In a previous post, we discussed how search engine optimization (SEO) is a cost-effective strategy for attracting and maintaining relevant traffic to your website.

To summarize, while SEO may require time and resources, its long-term benefits make it a crucial element of a digital marketing strategy. 

In this post, we’ll dive deeper into why content matters to SEO and offer tips you can use to improve your content’s effectiveness, ensuring it not only resonates with your audience but also gives you the chance to boost your SEO performance.

Why Content Matters to SEO

First, let’s start with the basics. Search engines, namely Google, are designed to return the most relevant results to user queries. They do this by crawling, analyzing, and indexing web content (pages, images, videos, etc.) and then serving up that indexed content to match searcher intent.

For example, when you search for “women’s running shoes” in your Chrome search bar, Google quickly retrieves and ranks content that it considers most relevant and helpful to you. Likewise, if you search for a more specific term, such as “best women’s running shoes for seniors,” Google will deliver a list tailored to that query, ranking pages that best address the needs of older runners.

In other words, the relevance of your content and its ability to effectively address searcher intent directly influences how search engines perceive and rank your website.

But it’s not the only factor in producing content that ranks.

The Role of Quality: Understanding Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines

Creating content that aligns with searcher intent is just the first step in getting your website noticed by search engines. The Googles of the world go beyond simply matching keywords to queries; they also evaluate the quality of your content to determine its overall value to users.

How do you create quality content?

While Google isn’t the only search engine, the Google E-E-A-T guidelines—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—are a good rule of thumb for creating what search engines are most likely to consider “quality” content.

What are Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines?  

Google’s E-E-A-T is a set of guidelines that helps the search engine evaluate the credibility and reliability of content.

Why does Google place so much emphasis on reliability and credibility? Because Google’s top priority is to ensure that its users have the best possible experience by delivering trustworthy, high-quality information.

With that in mind, E-E-A-T is an excellent way to self-assess how your content stacks up to Google’s preferences (and help your website rank for the topics you care about!).

Let’s break down what each element of E-E-A-T means:

• Experience: The first “E” in the acronym stands for “experience.” It refers to Google’s preference for sites and content authors demonstrating experience with a topic.
  For instance, and to stick with the running theme, a seasoned runner’s blog post on marathon training could feasibly rank higher than one written by a less credible author. Likewise, a well-established brand specializing in outdoor gear is more likely to rank higher for content about camping tips than a generic site with little to no background in the subject.
  This emphasis on experience ensures that the information provided is accurate and comes from a trusted source with real-world expertise.
• Expertise: Next, we have “expertise.” Expertise refers to the depth of knowledge and understanding the content demonstrates. Google favors content created by experts who can provide accurate and insightful information compared to poorly written, keyword-stuffed “thin” content designed to do nothing more than capture rankings.
• Authoritativeness: “Authoritativeness” measures how well-known and respected the content creator or the website is in their field. Authoritative sources are those that have established a strong reputation for providing trustworthy information over time.
• Trustworthiness: Last but not least is “trust.” This component refers to how Google assesses content reliability by considering factors such as transparency, the accuracy of information, and the presence of any potential biases.

Before we move on, one more note on E-E-A-T: Remember, these are guidelines rather than hard and fast rules.

There’s no guarantee that Google won’t rank what you consider “thin” content in your area of focus. Or that a post by an unknown site won’t capture the top spot for a given query.

Again, at the end of the day, it’s all about helping users find information that helps them.

We’re merely recommending following E-E-A-T for the best odds of creating the type of content that lands on page one.

How to Create Relevant, Quality Content That Ranks

OK, now that we’ve covered the importance of relevance and quality in SEO, let’s explore how you can apply these insights to your content strategy to produce helpful content. After all, high-quality content doesn’t just happen by chance—it requires deliberate planning, execution, and ongoing refinement!

Here’s a step-by-step guide you can use to create content that meets both searcher intent and the quality standards search engines expect.

