The phrase “quality content” is clichéd in digital marketing. As I’ve gotten more accustomed to writing content, I’ve learned that quality content encompasses a myriad of factors that business owners might not be aware of. Quality content helps you build trust and authority with your audience while attracting inbound links. The definition of quality changes depending on the industry and target audience, but there are a few questions you can ask to determine if your content is quality.
Is the Content the Right Length?
The optimal word count for content is tricky. When trying to rank higher in Google, longer content is generally what Google prefers. Mobile users don’t seem to digest extended content as much as content that gets straight to the point. As it is now, more than 60% of mobile web users choose their phone as their primary means of going online. When creating content, focus on your goals. Do you want the content to rank highly in search engines? Create extensive material that goes into excruciating detail on the topic. If you want your content to be readily accessible to mobile users, trim the fat of the content and make sure the most important information is seen first. A few things to focus on for mobile users are:
- Lower word count
- Keywords that users would search for
- Headings
- Bullet points
- Links to other mobile-friendly content
Does the Content Have Proper Grammar?
Google is a real stickler for grammar. A few grammatical errors or typos can make you seem untrustworthy to Google. If your content is full of grammatical errors, vague wording, or phrases that confuse readers, it’s safe to say that it won’t be considered quality content. More things to consider are:
- Content organization
- Factuality of the content
- Spelling
Is the Content Formatted Correctly?
Something I’ve noticed is how little attention is paid to how the content looks on a website. Your content could be organized correctly, factually correct, and have no grammar errors, but if it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, most website browsers will click away from your site. Quality content isn’t only grammatically correct, but it also invites readers to stay with its formatting and structure. Google may love your content even if it’s uglier than my neon yellow suit on prom night, but readers won’t be so enthralled.
Does the Content Meet Google Webmaster’s Guidelines?
Conveniently, Google has laid out quality guidelines that cover common forms of deceptive or manipulative behavior. According to Google, basic principles for quality content are:
- Pages made for users and not search engines
- Honest practices
- Unique, valuable content
Although these may seem like easy things to accomplish, many websites and content writers don’t take these basic principles into account. In addition to these basic principles, Google also outlines more specific rules:
- Avoid automatically generated content
- Avoid creating pages with little or no original content
- Avoid sneaky redirects
- Avoid cloaking
While these methods make writing a large number of pages more doable, they’re not taken too highly by Google’s web crawlers. Monitor your site for hacking and remove any spam in the comments of your content. Continuing to do so will ensure that Google continues to view your content as reliable and trustworthy.
Defining quality content isn’t an easy task. No content will ever be considered perfect, but asking these questions will bring it closer to perfection. If you’d like to learn more about how content marketing can help your business flourish, contact us! Market My Market has years of experience in content marketing and a myriad of other marketing strategies. We can help you engage with your targeting audience naturally and provide you with quality content. Don’t be afraid to reach out to us. We’ll be waiting!