Content is king for SEO

Content is the key to search engine optimisation. Why is content crucial for good rankings?

The quote “Content is King” originates from Microsoft founder Bill Gates. He used it in an essay back in 1996 to describe the future of the internet as a marketplace for information.¹ Indeed, material in the form of text, images, videos, audio, web applications, etc., is now a key driver for all kinds of (business-critical) online interactions.

People prefer to use the Internet to obtain information, for entertainment purposes, and for shopping. Whether it’s the latest news, product reviews, DIY instructions, streaming films, clips, music, games, or buying the latest fashion trends, electrical goods, and books: the online world offers enormous opportunities – and material always plays a central role. Without texts, there is no news; without video, there is no streaming; and without product descriptions or web applications, there is no shopping.

This elementary position has not gone unnoticed by the major search engines – above all Google. They have been using the quality of material for their analyses and evaluations for many years. Specific developments have even led to material being classified by renowned experts and agencies for search engine optimization (SEO) as one of the most important ranking factors of all: Content is king for SEO.

In the following paragraphs, I will describe why web material is considered to be so important for search engine optimization, what (SEO) quality depends on, and how to get off to a promising start with content SEO.

Why is content so important for SEO?

Especially within texts, which are still the most frequently used content type, certain primarily algorithm-related SEO elements are ideal for integration. Two of the most powerful ranking factors, namely keywords and backlinks, would hardly be useful without content. In general, SEO and rankings would not work without content, as there would be no basis for the search engines to evaluate.

A user-side or cognitive level and thus the so-called user experience (UX) is becoming increasingly important today. The key question here is: How is web content received by recipients and what conclusions can search engines draw from this for their rankings? To explain this development, I would like to expand a little: there are in fact several aspects that have led to the fact that today’s Internet users are primarily looking for content with real added value and that this is evaluated by the search engines in a correspondingly user-orientated way.

1. Firstly, many people are now much more familiar with the possibilities, opportunities and pitfalls of the online world than they were ten or even 20 years ago. They navigate the web in a self-determined manner and confidently select the content that is likely to give them the most advantages.
2. Google has been pursuing the “user first” principle for a number of years (among other things) due to the previous situation, which means that the experiences of users of the search service and ultimately the experiences of visitors to websites that are recommended in its results are increasingly taking centre stage. UX has become an important ranking factor.
3. In addition, due to the sheer volume of online material or flat promotions, a real aversion of many web users to advertising and other frontal but unhelpful formats has been emerging for some time. Such elements are often intuitively clicked away or simply ignored. The majority of Internet users only notice high-quality content that is actually beneficial. The days when texts that were created solely for the purpose of including as many keywords as possible had a significant SEO effect are long gone.

And what exactly does all this have to do with search engine optimisation?

According to the conditions described above, quality and user-centredness are elementary values. Google’s algorithms – and now also those of the other major search engines – are able to categorise such criteria very well. The click rate, length of stay, user interactions with the pages and bounces to other content offerings provide important clues. The longer and more intensively a page is used, the greater its usefulness in the respective context and the better the user experience: This is the general conclusion of the search services. Offers that offer a better user experience are therefore worth being positioned higher up or ahead of those with poorer ratings.

As Google itself – i.e. for its own services – is focussing more and more on users and their demands, it can be assumed that the user experience also plays a decisive role in the ranking and thus ultimately for SEO. A significant part of this experience is defined by the content.

What makes good SEO content?

There are a number of factors that can be used to measure the strength of content for search engine optimisation. You should definitely be aware of the following points.

