Four Qualities All Great SEO Content Has
We live in a content-saturated world. The internet is constantly throwing new things at its users—check out this post! Read this article! Watch this video! Ads blink in every sidebar, pop ups constantly leap at us, and everyone and their dog has a blog. Internet users have to learn to filter what’s important to them, and fast. In this environment, it’s no surprise that consumers are getting very, very good at ignoring you.
Everybody knows that you need content to attract customers; the concept of content marketing reaches back to some of the earliest magazines. With the advent of search engines, it’s become common knowledge among marketers that you need to work on SEO (search engine optimization) to get anywhere. But in a sea of corporate blogs and faceless tweets, how do you make your SEO content stand out? What, really, makes content great?
It’s Original
The first thing that all great content has to have is originality. Google and other search engines have made it perfectly clear that they will not tolerate duplication, and plagiarism is going to hurt your ranking (on top of being unethical). If you want good SEO content, the very least you need to do is use your own words. To make mediocre content great, though, you need something more—new ideas. Internet users aren’t going to bother with your material if you don’t ever say anything interesting. Insert your own take or a fresh twist on a topic if you want to get ahead.
It’s Accurate
Even if it’s a short social media post or an article posted on another website, it’s still affiliated with your company. And if something that you post turns out not to be true, then consumers will punish you for it. In the worst case, lazy SEO can turn into a public relations disaster or false advertising lawsuit. Double-checking the facts before you post is a good step, and so is linking to your sources.
It’s Created by Good Content Writers
Good writing is a must, and good writing comes from good writers. Don’t post anything with grammatical or spelling errors; it makes your company look foolish. Good content writers should also be engaging, able to draw the reader in with questions and interesting answers, as well as be masters of voice. Depending on the purpose of the content (Is it a press release? A blog post?), you may want it to be witty, quirky, and individual; or so impersonal and professional it could be the voice of the corporation itself. A talented SEO content writer knows the difference.
It’s Well-Titled
Finally, once you have great content, give it a great title. The headline is what readers use to decide whether they want to bother with the rest of the article—a dull title makes them think of a dull post, while something that catches their attention is sure to draw them in. Make your headlines interesting, unique, and descriptive, showing off the best of what your content has to offer.
As the internet evolves, it’s getting harder and harder to attract web traffic. But the big secret to drawing people in isn’t really much of a secret at all: great content. Nail that down, and you’re on your way to mastering SEO.
