5 Ways Quality Content is Important in SEO
What is the single biggest factor in your search engine optimization? It is not your backlinks or your on – site optimization. It is the quality of your content. For nearly a decade Google and other search engines have increased the importance of quality content in search engine results. This was to combat the use of black -hat SEO techniques.
People would use less than legitimate ways to gain backlinks, pushing their pages to the top of search rankings. Now, content is king. With that in mind, here are 5 ways that quality content is important in SEO.
#1 – Search Engines Want Readable Content
Search engines have the uncanny ability to determine if your content is stuffed with keywords. They look at the keyword density of your content to determine if it was written for humans first or search engines. While some SEO experts believe that there is a balance you can achieve, it is best to write for humans first and search engines second. By doing this, the people reading your content will be able to understand your message.
Adding too many keywords simply takes away from the readability of your content. This forces people to leave your site and never return. So, keyword density should be an afterthought. Try writing content that you would like to read and then find ways to naturally include your chosen keywords.
#2 – You Will Have Lower Bounce Rates
Creating quality content will also help lower your bounce rates. This refers to the percent of visitors that leave your site without performing any action or clicking on any links. When you give quality content to your visitors, they are more likely to see what else you have to offer. They will actually take the time to read your article and may follow through with your call to action.
#3 – Quality Content Receives More Quality Backlinks
If you want to naturally generate quality backlinks, you need quality content. Other sites have no reason to link to your content if it does not provide valuable information. When you create quality content, you have a better chance of getting popular websites to link to your articles. You can also increase the opportunity for influencers to share your content with their followers or subscribers.
Basically, if you want quality backlinks, you need to start adding quality content. This will also help increase the social media chatter your pages receive, which leads to the next reason why quality content is so important.
#4 – Quality Content Can Increase Your Social Media Presence
Creating quality content can help increase your social media presence. This is due to the same reasons that quality content increases the likelihood of quality backlinks. When you have beneficial information, people will want to share it. Now, there is a debate about the importance of social media sharing in search engine rankings. Some SEO experts have found that this has no correlation to search results. This may be true, but it is not the entire picture.
When more people share your content, more people visit your site, more people may link to it from other sites, which all adds up to increased search engine rankings. So, even though social media may not provide a direct benefit to search rankings, it does offer an indirect advantage.
#5 – Search Engines Look at Engagement Metrics
The final reason that quality content is needed for SEO purposes is that search engines look at engagement metrics. When determining search engine rankings, they will look at the bounce rates, duration of the visit, traffic source, and other metrics. They want to determine whether users found your content engaging. If you have a high bounce rate and few backlinks, then search engines take this as a sign that you do not have quality content.
Content is essential for connecting with your target audience and increasing your online presence. The old saying that content is king still remains true. Since 2011, when Google introduced the Panda update to their ranking algorithm, search engines have used methods to determine the human readability of your content. With each passing year, search engines become more and more sophisticated. They learn new ways of judging and rating your content.
If search engines are paying attention to the quality of your content, you need to as well. If you have trouble generating high -quality content, then you may find it helpful to use a streamlined website builder. With the help of SEO Hero Site 123, you can easily create a beautiful website in just minutes. SEO Hero gives you the time to focus more of your energy on the content that you create and less time on your SEO.
For those that struggle that to climb search engine rankings, the first place to look is your content. Keep these suggestions in mind as you look for ways to improve your SEO.