• A crucial aspect of SEO-effective material is the precise targeting of the audience and consideration of the search intention. Information must be designed in such a way that it meets the needs and expectations of users. This requires an in-depth analysis of the target audience and their search habits. Material that precisely fulfills the search intention leads to higher user satisfaction, which positively affects the ranking.
• Another key aspect of SEO content is the well thought-out integration of keywords. However, these should not simply be used in high density, but should be embedded in a natural context. Modern search engine algorithms, especially those of Google, place great value on semantic relevance. This means that content must be in-depth and comprehensive in order to cover the various aspects of a topic and really convince users to engage with it in an intensive or SEO-enhancing way.
• Well-structured articles with clear headings, paragraphs and lists make it easier for users to quickly grasp the information. This has a positive effect on the length of stay and the bounce rate, which in turn is relevant for the ranking. The use of multimedia elements such as images, videos and infographics can also increase the attractiveness and comprehensibility of a website as well as its intention.
• Search engines favour up-to-date and unique content. Regular updates and the inclusion of fresh information or trends increase relevance and can help to achieve better rankings. Duplicate content, i.e. text that is used more than once, is viewed negatively and can lead to ranking losses.
• Good SEO content sensibly integrates both internal and external links. Internal links help to strengthen the page structure and provide users with additional relevant content. External links, especially to trusted sources, can increase the credibility and authority of the content.
• Material that encourages interaction – for example, through comments, shares, or likes – signals a high level of user participation to search engines. These active engagements are an indication of valuable material and can positively affect the ranking. Functions such as comment areas or social media integration often massively promote the corresponding engagement.
• As the majority of users access online content via portable devices, mobile optimisation is a must. Responsive design and fast loading times are crucial to ensure a positive user experience and therefore also improve the ranking. Slow page loading and a poor mobile display often lead to high bounce rates, which has a negative impact on SEO.

Only when you enrich the search engine optimisation around your content with other relevant SEO aspects, “a shoe will drop”. In order to achieve maximum success, you must not only deliver outstanding, target group-specific content, but should also utilise all other SEO opportunities as far as possible. Almost everything has something to do with content!

How do you get started with content SEO?

Getting started with content SEO requires careful planning and a systematic approach. By considering the following six steps, you can get off to a promising start. For your advanced content SEO, you should also orientate yourself on the above-mentioned quality criteria for good search engine content. In the beginning, however, it is important to keep the complexity to a minimum so that you can maintain a clear overview.

1. The first step is to define your target group precisely and understand their needs, interests and search behaviour. Use demographic data, surveys and analyses of user data to paint a clear picture of your target group. This helps to create content that is precisely tailored to the expectations and problems of your potential visitors.
2. Thorough keyword research forms the basis of any SEO strategy. Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify relevant search terms and phrases. Pay attention to search volume, competition level and search intent. It is important to include both short-tail and long-tail keywords in your strategy.
3. Develop an editorial plan based on the results of your target group analysis and keyword research. Schedule regular publications of content that is both informative and valuable to your target audience. Make sure your content is unique, well-structured, engaging and aligned with the insights gained from your audience analysis. Remember that your content can only have maximum SEO benefit if it is high quality and generates significant interest from your typical visitors. Also utilise different formats such as blog posts, videos, infographics and whitepapers to cover different user needs.
4. Ensure that your content is also SEO-friendly on an algorithm basis. This includes the optimisation of meta tags (title, description), header tags (H1, H2, H3), alt texts for images and the use of internal links. Also make sure you have a clean URL structure and the right density of keywords without keyword stuffing.
5. Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor the performance of your material. Pay attention to metrics that are also decisive for Google and other search engines, such as organic traffic, dwell time, bounce rate, and conversion rate. Analyze which material performs well and which does not. Adapt your strategy accordingly. Continuous optimization is the key to long-term success in content SEO.
6. When it comes to technical SEO, (initially) focus primarily on aspects that influence the user experience. This includes all levers for perfect loading speed and mobile optimisation. In this context, also eliminate technical difficulties such as 404 pages or incorrect redirects that can confuse your users.

Getting started with content SEO therefore begins with a target group analysis, keyword research, content planning and creation, on-page optimisation, analysis and adaptation as well as technical search engine optimisation.

Conclusion

Content can have a massive impact on the success of your search engine optimisation and ultimately the positioning of your pages on Google and other search engines. Content and the user experience are not only one of the most important ranking factors of all. They also enable you to integrate or supplement other key SEO elements such as keywords and backlinks. In fact, it is usually this big picture that makes for success. A good, target group-specific text alone does not usually result in an outstanding ranking. With the information and tips in this article, you should have a solid foundation of knowledge for a promising start in content SEO or even its improvement.

Notes:

Do you want to optimise your website? Then contact Philipp Nessmann directly, either via his website or LinkedIn.

[1] Bill Gates: Content is King

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Philipp Nessmann has published two more posts in the t2informatik Blog:

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