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The industry has been telling us for ages that ‘content is king’ but the thing to remember here is that Google is ultimately a content reader and therefore if you want to be listed for a term or a phrase then it will have to be backed up by content at some point!
Now let’s not start running away with ourselves here. Although good content is a necessity, it is not the only thing you need. Don’t forget about ensuring your site is targeted correctly, that each page will convert your traffic correctly etc etc.
Content is only ever part of an ongoing campaign, however good unique content is a very strong part of that campaign!
So, now that we have decided that content is important, what really is content? You could say it is simply information, information that is intended to teach, or to entertain, or perhaps intended to persuade. I guess its true target is to help you reach your business goals.
Now that we have decided that content is information then surely there are certain traits that every content item should contain? Don’t worry, your content items do not need all of the following traits however, the more they do have then the stronger it will be as long as your content is on theme and unique.
- Great Content Is Readable
This is absolutely essential, of course grammar and spelling are very important but just as important is the general flow of the content. The article should be easy to read, easy to understand, and detailed within an attractive design structure. If it is then your visitors are far more likely to consume it!
Think about aesthetics; font size and colour, the width of each column and the gap between lines. All of these touches will make your content easier to consume.
- Great Content Is Usable
This is a little more difficult to build into your content. Usability is a key area and if you deliver a piece of content that someone else will find useful then you have really hit the mark!
This section is more about how your piece of content is consumed more than how it is delivered by your site or by search and therefore, the theme is extremely important.
It is imperative that you look at your content from the readers perspective, will they find it interesting and will it help their daily routine / job etc? If it does then you have far more chance of it also being shareable.
- Great Content Is Findable
You can have the best content in the world but if no one can find it then what’s the point of it being out there!?
This is one area where good SEO will enable your content to fly! Really your content should be findable in at least two ways;
- From inside your site – If someone has already reached your site, they should be able to find your latest articles or posts; site search, latest articles, that kind of thing will help here.
- From outside your site – The best way for this will be via a search engine.
This is really where SEO comes into play. If your website pages are targeted correctly with the correct document structure and the correct on page content – all being supported by great content then you are heading in the right direction for not just your content but your entire website to be found.
- Great Content Is Shareable
Here is a great way to generate more interest in your content and in turn your website. If the content item you have written is shareable then, of course, more people will see it!
Again there are two areas to this section;
- People want to share it – When people find truly great content, they want to pass it onto their friends and colleagues!
- It’s easy to share – It’s all well and good having content that people love and want to pass around but it has to be easy to do exactly that!
When you write your content never forget this important section. Think; would you want to share this content? If you would then is it easy to do so? We are all guilty of being lazy from time to time so if there is a simple button to press that enables me to quickly share an article then I am far more likely to do so!
- Great Content Is Memorable
This one may seem a little silly for smaller text items, however if your visitor remembers excerpts from your article then you are halfway there to it being a success!
Great content doesn’t just amuse you for 2 minutes and then disappear from your mind. It should stick with you, make you think about it and make you more likely to revisit it, recommend it or share it with friends or colleagues.
- Great Content Is Quotable
The best content is quotable – you remember it forever and can pull these snippets of information out for future discussions.
A lot of people will remember the quote ‘The best way to predict the future is to create it.’. What a fantastic quote – this was from an article by Peter Drucker many years ago, however it is still utilised today and will be for many years to come. Of course this makes that piece of content super valuable!
- Great Content Is Actionable
As a business, one of the reasons you’re creating content is to position yourself as an authority. If you can step up and help people when they need your assistance, they’ll thank you for your expertise and they’ll trust you more in the future and be more likely to return to your site.
As I am sure you will understand, these seven items are not everything you must consider however, they are important and therefore any content you enter into must utilise these items in order to generate content that is considered quality, that’s exactly what Google is looking for!
