The landscape of search engine optimization is constantly evolving, with one of the main reasons being Google’s algorithm changes.  With Google putting further emphasis on relevant and high quality content, it is a necessity for your website to be responsibly designed and optimized for your keywords to help get you noticed, regardless of what industry you are in.  From Google’s relatively new introduction of RankBrain (An artificial intelligence using machine learning to better understand search queries. Wordstream has a great summary on RankBrain here) and its core ranking algorithm update to Panda that was introduced earlier in 2016, there is no doubt following best practices will help in creating an optimally designed website along with getting your website to rank. With that being said, what makes high quality SEO content? It may seem simpler than you think. Let us take a look at some of them.

1.Well-crafted Primary Content

Surprise Surprise.. One of the main factors for Google rewarding your website has been focused on quality content. A low hanging fruit that many companies and websites have surprisingly yet to utilize. Whether if there is not ENOUGH content or poorly written content, many websites aren’t being optimized the way it should be, leading to higher bounce rates and missed sales opportunities. A properly designed website should include relevant content that achieves the purpose of your webpage. Content can include text, images, videos and user generated content. The beauty of it is you have a plethora of options to include in your content, so be creative! In fact, content is probably the most important consideration in your page quality ranking.

2.Don’t Forget Your Supplementary Content Too

We just talked about how important your primary content is to your website. Well guess what? Your supplementary content is another factor that can separate you from your competitors. So what exactly is supplementary content? According to Google, features that assist the user in finding what they want are considered supplementary content (A full list of Google’s search quality rating guidelines can be found here). Essentially, this content should support your main content and provide additional value to your website visitors as well as contributing to a better user experience. One recommendation the Goose Digital team suggests is to add high-quality supplementary content to your website, by implementing a proper internal linking strategy. Moz does a great job in explaining internal structure and some its best practices here.

3.Page Layout

The way you present your content is also an important factor that can’t be ignored when you think about a properly optimized website for SEO purposes. At the end of the day, who doesn’t appreciate a beautifully designed website? We have already mentioned that websites require quality content for it to rank well, but we at Goose Digital say that design is just as important. Here is what Google tells users about page layout:

  • The user should not have to scroll down (above the fold) in order to see the main content of the page.

At the end of the day, the end goal is to create an incredibly easy to use experience for your users.

4.Length of Content

One of the more overlooked aspects, the content you present on your website should be of substantial length in order for your website to be viewed as ‘high-quality’. Google doesn’t actually state a specific recommended amount like title tags or meta descriptions, but as a website owner, you should use your best judgment and keep the user in mind when putting in your content. One of the main questions we get is how do you actually know whether the length of your content is substantial or not? We recommend doing some competitor research and use tools such as Screaming Frog to take a look at what some of your higher ranked competitors are doing, and replicate and improve upon them as much as you can.

Summary

Thanks to Google’s guidelines, we now have a better insight into what Google views as high-quality content and a well-optimized website. The concept of quality content might be a little vague- but hopefully after your reading of this post- you’ll have some clarification when designing your own website. Remember, CONTENT IS KING!

Need help or advice with your website? Let us help you and contact us today!

Sources:
https://moz.com/learn/seo/internal-link
https://moz.com/google-algorithm-change
http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/11/04/rankbrain
https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//insidesearch/howsearchworks/assets/searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf