The Value Of Quality Website Content

Sometimes the tools available for website design and development can create effects so dazzling and enticing that they interfere with what should be considered quality website content, and especially, effective SEO. If you have any doubts about this at all, ask yourself how many Internet users conduct a Google search with the hope of seeing a colorful, mesmerizing website, with all the latest visual effects.

In actuality, the vast majority of searchers are looking for an answer to some question they have. No matter how visually impressive your site might be, if Google cannot find it, and if it does not answer the user’s question, it will be of no value to them. That alone should illustrate the tremendous importance of high-quality website content and sound SEO principles. However, there are also some very specific reasons why you should emphasize these two factors above any visual allure.

Why Is SEO Crucial?

Before any users can obtain the answers to their questions on your website, they have actually to find your site. The way that they’re going to find your website is to have it ranked on the first page or two of Google’s search rankings. The sites listed on those first couple of  pages are considered to be the ones most likely to provide an answer to a user’s question or to have relevant information about the selected keywords. But finding your website involves more than just matching keywords in your site’s content to keywords chosen by the user.

Google will also use bots to scan and examine your entire website to determine how your website content will rank against others which might also satisfy the search.

Here are some of the factors that will help your site be found, and ranked highly:

• Good structure, which explains content to be found on your web pages, including the proper use of title tags, headings, alt text, meta descriptions, page structure validation, keyword placement (higher up on the page is better).
• Backlinks to your site are considered strong indicators that others have found your site to be informative and useful, and probably containing content of high value. The freshness of these links also matters.
• Volume of traffic to your site is considered by search engines as an indicator that it has value to many users.
• A fast website response time will also help your site because Google does not want to send searchers to slow or problematic websites.
• Keyword frequency helps in determining the relevancy of the content, but over-stuffing will get penalized.

There are many other ways that search engine bots evaluate your website. Paying close attention to these and other sound SEO principles will help you get your site discovered.

How Value Is Delivered To Users

While sound SEO principles are necessary for users to find your website in the first place, it’s high-quality content that keeps them there and avoids the possibility of them abandoning your site quickly in favor of another one. The way to provide quality content to a user is to have an understanding of what it is they’re looking for, and then provide it to them.

If you can manage to accomplish these two critical goals, you are likely to drive much more traffic to your website. You’ll also increase the level of engagement of your visitors, and make it much more likely that your content will be shared with even more users. As you can see, this model has the potential to expand your reach on the Internet vastly and can become one of the most effective marketing and advertising strategies you could use.

The Potential For Evergreen Content

Some of the most effective high-value content on the Internet is that which can remain useful to users for long periods of time, even spanning years out into the future. This kind of content is known as evergreen content because it does not become dated or obsolete within a matter of days, weeks, or months.

There are certain formats of content which lend themselves better to being evergreen, for instance, how-to articles, case studies, and videos which provide instruction or step-by-step illustration of specific processes. Of course, such articles must be written very clearly, so that the content remains appealing throughout its lifetime. It must also take into account effective SEO principles, and it may even need to be updated periodically if any of its elements require that.