Content & Search Engine Optimization Services
May 20, 2013
The Good, Bad & Ugly of Content in terms of Search Engine Optimization Services
On the SEOhaus blog, we talk a lot about the quality of content and the effect of content on search engine optimization services. And there is a good reason for that. Good content is essential for good SEO results. The problem is that a lot of people can get so consumed with the recommendations of search engine optimization services that they forget what the content is there in the first place for – to connect with the visitors, to engage them and to inform them.
So let’s start with “The Ugly” – Deceptive content
Do not lie in your content. At all. Ever. Do not include information which you justify as being “technically true, if…” Just don’t do it. At all. Ever. Not only will you probably find that a lot of people abandon your site before becoming a conversion, but people will spread the word. And the list of outlets they have to complain is pretty extensive: Google Reviews, Facebook Business pages, blogs, forums, etc. etc. If you use misleading language on your site you are probably going to find that a lot of people know about it very quickly. And then there really isn’t much that search engine optimization services can do for you, because it won’t matter if you’re on the first page of Google.
“The Bad” – Extensive, meaningless content
A lot of search engine optimization services will probably tell you that the pages on your site, especially the ones you are optimizing, should have at least a minimum amount of content. Each company will be different and each probably have their own reasons. But the thing that I think most search engine optimization services forget to include is this: Do NOT sacrifice quality for quantity. Do not just keep adding text in order to get to your “minimum required.” Only add text if it enhances the user experience on the site and informs people more about your business, product or service.
Related to this is to remember to be mindful of the language you use. Spelling and grammar checks should be a given at this point, but that’s not what I mean. Make sure you are using appropriate language for your audience and that your content is easy to read. Mostly, the way you write on your website should seem like the way you would speak in person.
“The Good” – Quality, informative content that is well formatted.
Quality, informative content is content that has had effort put into it, so that every page is unique and interesting with a clear explanation of the page’s purpose. Quality, informative content is good content first and good SEO second.
What do I mean by “well formatted?” Sit back and take this blog post in for a second; actually see how it looks as a whole. Now imagine, for a second, that I didn’t include any paragraphs or topic headings throughout. That it was just one big block of words. I imagine most of you would have bounced right off this page without even attempting to read it. And of course, you don’t expect any different from your traffic, do you?
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Christine Martindale is one of the Account Managers at SEOhaus. If you would like to stay up-to-date on all of the latest SEO industry news and tips, you can subscribe to our blog here. Thanks for reading the SEOhaus blog!