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 it is becoming increasingly difficult to be visible. The only way to gain notoriety and be seen is to produce quality content. This could be a text, an infographic, a video; whatever format you choose, quality must come first. To guide content creators, Google and Bing have published best practices to follow. The blog Search Engine Land has synthesized these guides to extract 20 major characteristics. Following these 20 criteria ensures your content better virality on social networks and also better chances for natural referencing.
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 primarily a matter of intellectual integrity. Additionally, it serves your readers who will be able to delve deeper into their reading. Finally, outbound links can have a positive impact on SEO if they are relevant and lead to content with strong authority.
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.