Tweaks: Changing SEO settings alone won’t significantly improve a story’s visibility or traffic from search engines.

📊 Traffic Sources: Most Medium stories get little to no traffic from Google unless they target specific, searchable topics.

🎯 Effective Strategy: Focus on writing stories that solve problems people are actively searching for on Google.

💼 Monetization Opportunity: Stories ranking well on Google can potentially earn money through affiliate partnerships, not through Medium’s partner program.

🔑 Key to Success: Create content that addresses popular search queries and provides valuable solutions to readers’ problems.

Q&A

What does SEO stand for in the context of Medium? — SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which aims to improve a story’s ranking on Google and other search engines.

Can tweaking Medium’s SEO settings improve a story’s visibility on Google? — No, tweaking Medium’s SEO settings (title and description) has little to no effect on improving a story’s visibility or ranking on Google.

What type of Medium stories are more likely to rank well on Google? — Stories that solve specific problems people are searching for, such as product reviews or “how-to” guides, are more likely to rank well on Google.

Do Medium stories that rank well on Google earn money through the Medium Partner Program? — No, stories that rank well on Google typically don’t earn money through the Medium Partner Program because the readers are not paying Medium members.

How can writers monetize Medium stories that rank well on Google? — Writers can monetize these stories through affiliate partnerships with products or services mentioned in the content.

What’s an example of a Medium story that can rank well on Google? — A product review or roundup post, such as “Best AI Photo Colorizer Tools,” can rank well for relevant search queries.

Is it beneficial for personal stories or general life lessons to rank on Google? — No, personal stories or general life lessons typically don’t benefit from ranking on Google as they don’t address specific search queries.

What’s the key strategy for SEO success on Medium? — The key strategy is to write stories that solve problems people are actively searching for on Google, rather than focusing on SEO settings.

Timestamp Summary with Links

🎬 Introduction and Course Promotion 00:00 — Video introduction and promotion of free Medium masterclass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAm0l72cw2Y&t=0s

🔧 SEO Settings on Medium 00:41 — Explanation of Medium’s SEO settings for stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAm0l72cw2Y&t=41s

📊 SEO Effectiveness 01:22 — Discussion on the ineffectiveness of tweaking SEO settings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAm0l72cw2Y&t=82s

🎯 Successful SEO Strategy 02:32 — Explanation of effective SEO strategy for Medium stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAm0l72cw2Y&t=152s

💰 Monetization through SEO 03:29 — Discussion on earning potential from Google-ranking stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAm0l72cw2Y&t=209s

🔑 Key Takeaways 04:37 — Summary of main points and additional tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAm0l72cw2Y&t=277s

Tips & Tricks

1. Focus on Searchable Topics: Write stories that address specific problems or questions people commonly search for on Google.
2. Ignore SEO Settings: Don’t waste time tweaking Medium’s SEO settings for individual stories, as they have minimal impact.
3. Create Product Reviews: Consider writing comprehensive reviews or roundups of products in a specific niche to attract search traffic.
4. Target Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on specific, less competitive search terms related to your topic to increase chances of ranking.
5. Provide Value: Ensure your content offers genuine solutions or insights to the problems you’re addressing.
6. Consider Affiliate Marketing: If your stories rank well on Google, explore affiliate partnerships to monetize your content.
7. Consistency is Key: Regularly publish high-quality, search-optimized content to build authority in your niche over time.

Score This Video: 4/10

This video receives a lower score for several reasons:

1. Limited Depth: While the video touches on an important topic for Medium writers, it doesn’t provide in-depth strategies or actionable advice beyond the basic concept of writing searchable content.
2. Self-Promotion: A significant portion of the video is dedicated to promoting the creator’s Medium masterclass, which detracts from the main content and feels somewhat misleading given the video’s title.
3. Lack of Concrete Examples: Although the creator mentions a successful story about AI photo colorizers, there’s a lack of diverse, concrete examples to illustrate the points made.
4. Oversimplification: The video oversimplifies the complexities of SEO, potentially leading viewers to underestimate the effort required for successful search engine optimization.
5. Limited Scope: The content focuses primarily on affiliate marketing as a monetization strategy, neglecting other potential benefits of SEO for Medium writers.
6. Absence of Technical SEO Advice: While the video correctly states that Medium’s SEO settings are ineffective, it doesn’t provide any technical SEO tips that could actually help improve search rankings.

The video does offer some value by debunking the myth about Medium’s SEO settings and highlighting the importance of creating searchable content. However, its heavy focus on self-promotion and lack of comprehensive, actionable advice significantly reduces its overall usefulness to the viewer.