How to Create SEO Personas That Don’t Feel Like Corporate BS

— Even if You’re a One-Woman (or One-Man Show)

Let’s be real: most traditional marketing persona exercises feel like they belong in a beige conference room with bad coffee and seven people from different departments arguing over slide fonts.

You? You’re probably running your creative business from a laptop, a cluttered studio table, or in between shipping orders and feeding your sourdough starter.

And you don’t need a 25-slide pitch deck to figure out who your customer is.

What you do need, especially in this new world of AI search, is a lightweight, actionable, and dare I say it… kinda fun system for understanding your people and showing up in search results that matter.

Let’s break down how to do that, without breaking your brain.

Wait, Why Do Personas Even Matter for SEO Now?

In the AI era, search engines aren’t just looking at what people are asking. They’re trying to understand who’s asking it.

That means your content needs to do more than match keywords. It needs to speak to a specific human, with specific questions, fears, and ways of consuming info.

Think of AI search like a concierge: it’s listening for nuance. If your content only speaks in generic marketing buzzwords, it’s not going to surface when your dream customer searches, “What’s a good low-maintenance engagement ring if I have sensitive skin and I’m on a budget?”

You can win AI search by showing up with answers that are:

• Personal

• Specific

• Aligned with actual user intent

• Spread across the platforms your people already trust
  

How to Create Search Personas, The Creative-Friendly Way

You don’t need to outsource this. You already have everything you need.

Here’s your step-by-step, anti-overwhelm process to build search personas that actually move the needle, not just collect digital dust in your G-Drive folder.

Step 1: Collect Clues You Already Have

Time Required: 1–2 days (or one focused afternoon)

Start by mining what your customers already tell you:

• Emails & DMs

• Product reviews or testimonials

• Instagram comments

• Site search queries (if you’ve got them)

• FAQ submissions or custom order questions

Create a simple spreadsheet with columns like:

You’re not looking for perfect answers, you’re looking for patterns.

Step 2: Group by Goal (Not Just Demographics)

Time Required: 1 day

Once you’ve got your raw insights, start grouping similar types of customers together.

Here’s how I like to think of it:

You don’t need 12 of these. Start with 2–3 clusters that feel true to your audience.

Step 3: Fill Out Persona Prompt Cards

Make one page for each persona with the following info:

• Goals & tasks
  What are they trying to do?

• Pain points & fears
  What’s getting in the way?

• Trust triggers
  What builds confidence?

• Preferred format
  (Do they like short FAQs? Pinterest pins? In-depth comparisons?)

• Where they hang out
  Pinterest? TikTok? Reddit? Google? Email?

• Example search queries
  Write down 3 things they might Google.

Pro Tip: These prompt cards are amazing for using with ChatGPT. Just paste one in before you ask it to help you write a blog or pin caption — it’ll instantly sound more aligned with your audience.

Step 4: Use the Personas in Real-Life Content

Here’s where most people drop the ball: they make personas and then... ignore them.

You? You’re gonna put them to work.

• When writing a product description → ask: “Which persona is this for?”

• When posting to Pinterest → use their actual search terms in the pin description

• When creating a landing page → include the proof they need to trust you (warranty, testimonials, real-life photos)

Bonus Tip: AI tools work better when you tell them who they’re talking to. Use your persona cards to improve your ChatGPT prompts instantly.

Step 5: Check What’s Working (And What’s Not)

Do this every 2–3 months:

• Which blog posts or pins are driving the most clicks or engagement?

• What content is getting saved, shared, or revisited?

• Are people asking new questions you hadn’t thought of?

Update your personas as you learn more. This is a living document, not a museum piece.

Persona Templates (That Don’t Suck)

Here’s one you can steal and tweak today:

Persona: Romantic Realist Rowan (engagement ring buyer)

• Goal: A meaningful, ethically sourced engagement ring under $3K

• Fears: Choosing something flimsy or unethical, getting ripped off

• Search style:

  • “Best salt & pepper diamond rings”

  • “Affordable custom engagement rings”

  • “Alternative to mined diamonds”

• Trust triggers: Behind-the-scenes process, recycled metals, stone sourcing, care instructions

• Format: Visual, Pinterest-style moodboards, charts, testimonials

• Platform: Pinterest, Instagram, Google

TL;DR, Do This First

If your brain is spinning, here’s your zero-excuse starting point:

1. Open a Google Doc or notebook.

2. Write down 3 real questions a customer has asked you.

3. Under each question, jot down:

   • What they were trying to do

   • What made them hesitant

   • What format you’d want to answer them in (video, blog, image)

Boom. You’ve started your first persona.

Ready to Make It Easier?

I’ve got a free, plug-and-play Persona Card Template + Search Persona Discovery Spreadsheet ready to go.

Drop me a line below and I’ll send it to you.

Because your content shouldn’t just check an SEO box — it should sound like you, serve your people, and bring in the right ones.

Let’s make that happen.