1. Understand Your Audience’s Needs and Search Intent

• Research Your Audience: Start by understanding who you’re targeting, the problems they face, and what solutions they’re seeking (i.e., create personas that best represent your customer base). You can get these insights through tactics such as customer surveys, social media listening, or even speaking with sales team members who regularly interact with your customer base.
• Identify Search Intent: Once you understand who your customers are and how they search based on persona, break down their search intent. Are they looking for information (i.e., informational intent), trying to make a purchase (i.e., transactional intent), or seeking a specific website (i.e., navigational intent)? Understanding this will help you customize your keyword lists to create content that best addresses their needs.

2. Identify Topics and Conduct Thorough Keyword Research

• Use SEO Tools: Use tools such (e.g., SEMrush, Moz, Ahrefs, etc.) to research topics of interest and identify relevant keywords that align with your audience’s search intent. We recommend you focus on a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords to capture a broader range of search queries.
• Tip: Are you having trouble finding the right keywords? If so, a couple of ways to start a relevant list include focusing on a specific topic and conducting what’s known as a keyword gap analysis with your top competitor sites.
  Start by focusing on a singular topic that’s relevant to your target audience (i.e., pick a persona and pinpoint a specific issue they’re facing that your business can help solve). Narrowing your focus in this way will keep you from building too broad of a list.
  For example, if your business offers custom orthotics for runners experiencing foot pan, you might focus on keywords related to “foot pain relief for runners” or “best orthotics for running injuries.
  You could also conduct a keyword gap analysis, which involves comparing your site to competitor sites, to identify relevant keywords that your competitors rank for, but your site does not.
  Most SEO tools will support the ability to do a gap analysis. And many offer video tutorials with step-by-step instructions. To get started, you’ll simply need the URL you want to analyze and the other website URLs you want to compare against.

3. Create High-Quality, Engaging Content
   

   After you’ve built your keyword list(s), it’s time to build your content plan and start creating. A few tips when creating content:

• Focus on E-E-A-T: Following the guidelines outlined above, ensure your content reflects experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Share personal experiences, back up your claims with credible sources, and avoid overly promotional language.
• Incorporate Keywords Naturally: Place your primary keywords in key areas like the title, headers, etc.
  However, a word of caution: Avoid keyword stuffing—your goal is to maintain a natural flow that prioritizes readability.
• Structure Your Content for Readability: Break up your content with headers, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make it easy to read. Use images, infographics, or videos to enhance understanding and engagement.
• Provide In-Depth Information: Go beyond surface-level content. Provide comprehensive insights, answer potential follow-up questions, and offer practical takeaways. This enhances user satisfaction and shows Google and other search engines that your content is valuable.

4. Optimize for User Experience

• Ensure Mobile-Friendliness: Mobile search has grown significantly in recent years, so it’s important to ensure your content is responsive and easy to navigate on smaller screens.
• Improve Page Load Speed: Slow-loading pages can frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to find and resolve issues that may be slowing down your site.
• Incorporate Internal Linking: Guide users to other relevant content on your site through internal links. This not only keeps users engaged longer but also helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.

5. Build Authoritativeness Through Backlinks

• Create Shareable Content: Produce content that others will want to link to, such as original research, in-depth guides, or unique insights. The more authoritative your content, the more likely it is to attract backlinks.
• Reach Out for Guest Posts: Contribute guest posts to reputable sites in your industry. This not only helps you build backlinks but also boosts your credibility and visibility within your niche.

6. Regularly Update and Refresh Content

• Keep Content Current: SEO is an ongoing process. Regularly review your content to ensure it’s up-to-date and reflects the latest trends, data, and best practices.
• Repurpose Existing Content: Identify high-performing content that could benefit from updates or repurposing. This can help maintain or even boost its rankings over time.

Bringing It All Together: Elevating Your Content for SEO Success

And that’s our take. Creating content that drives SEO success is more than just targeting the right keywords. It requires a balance of relevance, quality, and user experience while adhering to the principles of Google’s E-E-A-T.

By understanding and implementing these strategies, you’ll position your website to attract more traffic and build trust and authority in your industry.

Need help?

Ready to take your content strategy to the next level or need help refining your approach? Dennison Creative can help!

Whether you want support diving deeper or getting started, contact us to let us know how we can support.