You’ve heard it…
You’ve read it…
Google loves high-quality content.
Come to think of it – what is high-quality content?
What makes one piece of content better than the other? In this post, we take a critical look at the elements of high-quality content.
But, first things first…
Should you care about the quality of your web copy? YES, you should.
Why?
For starters, more than 2 million blog posts pop up every 24 hours. Indeed, that’s a lot of content for a single day!
In essence, this means that for Google to rank your content and, most important, place it before your target audience, you have to be above average.
Nobody wants to read mediocre, hurriedly gathered content that offers no value to readers.
Let’s take a look at what great business content is.
1. Relevant
Here’s the thing…
You have to develop well-written content.
On top of that, it has to be informative.
In fact, these two factors form the foundation of a high-quality website.
Your content has to be original. Shun regurgitated stuff copied from other websites.
Ensure that you generate purposeful content backed by correctly optimized info that your target audience can read, comment, and share. For instance, if you want write about Consumer Portfolio Services, you will need to be straightforward, concise and relevant to the audience. More importantly, you might need to further recommend SoloSettle to settle their debts and avoid going to court.
The point we’re to make here is that Google’s algorithm identifies high-quality, super-relevant content and, most importantly, ranks it higher in SERPs.
So, when creating content for your business website, make sure it is as relevant as possible. That way, you will occupy the top positions and make your customers happy.
And so you may know, the first page of Google attracts a whopping 71 percent of search traffic clicks, according to Moz.
With such stats, who wouldn’t want to appear on Google’s front page?
2. Reasonably Long
Longer content tends to rank better on Google. In fact, it is common these days to see blog posts spanning over 15,000 words.
Make no mistake about it, we’re not telling you to create massive 15,000-word posts.
No.
We’re simply saying that the longer your content is, the better.
You see…
Longer articles allow you to articulate your points better.
Think of it this way.
A 5,000-word article enables you to cover a lot more on a specific subject than a 1,000-word piece.
The question then becomes.
How Long Should Articles Be?
Your blog posts’ reasonable length from an SEO standpoint should be anywhere between 2,000 and 2,450 words.
Of course, you can produce longer articles, but it is essential to focus on balancing SEO and readability.
Besides, factors such as niche, audience, and competition may determine the length of your posts.
3. Grammatically Correct
Have you come across a website with content full of grammar and spelling mistakes at the top of Google’s rankings?
Is the answer an affirmative NO?
We thought so too!
The fact is, your brand will not appeal to your prospect if the content on your site isn’t grammatically correct or has spelling mistakes.
How can you make sure that your content is free of grammar and spelling errors?
You can hire an experienced freelance writer to generate the content on your behalf. Or you can pay a writing agency to do the job.
Or you can use tools such as Grammarly to help you get rid of grammar and spelling mistakes. The Hemmingway app will allow you to check the readability score.
Also, be sure to read your website copy two to three times before posting. You may also consider paying an editor to go through your work and make the necessary changes.
Why should you go through the pain of ensuring that your copy is grammatically correct and without spelling mistakes?
A perfect post brings the much-needed professional touch to your website and helps you rank better in SERPs.
4. Readable
Readability is so essential when creating business content we had to cover it under a separate.
What makes a web copy readable?
As the name suggests, a readable blog post is, well, easy to read and understand.
How do you ensure that your articles are readable?
Here’s how:
Use short sentences.
Keep your paragraphs short.
Use active web forms.
Be straight to the point. Avoid using unnecessary words. Keep off phrases such as “the reason why”…why and reason mean the same thing.
Cut the use of adjectives and adverbs.
One more thing:
You can use the Hemmingway app and the Flesch reading ease formula to check your content’s readability.
5. Well Formatted
79 percent of your prospects will not read your web copy from start to finish. They will scan it instead. That’s according to the findings of a Nielsen study.
In essence, this means that you must make it easy for your target audience to go through your content without necessarily reading the entire post.
In other words, ensure that your posts are formatted for quick scanning and skimming.
