{"id":6607,"date":"2024-06-13T10:48:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T15:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/?post_type=blog&p=6607"},"modified":"2025-02-26T09:55:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T14:55:36","slug":"why-content-reigns-supreme","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/blog\/why-content-reigns-supreme\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Live the Content King: Why Content Quality Reigns Supreme"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Google\u2019s <\/span>latest algorithm update<\/span><\/a> in March proved one thing, it\u2019s that high-quality content matters. The latest in a series of roller coaster updates penalized what Google considers \u201c<\/span>unhelpful<\/span><\/i>\u201d and \u201c<\/span>unoriginal<\/span><\/i>\u201d \u2014 all aimed at reducing lower-quality content on the SERP.<\/span><\/p>\n

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While this is bad news for websites that rehash already-ranking content, it is a welcome change for creators, creatives, and strategists who care about the quality of their output. Businesses looking to win in the SERPs must prioritize quality ahead of hacks and tips that deliver zero value to their intended audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. The Extra Emphasis on Experience<\/span><\/h2>\n

Since 1997\u2019s blockbuster flop, <\/span>Batman & Robin,<\/span><\/i> was politely described as being \u201c<\/span>too much<\/span><\/i>,\u201d audiences have been desperately hungry for more authentic, grounded experiences. And they got their wish. 2005\u2019s <\/span>Batman Begins<\/span><\/i> re-introduced the caped crusader as a more grounded, less silly hero. The results were <\/span>very <\/i><\/b>successful. This sentiment brings us to every digital marketer’s favorite acronym:\u00a0 EEAT.<\/span><\/p>\n

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EAT has long been a marketing acronym for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google added an extra \u201cE\u201d for Experience because it\u2019s Google, and it could. Who\u2019s going to stop them?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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But the truth is that a user’s interaction with a piece of content goes a long way. A reader\u2019s ability to enjoy what they\u2019re consuming matters as much as any other feature. Few people want to interact with a website littered with ads and filled with a thousand-word essay about their \u201c<\/span>life-changing<\/span><\/i>\u201d experience in Texas, prefacing a BBQ recipe. Users who don\u2019t enjoy their experience will find something else \u2014 maybe a competitor\u2019s content.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

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So, how do you make the content experience enjoyable? It\u2019s simple: understand what your audience is looking for. Knowing your audience\u2019s needs and accurately anticipating their reaction nurtures the creator-consumer bond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The better the audience experience, the more they\u2019ll return to your website \u2014 nurturing trust and improving content signals for SEO performance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. The End is Nigh for Content Mills<\/span><\/h2>\n

In a study titled \u201c<\/span>Social Spam Detection<\/span><\/a>,\u201d the effect content mills have on the internet is plain and clear:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Information consumers end up with less relevant or valuable resources. Producers of relevant resources receive less cash as a reward (lower clickthrough rate), while producers of junk receive more cash. One way to describe this is <\/span><\/i>pollution<\/i><\/b>. Virtual junk pollutes the Web environment by adding noise. Everybody but the polluters pay a price for Web pollution: search engines work less well, users waste precious time and attention on junk sites, and honest publishers lose income. <\/span><\/i>The polluter spoils the Web environment for everybody else<\/i><\/b>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve been paying content mills or farms to create large quantities of \u201cjunk media\u201d so you can rank high in the SERPs, now might be the time to revisit your strategy. Previously, the algorithm \u201cdidn\u2019t care\u201d if your link was part of junk-written media as long as it was written media.<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, with Google\u2019s latest update and its emphasis on helpful content, whatever benefit you would have enjoyed from content mills is diminishing quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. The Artificially Intelligent Elephant in the Room<\/span><\/h2>\n

