image courtesy of Ambro at www.freedigitalphotos.net
In my last post we talked about Google’s thinking as it develops its page ranking algorithms. Why does this help you? Because now you can develop web content that pleases the most popular search engine on the planet.
Please your teacher, get an A. Please Google, get page one!
How do we know what Google is thinking? Check out its blog here and you’ll see the complete list of elements of a high-quality site. Let's take a look at 5 more with my comments.
More Insights Into Google’s Web Content Mindset
1. “Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?”
I have worked on websites that were all over the place in subject matter. No rhyme or reason for pages. No structure to the site. A total mess. I always wonder, is this is a website built on keywords only?
I asked a site owner this one time and he said, yes, he built the site based on high ranking, popular keywords. He realized it barely addressed the needs of his actual customers and so hired me to rewrite and reorganize the site. We now rank page one for his business and region.
Google is on to non-relevant keyword driven websites. Make yours visitor friendly and you’ll rank.
2. “Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?”
Even if you’re publishing a post based on another’s research, you can add original content by commenting on it. Keep your audience in mind as you agree, disagree, or offer more based on the information that will best help your particular audience.
Or, better yet, write a post from scratch based on yours or your company’s experience. What happens in your firm happens in others so inside information you offer your audience can be very valuable. And it will make you look good and enhance your authority.
3. “Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?”
Ecommerce site owners, this is for you. When you publish the manufacturer’s product descriptions on your own pages, how are you providing value over your competitors who use the same product descriptions? Make the content on your product pages original.
Answer these questions before you write: What’s your experience with the product? Do you have a testimonial on the product? What advice would you give people who need the product. How will your product help those who need it? Provide value by answering the questions your prospects bring to your web page.
4. “How much quality control is done on content.”
I mentioned in our last post that Google watches for spelling, stylistic, or factual errors. Also check for proper citations and links to source content. Be sure that what you say is accurate. This is especially true with technical products and professional services such as insurance, architecture, and accounting.
5. “Does the article describe both sides of a story?”
This is interesting to me because I have not been thinking about it for my posts. I haven’t written about the pros AND cons of an issue before. I assume this is a way for Google to tell that an article is helpful and not a sales pitch. After all, who points out the cons of a product on a sales page? But this makes sense for Google, doing everything it can to provide useful information to searchers. I’ll try to get better at this in my posts and pages.
So, Google gives us the answers to the test right up front. (Most of my teachers did, too, but I never realized it. Darn!) You can see Google’s mission as shown in these guidelines: provide the best information available to its searchers. Now you can be the one providing that information in your web content so you get the sale, not your competition.
More on these guidelines to come.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Burns is an SEO web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. He provides clients a winning content strategy plus the special web writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