How do you format your content to make it readable?
Here’s how:
Use H1, H2, H3, etc.
Use tags
Use bullet points and number lists to break down your copy
Additionally, you can use italics and bold within your text to high essential information that you don’t want your readers to miss out on.
6. Includes Images And Video
High-quality business content has videos and images.
Images help break down your content and provide information in a well-laid out format that’s easy to digest.
For instance, infographics are a powerful form of visual business content that is remarkably impactful, as shown in the stats below.
65 percent of brands use infographics to boost their content marketing campaigns.
Infographics can help increase your site’s traffic by 12 percent.
Posts with infographics attract 178 percent more links than those without.
Infographics receive 3 times more shares than other forms of content.
Further, posts with images and video draw more engagement from your readers and rank better in Google as per SearchMetrics.
Note – Pages with at least 7 images tend to rank higher in Google.
7. Shows Expertise
Have you ever heard of EAT?
Well, if you haven’t, that’s the acronym for Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness.
Think of EAT as page authority.
In fact, some quarters believe that the Medic Update had a lot to with EAT.
How do you ensure that your web copy displays EAT?
By writing in a way that shows you’re an authority.
Your target audience will trust you more if you show them that you’re an expert in your field and will have no problem buying from you.
Simply put, the knowledge of the author is an essential element when developing content.
Your readers want to know that you know what you’re talking about.
You can show your expertise on a topic by:
Answering questions your target audience may have
In-depth research
Customer interviews etc
The long and short of it is that you should create business content that supports your arguments backed by examples.
8. Well-Optimized For Internal And External Links
Links increase the value of your content.
Seriously!
You see, when you create internal and external links, you’re delighting your readers and search engines.
Look around.
Nine out of every ten websites occupying the first position on Google have at least one internal self-referencing link.
We recommend that you aim to develop a solid internal link structure. Still, make sure that the URL you link to, and the anchor text are relevant to your content.
Avoid linking to unrelated pages. Otherwise, you might attract a Google penalty since irrelevant links harm the overall user experience.
9. Full Of Quality Comments
What do you think of content with lots of comments?
If you’re like most of us, a post with a significant number of comments shows the piece is of high quality.
And no, we’re not talking about random spammy comments.
No, we’re referring to genuine remarks made by readers who found a post to be helpful.
How do you ensure that your most popular article doesn’t attract irrelevant comments?
The surest way to stop spammers in their tracks is to moderate your comments. Also, be sure to leave helpful and well-thought-out responses to encourage even more readers to engage with your content even more.
Remember, spammy comments can harm your rankings while quality feedback, on the other hand, helps boost your rankings while enticing the target audience to interact with your content
10. Without A Lot Of Ads
We get it!
Advertisements are an excellent way to earn from your website.
Even so, your target audience may not necessarily like them.
You should, therefore, consider using them sparingly.
Before you get it twisted, we have nothing against using ads to monetize your site.
But, if ads are not the primary source of income or account for a small percentage of your revenue, we suggest that you get rid of them.
For instance, you may not need ads if you own an eCommerce website or one that brings income from affiliate marketing.
And, if ads are your main source of income, it is always a good idea to watch how you use them.
Here’s an image that shows the type of ads users hate.
With such stats, it makes perfect sense to keep off popup ads and keep banner advertisements on the minimum. While up to 43 percent of your target audience may dislike them, the number isn’t as high as other ads.
The Bottom Line
Of course, creating great content requires some level of skills.
It starts with understanding your target audience and their pain points.
Once you have figured out the two factors, you can generate content that your prospects and customers care to read.
What if you just can’t write? What if you don’t have the time?
Don’t fret!
Growth Generators has a qualified and experienced team who will jump on board and help you with your content needs.
We will analyze your business and target readers before putting pen to paper.
We will do the keyword research for and format your business content in a way that looks appealing to your readers and search engines.
Sound like a deal?
Good!
Contact us today so that we can discuss your content needs in detail.