Anyone who has written professionally in the last three years has encountered ChatGPT. The popular but controversial chatbot has simultaneously increased productivity for creatives and caused <\/span>plenty of trouble<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Those who have succeeded with ChatGPT use it as a virtual assistant \u2014 like the Majel Barret-voiced computer in <\/span>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/span><\/i> or Jarvis from <\/span>Iron Man<\/span><\/i>. If you turn to ChatGPT to build a basic structure or find some cited information, you use the chatbot productively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you use it to write an article to copy and paste into a blog, you\u2019re why we can\u2019t have nice things. This is what inspired AI-detection software. People don\u2019t want to read your lack of work; they want to read your thoughts, opinions, and insights. AI can help you put those together but can\u2019t think <\/span>for<\/i><\/b> you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ironically, AI may have made us all realize the value of the human soul by showing us what art looks like without it. To showcase work without the artist, we proved why we <\/span>need<\/b> the artist. People who use this exciting new tool, like an improved paintbrush for their canvas, will do well as they create.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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But remember, it\u2019s about the <\/span>artist<\/span><\/i> at work, <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> the brush. Imagine painting a stunning work with an innovative new paintbrush only for people to get hyped about the brush. People will eventually recognize AI\u2019s more appropriate role in our lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now that you know how content creation and audience expectations are changing due to the extra emphasis on content quality, it\u2019s time to discuss what quality content is exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Makes Content High Quality?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The mark of quality content is the amount of value people take from it. That value can be entertainment, knowledge, tips, or expertise \u2014 anything the reader\/viewer can walk away from, feeling like they\u2019ve gotten something out of it. Whether they find it amusing or informative doesn\u2019t really matter as long as they\u2019ve engaged with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Take <\/span>SEO for personal injury attorneys<\/span><\/a>, for example. When people search for a personal injury attorney\u2019s services, something terrible has probably happened to them. They are injured, involved in a car accident, have difficulty getting insurance to cover the claims, or something else awful. What people find when they\u2019re searching has to be quality; otherwise, they won\u2019t trust the service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s too severe an incident to have a piece of content covered in ads or hanging out on a shady-looking website. People reading \u201c<\/span>What To Do After A Car Accident<\/span><\/i>\u201d want to know what to do after a car accident. It is not light, Sunday morning reading for them. The quality of what they find must be valuable, or people will move on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Another example would be those seeking medical advice. While you should always talk to your doctor, nurse practitioner, or medical professional for advice, some things are meant for public consumption. COVID-19 couldn\u2019t be a more prevalent example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The CDC has produced many <\/span>high-quality infographics<\/span><\/a> to share critical public health information effectively. Credible, reliable content is vital when the entire world is losing its mind. We know what happens when people get false information during a pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

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One last example that broke all the rules of online engagement is the 50-part viral TikTok series \u201c<\/span>Who TF Did I Marry?<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u201d by <\/span>ReesaTeesa<\/span><\/a>. This was about 8 hours of lengthy talking content. There were no fancy setups, catchy hooks, fuss, or muss, just a good story told well. Even without any SEO tricks, people were <\/span>hooked<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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So many digital marketers get swept up in all the \u201crules\u201d of creating high-quality content that they often forget to go back to what hooks us: <\/span>a good story<\/b>. You don\u2019t have to worry about hitting the marks if the substance of your source material is strong.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Who\u2019s Really the King? Content or Audience Engagement?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Finding the right balance between spontaneous and organic versus thought-out and strategic can be challenging as they\u2019re on opposite sides of the spectrum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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When it comes down to posting high-quality content for millions of online users, make sure that whoever consumes your content finds it valuable. That value can be entertainment, knowledge, a passing curiosity, or a connection to the community. It doesn\u2019t matter as long as there is <\/span>some<\/i><\/b> kind of value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Luckily, Google\u2019s constant algorithm updates are proving this point. With every update, we get closer to <\/span>a Google monopoly <\/span><\/i>\u2014 just kidding \u2014 we get closer to more valuable, high-quality content. Google is cutting out shortcuts like artificial intelligence or keyword spamming. It\u2019s also rewarding organic, spontaneous posts because people enjoy them more. This speaks to their desire for grounded, authentic content, something they can relate to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been a wild roller coaster for digital marketers, but the goal has been the same the entire time: give a little bit more of a sh*t about the work you put into content creation. Because if you come at the king, you best not miss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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About the author<\/span><\/h2>\n

Chris Blondell is a Philadelphia-based writer covering tech, business, law, true crime, and anything else that pays the mortgage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover why high-quality content is crucial in today’s digital landscape. Learn how Google’s updates favor authentic experiences and creativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6607","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/6607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/6607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}