Why is Web Content Important for SEO?

 

Web content is the most important component to good search engine optimization. Search engines will attest that websites with the most unique, user-friendly content will generally rank higher than websites with less content. Google cemented this at a conference I attended where the Google panelist said that Google likes to see content, content and content. The presenter went on to clarify this by saying that Google likes to see “lots of content, lots of keyword-rich content and lots of refreshed content.”

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All three types of content are important to SEO:

• “Lots of content,” means just that. Websites with ample use-friendly descriptions of their products, services, offerings, key staff, contact information, etc. rank higher.

• “Lots of keyword-rich content,” means that before creating any content, writers should research what words or phrases their target audience would use to describe their products or services. For example, a business offers sales training programs for auto dealerships. Without further research, they would describe their product as “sales training programs for auto dealership” However, keyword research would have shown that the bulk of the searches are for “sales training programs for car dealerships.” This lack of research would result in not being ranked for the more popular search term.

• “Lots of refreshed content,” means that the search engines use website changes and updates as ranking signals. Searchers prefer updated information so the search engines track this in their algorithm. All other factors being equal, websites with more frequent updates rank higher

 

In addition to content for the visitor, a well-optimized website also makes good use of page title tags, page meta descriptions and image alternative tags to describe themselves to the search engines.

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Together, the visitor content, the meta data, and the image alternative tags help both visitors and the search engines understand the website offerings and strongly contribute to its success.