You can stop guessing on the quality of your web page. No more wondering whether it will get found online and engage your visitors. In our last post we talked about inside secrets to what the search engines consider a quality web page. We got those secrets directly from Google’s Search Quality Rating Program.
With this Program, you have Google’s guidelines followed by their own webpage evaluators. Now you know exactly what to look for in quality web pages. You can get answers to questions my clients typically ask, such as:
What goes into quality? What is the difference between a quality web page and a mediocre page? Can we write pages that qualify whether you’re a small city lawyer, an insurance agency, or a mid-size manufacturer?
Google in quotes below, my comments after…
So What Makes A High Quality Web Page?
1. “High quality pages are satisfying and achieve their purpose well.”
How do you achieve satisfaction and purpose? One way is to make sure you haven’t thrown too many subjects onto a page.
For example, you offer your customers five services and you describe them all on one page. How will a visitor who needs one of those services be “satisfied” if she has to read through your whole list to get what she needs.
And “purpose” is crucial to web pages that get found and engage. You want your web page to help your visitor with a particular problem. You don’t do this with an overload of information on subjects of no interest. You do it by answering their questions. Find out more about one topic, one web page here and why it not only makes a stronger page but also improves your SEO.
2. “High quality pages exist for almost any purpose.”
Google informs its raters that the type of business doesn’t matter when it comes to quality web pages. In fact, listed as examples are a Siberian husky information page, a kitchen stand mixer shopping page, and a movie review page.
No matter what you do, we can write quality, people pleasing web pages that Google likes, too. Quality web pages get found and satisfy your visitors no matter what business you are in or what you web page is about.
3. “High quality pages and websites need enough expertise to be authoritative and trustworthy on their topic.”
Expertise doesn’t mean medical, professional, or academic websites only. What Google wants in your pages is proof that you know what you’re talking about. That’s true of ordinary people sharing their experiences on blogs or in forums. Google counts personal experience as a form of expertise.
The standards for professionals are higher, though. Medical advice should come from people or institutions with appropriate medical expertise. Same for financial, legal, and tax advice. And pages should be edited, reviewed, and updated regularly. Here are some tips on a good About Us page.
4. “Supplementary content can be a large part of what makes a high quality page very satisfying for its purpose.”
Supplementary content is related to the main content and adds to the user’s experience. A list of similar products or ways to find other fun stuff on entertainment sites keeps visitors happy.
I tend to use links in my blogs to other posts with more helpful information. But smaller sites for local businesses may not have enough pages to link to and supplemental content isn’t really necessary. That does not count against those businesses. They can still get a high quality rating without supplemental content.
Functional page design, a satisfying amount of website information, and a well-cared for and maintained website are three more characteristics of a quality web page. I’ll talk more about these soon. Plus, introduce what makes a HIGHEST Quality Web Page.
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.
