If you know anything about writing online content for business, you know that it’s not enough to put just any content on your website – you need quality content.

But what does that mean, and how can you differentiate between quality content and everything else?

In short, it’s content that is relevant and valuable to your audience. 

Of course, there’s a much longer answer.

So, What Actually Makes Content "Quality?”

The best way to answer this question is with Google’s quality rater guidelines. 

After all, Google is the most used search engine, with over 80 percent of the search market share. (You can see how it fluctuates on this cool tool from Statcounter.)

What search engines want

Here’s the thing about Google. Its goal is to provide a valuable user experience. So, even though search engine results are based on an algorithm, that algorithm is rooted in the human experience, i.e., Google puts people first.

Google’s goal is to push the most relevant, valuable content to the top of search engine results (after ads, of course). It doesn’t want blogs full of fluff to rank on page one. Those pieces belong in the depths of page 126.

So, if you want your content to be seen, you need to ensure it aligns with what Google considers “quality.”

I’ve been writing online content since 2010, so I’ve been through significant algo changes, like Panda, which cut down on so-called “black hat” SEO, and Penguin, which cut down on sketchy link-building practices.

Of course, there have been thousands upon thousands of other algorithm changes over the years. These two just stand out to me because they completely disrupted the content world, changing the definition of “quality” when it comes to content.

So, tl;dr, what Google (and other search engines) wants is for the top spot of organic search results to answer the search query completely. That, in a nutshell, is what constitutes quality content.

How To Create Quality Content

Ok, so how do you get there?

Here’s a breakdown of what I see as the right approach to creating quality content. 

1. Identify your audience and purpose

Don’t try to write anything until you’ve answered the questions of “who is my audience” and “what is my purpose?”

The content you write for an audience of prospective clients will be very different from the one you write for your internal team.

Here’s an example.

Say you didn’t make it through the first page of the guidelines I listed above. 

I don’t blame you. They’re long, technical, and boring. 

Here’s the thing, though. They weren’t meant to be entertaining for a broad audience of business owners and marketers.

They are meant to instruct and educate people tasked with rating websites for Google. 

Google created another piece of content for the rest of us, i.e., people who want to learn more about their rating guidelines without reading a technical manual.

This piece of content is way more engaging. It includes videos and interactive content, plus graphics, charts, and statistics.

The lesson here is that you can create content for multiple audiences using different types of language and mediums. Instead of trying to please everyone, focus on creating valuable content for one audience at a time.

2. See what other people are saying

I’ll admit – I googled the phrase “What is Quality Content?” to see what the top-ranking pages were saying. 

After all, Google’s algorithm believes they offer valuable information to people. So, they must have some helpful information.

Sometimes, I need to use that information to inform my blog post, such as when I’m writing content for a niche outside my field of expertise. I’ll blend that information with what I’ve learned through other research, including directly asking clients for their insight.

Other times (like now), it’s more a validation that what I’m saying isn’t entirely against the grain of what others are putting out there (it’s not).

If you’ve looked at the top search results for this query, you’ll notice that the blog post I’m writing doesn’t copy what they say or how they say it. I’m using my personal experience to take a new spin on the same topic others are writing about. 

Will it outrank the number one spot? Only time will tell.

3. Add value to the ongoing conversation

This is where the academic in me gets excited. Because, chances are, you're not the first to have thought of whatever piece of content you’re putting out there. There’s already an ongoing conversation about the topic. 

So, the trick is figuring out what you can say that others aren’t. What can you add that someone else hasn’t already said?

For this article, for example, I’m talking way more about my experiences with content rather than listing 35 pieces of advice from other experts or giving you a play-by-play of how to format your blog post. (BTW, we’ve already done that for you. Check it out here.)

Use your expertise here to stand out from everyone else. In addition to adding value to your readers, this will help satisfy Google’s mission to ensure high-ranking content is written by someone with authority on the topic.

I often will ask my clients for their insight and use that to create content that ranks. I don’t want to just rephrase what other people are saying. I want to know what you, as the expert, have to add to the ongoing conversation. That’s how you outrank your competitors, who are all just repeating the same things over and over again in different ways.

4. Don’t get too cutesy with blog posts

These two things are true of most people. 

• They’re busy.

• They have short attention spans. 

If your audience wants to sit down to read an academic essay or longer book, they’ll take the time to do so. 

If they’re reading your blog, there’s a good chance they’re doing so while waiting in line for coffee, wasting time at work, or trying to stay entertained during their kid’s basketball practice (ask me how I know).

So, make sure your content is clear and concise. Save the wordplay and more nuanced arguments for longer forms of content. 

In addition, make sure your blog has headers and visuals to break up the text and help people follow your article, even when they’re scanning.

5. Give the reader actionable information

Have you ever read an article or blog post only to wonder, “why did I just waste my time with that?”

That’s the opposite reaction you want from your readers.

Your goal is to give your readers something to do once they’ve finished reading. You want them to be fired up to take some action.

For B2B blogs, that might mean getting them to contact you or download an offer. Or, it could mean directing them to more resources where they can go even deeper into the topic. 

For example, after reading this blog post, I hope you’re feeling excited to update or repurpose an existing piece of content or create a new one using the steps I listed above.

If your reader walks away feeling like you’ve just wasted their time, you haven’t created quality content. If they leave determined to do something, you’ve done your job.

Let People First Content Help You Create Valuable Content

If you want to create high-quality content but don’t have the time or know where to start, we can help!

At People First Content, we work with small business owners and marketing managers who understand the value of content but lack the time and resources to create it.
We’ll take your expertise and knowledge and turn them into valuable content for your audience. 

Click below to get started.

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