The role of content in SEO

Every online search is done for a reason, or with certain intent. It may be to learn, buy, fix, find, or any other combination of motivators. No matter why, when an Internet user conducts a search, the search engines place specific websites in order on their results page to satisfy the searcher’s intents and give them the best experience possible. Earning one of these coveted top-ranking spots on a search engine results page is the main goal of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

There are many pieces to the SEO puzzle, but providing thorough webpage content on your site that addresses your audience’s needs is one of the best ways to optimize. Possessing quality content has quickly become one of the most universal and important factors to consider for companies seeking to achieve Internet marketing success. Content can be anything posted on your website— from text on webpages to videos, articles, blogs, and social media pages.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 86 percent of companies use content marketing, and there are over 2 million blogs written every day. That’s a lot of information crowding the web! For marketers who want to stay ahead and stand out from the masses, the takeaway lesson is this: not all content is created equal.

Of course, there are many different types of content as listed above, but just having any basic copy or simple stock photos on your website is not quite enough. There are many criteria that search engines use to determine if your content is considered superior, but most engines specifically look for three major aspects—relevance, quality, and uniqueness.

Content relevance is a very straightforward concept. If a person were to search for “bookstores” and all the content on your site is about “video games”, clearly your website would not be a relevant search result. Content quality is also just what you’d expect: well written, professional copy or media with accurate information from sources with high authority. Uniqueness is a bit more difficult to address, but one way to consider it is the more variety in the type of content your site features, the better.

Further, having any duplicate content on your site is considered to be one of the worst SEO offenses you could make. Duplicate content is simply content that appears in more than one place, whether on your own site or when compared to another. Although there are many examples of identical content on the Internet, search engines have trouble deciding which version is the most relevant to a particular search. The engines will avoid showing multiple duplicate pieces of content and will choose the version they consider the best, as in most original.

Providing the best response possible to search queries is a search engine’s ultimate goal, so computer algorithms that patrol the web classify webpages lacking in any of these content areas as devoid of credibility. These sites will continually be sent to the back of the line when search engines display results for an Internet user, and those companies will miss out on massive opportunities for customer engagement and- ultimately- potential profits.

The important thing to remember when considering all of this is that buyers use this all of this website content they are exposed to in making purchasing decisions on a daily basis. People in the modern age don’t need live salespeople to convince them of why they need to buy something—they can use their own technology and resources to find answers. Of course there are ultimately many rules of content creation, but brands that provide thorough, approachable answers to their customers’ questions will definitely enjoy greater success.

So how do marketers create quality, unique, relevant content? Many companies are outsourcing their content development and writing to further optimize their websites. Others also allow a hefty SEO and Internet marketing budget that may surprise many, but in today’s digital marketplace is rapidly becoming a top priority.

At Search Owls, we employ in-house content writers who are native English speakers. Each piece of content is customized to be relevant and engaging for the audience intended, and is always unique in composition and style. By utilizing specific keywords and optimizing content for specific search results, our content writers build up the authority of our clients’ websites. As a result, our clients enjoy increased exposure to potential customers and a positive association within all of the major Internet search engines.

Overall, when it comes to SEO, remember that “Content is King”, and the importance of providing high quality, engaging content to your audience should never be underestimated.