How To Put Quality Into High-Quality Content

byrichardgb

1.8K followers

Updated 3 years ago

Search engine Optimisation (SEO) practices state that quality of content is important for SEO, but SEO tools generally have a very limited capability for testing for quality content.

Many people assume that writing perfectly (with great spelling and grammar) represents quality. Although good spelling and grammar can make an article easier to read, there are other important factors for ranking purposes.

The most important factor is what Google calls "user intent". User intent is about how well we understand the meaning of a search query, in order to respond appropriately to the words used in that search. Stating the obvious, it's also what adds the most value to the reader!

Understanding "user intent" is in essence the same as the concept of investigating "user needs" when creating a product. The clearer users' needs are understood and defined, the easier it is to design and build or write something fit for purpose. One definition of high-quality is "fit for purpose". Purpose needs to be defined well, before development and provides the main measure of product quality.

Apparently, the Google algorithm has ways to measure "user intent" but exactly how this is achieved is not clear.

However, there are many hints and clues; when we get it right, with original content, our writing has a much greater chance of attracting and retaining readers interest, and of ranking high up in Google.

3 Key Features Of High-Quality Content Are:

• Interpretation of a search engine user's search to be clear on what they are looking for, and creating comprehensive content that delivers whatever that is;
• Constructing a post by laying it out in a format that is easy for the reader to read and understand, and using a personalised style;
• A title that attracts readers and reflects the content.

Interpretation Of A Users Search Intent

When writing articles based on keywords, and optimising for SEO, it is essential to make sure you have a clear understanding of what the user is looking for. To be ranked highly, content needs to accurately answer the search query as fully and clearly as possible.

So, again stating the obvious, thorough research is essential for the creation of high-quality content.

Nowadays, when writing content, we are fortunate that there's a wealth of "guideline posts" already online in the shape of page one ranked posts, for any particular search.

Analysing the top-ranked posts for breadth and depth of content is a great way to learn what to include in answering any search query. By studying and learning from those articles already ranked, we can then create content that is at least comparable with those top-ranked posts and ideally even better. Better means improving on any or all of the three points here. To compete in search rankings, our posts need to deliver more value to the reader than do others.

There is already great training in the Wealthy Affiliate arsenal. In addition, I recommend reading some blog posts by WA member, @ParthaB (Partha) that provide a great supplement to the training here at WA. You'll find a link below.

Construct A Post For Readability

• Sentences are best with 7 to 10 words.
• Paragraphs are best with 3 to 5 sentences.
• Insert section headings using H3 or H4 where appropriate.
• The panel width for presenting the text of a post is best narrowed enough for eyes to easily traverse without strain... for my posts, I use a little over or under 1000 px.
• Clearly define sections, ideally with appropriate headers, laid out in a logical order.
• Use images (optimised for loading speed) and videos where it makes sense.
• Links need to be worded to fit in appropriate places in text or images and lead to relevant destinations.
• Choose fonts for readability, not for artistic effect. Personally, I use Verdana or Tahoma.
• Use infographics to emphasise and summarise key messages.
• Write as simple as possible, but no simpler (i.e. simply and clearly).
• Carefully use "power words" in your writing. Power words trigger a natural emotional or psychological response in the reader. A quick search online will unearth hundreds of them.
• Every sentence counts! Do your best to inspire the reader to keep on reading.
• I like to imagine the person I am writing for; sometimes an imaginary person, sometimes real, and write as if talking to them out loud. Readers respond best to a perception of being spoken to by a real person.

Attract Readers With Your Title!

• As with your text, keep the title simple with no fancy words.
• Use less than 70 characters.
• Focus on one point in the title.
• Use at least one power word in the title.
• Make sure the title is relevant to the content! That seems obvious but in the past was often abused.

Other Factors

High-quality content is not created by accident; it's quality by design; it's deliberately created for a specific purpose and is original.

Quality content is written for readers, not for the search engines!

Great content addresses user search queries by providing the information they are looking for.

Last But Not Least ... Before You Start

Clearly define your goals for the post:

• Who is your post for (pay special attention to Who)?
• Why are you writing about your chosen subject?
• What do you want readers to do, and take away from it?
• What additional value-add will you deliver to readers over other posts?
• When will it be published?
• Where will it be published?

As promised above, below is a link to posts by @ParthaB full of gems on creating high-quality content. Start here and you'll find links to 2 more towards the end of this post:

If you've read this far, I thank you.

If you have any questions or comments please add them below ... I appreciate your feedback.

If you like this post, please click the green button.

Richard