The 20 Criteria for Quality Content

If there's one thing that hasn't changed on the web over the past few years, it's the primacy of content. The famous maxim Content is King is more relevant than ever, at a time when social networks are mature and visibility is harder to win. The only way to gain notoriety and be seen is to produce quality content. Text, infographic, video. Whatever the format, quality comes first. To guide content creators, Google and Bing have published best practices to follow. The blog Search Engine Land has synthesized these guides into 20 major characteristics. Following these 20 criteria gives your content better virality on social networks and stronger chances of ranking.

1 – Help the user solve a problem

Orient your content towards an action + a keyword. For example: “Animate your blog”; “Properly wash your car,” etc. Your article must address an issue. Creating content of this type increases click-through rates and is favored by search engines.

2 – Organize your content into thematic sub-sections

The organization of your content will be appreciated by your visitors as it will facilitate their navigation. Also, be aware that good editorial structuring is valued by Google.

3 – Make Your Content Unforgettable

Easier said than done! However, it's essential that your readers remember your content when they leave your website.

4 – Offer a Powerful Title

The title is so important: it's the first element seen on search engines or social media. It's the main factor in your click-through rate. Take care of it.

5 – Your Content Should Inspire / Educate / Entertain

Three qualities to combine to make the useful enjoyable.

6 – Ask Yourself if You Would Share This Content

Here's a good test to see if your work is up to par. If your content is high-quality, it should make you want to share it widely.

7 – Ensure It Is Relevant

It might seem obvious, but sometimes we see blog articles that have little interest or relevance. This can be the case with an article that, under the guise of a test, promotes a product.

8 – Count Your Words

It's sometimes mistakenly said that people don't read on the internet. It turns out that if your content is interesting, people will read it. Conversely, if your page only has about 200 words, it might initially suggest that the content isn't rich or detailed enough.

In 2013, the pages with the best rankings on Google had about 600 words per page; in 2014, it increased to about 1000 words.

9 – Write for Your Audience, Not Your Peers

When writing on a topic, the approach differs depending on whether you're writing for experts or beginners. The approach and terms used will not be the same. Carefully consider the audience you are targeting, and if they are not familiar with your subject, avoid overwhelming them with technical jargon.

10 – Proofread

Eliminate spelling or grammar mistakes from your articles. No one is immune to typos (you might find some in this article ;) ), but it's crucial to be vigilant. It's silly, but a small spelling mistake can undermine the validity of your content or your expertise.

11 – Don't overload with keywords

Once you've completed your content, highlight each occurrence of the main keywords in your publication and ensure they don't appear too frequently. Since the latest updates to Google's algorithm, the search engine has become meticulous about keyword density.

12 – Stay up to date

When citing articles or studies, ensure they are not outdated. For example, if you're writing in the IT sector (or another rapidly evolving field), don't rely on a study from 2005. This recommendation also applies to your own content from some time ago; update it regularly.

13 – Specify the author of the article

This is especially relevant if multiple people are publishing content. In this case, feel free to add a box at the end of the article to introduce the author. This was very popular just a year ago (with all the discussions about Google's authorship) and still applies.

14 – Evaluate the semantic field of your content

When writing about gardening, it makes sense for your content to include occurrences of words like "flowers, soil, rake, etc." In other words, keep in mind that when you aim to position yourself on a theme, search engines expect to find a certain semantic field.

15 – One Content = One Message

It's been said since the early days of advertising: don't send multiple messages at once. The same goes for when you create new content: one content = one idea = one message. If your content contains multiple ideas, it gets diluted into as many messages. In this case, divide it.

16 – Cite Your Sources

Citing sources is first a matter of intellectual integrity. It also serves your readers, who can dig further into a topic, and outbound links can boost your SEO when they're relevant and point to high-authority content.

17 – Refine Your Anchor Texts

Speaking of sources, avoid "read here" or "click here." Opt for explicit anchor texts.

18 – Avoid Disruptive Related Content

Most sites offer secondary content alongside their main content. This is a good idea to extend visit duration and encourage cross-navigation. However, ensure that these secondary contents are well-related to the main content.

19 – Create Visually Attractive Content

Sprinkle your written content with visuals, refine your infographics, etc.

20 – Make Your Content Unique

Having unique content, technically, isn't complicated. You just need not to copy existing content. However, it is sometimes more complex to ensure that your content addresses a topic in an original way and contributes something new to the discussion.