One of the Google buzzwords of recent years has been quality. They have put the focus back on well-written created and curated content, which says something to users and offers something valuable. The way in which Google define quality is ever changing but there are some indicators and best practice signals showing what they rate most highly and here we look at how you can create Google-friendly content which ticks the quality box too.
Key aspects to creating quality content:
- Keep it Relevant and Regular
- User Experience Rules
- Cut out Awkward Keywords
- Social Input
- Less Backlinks Needed
- Relevant and Regular
Readability matters and longer content is also becoming more popular. Research carried out by Econsultancy found that the average length of the top ranking pages on Google has increased by around 25% on average since 2014 and longer content is offering more to its readers and providing a useful and valuable resource. Content too short can’t provide enough insight and therefore, with so many online publishers, getting deeper into topics and offering more is something users (and Google) really appreciate. As has always been the case Google is not a fan of convoluted language and too much technical jargon, so keeping the Flesch Reading Scale in mind when writing is important too.
- User Experience Rules
An exceptional user experience (UX) will make you stand out. Good UX can effect Google rankings and therefore well-structured content and an easy to navigate website both contribute to quality. If your site is easy to get around then users are less likely to head elsewhere and this includes ensuring the design is responsive and mobile-ready in line with Google’s mobile update. To gain a better understanding of UX and its importance please see our blog piece ‘User Experience and your Google Ranking’.
- Cut out Awkward Keywords
Google doesn’t want to see any more of those awkwardly crow-barred in keywords. No marketing blog should try and stuff the phrase ‘digital marketing Kent’ or ‘online marketing blog London’ into their content and instead, the focus should be on longtail keywords which are user-friendly as well as designed for search engines. Content creation should be about just that, getting creative and incorporating keywords in a way which doesn’t involve butchering the English language. If the content being written is relevant to the service or products provided then it should naturally weave in relevant keywords, without the need of any awkwardness. If you’d like to gain a better insight to your websites keywords and well your site is ranking, submit your details here for a free website audit.
- Social Input
There is still no set in stone ‘yes or no’ when it comes to social shares and whether they have an impact on search rankings. There has been a clear correlation between social shares and search engine rankings and whilst it isn’t definitive it’s common sense to share content on as many relevant social channels as possible in an attempt to build a buzz around it, encourage more shares and further engagement.
- Less Backlinks Needed
Backlinks used to be the gold dust of getting that top Google ranking but they’re slowly becoming less important. Unnatural link building is a waste of a marketer’s time and once again, you should go back to the drawing board and focus on the creation of that content which is naturally good, of high quality and therefore results in those much-wanted shares and clicks. Backlinks using keywords as anchor texts are much less common than they once were, in much part due to Google working to combat the industry of unnatural and even paid link building.
There is no way of tricking Google, they are always one step ahead and the days of keyword stuffing and pages and pages of quickly written, un-engaging content to boost ranking are thankfully gone. High quality is what matters and this means engaging our brains and bringing out our creative sides, which is why many people got into marketing in the first place!
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