The phrase ‘content is king’ is tossed around quite a bit, but do you really know what it means? Or, the impact that content plays in terms of SEO? If the answer is no, now is the time to get to know more about what quality content is and the role it plays.
Thinking Like Google
When creating quality content, one of the first things to consider is what will Google consider quality? Google is constantly making efforts to enhance their search results – this means providing more quality and informative content that will be beneficial to searchers.
This is where quality content can become a bit tricky.
What do your consumers want to know? If you are unsure of this answer, there are some ways to find out:
- Ask customers coming into your store.
- Find out where your audience is on social media and then join the conversation.
- Ask for suggestions about topics via email or on your website.
The key to providing value is to find out what your customers want to know.
Helpful Tip: Create blog posts about commonly asked questions or a service that is new. These types of posts will help increase your SEO and show Google that you are providing answers to the questions your consumers have.
Something is not Better than Nothing
In most cases, something is better than nothing – this is not true when it comes to your website content. If you don’t have anything of value to add or say – don’t post anything! Google desires three things:
- Quality: Good and well-written content that show authority.
- Uniqueness: Create unique thoughts and content that is nooffered elsewhere on the internet. This is highly important and failure to do this can result in a fall in the SERPs.
- Relevance: Produce content that is connected to what you do or offer.
Utilizing Keywords
While keywords are still important in terms of SEO for your website, it is not necessarily the most important factor. Instead, offering valuable, well-written content that provides authority in a certain area is much more valuable. Take some time to research keywords and then intertwine them into the pages you are creating. Do not stuff and do not try to ‘trick’ Google – this will backfire and it can take a while to recover from these types of missteps.
Determining the Value of Content
Now the question website owners are faced with is how to determine the value of content created. There are quite a few things to consider; however, some factors include:
- Social Shares: Quality content is going to get shares. Social shares are a good indication of the quality of content produced.
- Links: While content that does not get links is not necessarily invaluable, content that does can be celebrated. The more links acquired, the higher quality the content is.
- Comments: While it may seem like fewer people are commenting on blogs, the fact is if you get comments, the reader is engaged and have a thought about what you have to say – this is a good sign.