How to Create Content Google Will Love – Net Designs

In the website design industry, one question we often hear is, “How do I get my website on the first page of Google?”

Google has many criteria that must be met to grab and keep that top spot. This article focuses on the “content” aspect of google’s expectations. We will continue this series with information and tips concerning other criteria in the coming weeks and months.

When focusing on the content criteria specifically, the answer is actually quite simple. When you’re playing in Google’s sandbox, you’ve got to play by their rules.

Google favors websites that follow their rules and prioritizes them in search algorithms. Since the big G brings your website more traffic than any other source, it’s best to do what they want. And what Google really wants is not far off from what your visitors want. Google wants its users (your visitors) to have the best possible experience. So the best way get in Google’s good graces is by giving your customers the greatest content and best user experience possible.

Even though the answer to this question is simple, the execution is a little more complex. To create website content that strikes the perfect balance between making sure your audience finds your content useful and making sure Google is loving it as well, here are a few things to take into consideration:

1. Make Content Highly Relevant to Your Visitors

Google is seeking to improve search accuracy by understanding the intent of the searcher and the contextual meaning by taking the entire query into account. This means Google is analyzing your content as a whole, not just the keywords. Putting your visitors and content first is the first step to gaining more visibility in search results. So to keep your content relevant to Google, you really just need to make sure your content is authentic and relevant and provides value to your audience. This should be the number one focal point when creating website content.

2. More Words + Quality Content = A Higher Ranking

The more engaging, relevant, and quality content you have, the better your chances of impressing Google. While it’s hard to say exactly how long your articles should be, generally the longer the content, the higher the chance that your website will rank in the top spots. Most written content contains fewer than 1,000 words, but content with over 1,000 words tends to garner more attention. But keep in mind that big, lengthy blocks of text can easily scare readers away, so be sure your website’s articles are broken down into an easy to read, digestible format.

3. The Power of Visual Content

While hoards of written content is incredibly important and effective, when you pair it with exceptional visual content it has even more power to increase engagement and draw some Google-y eyes to your website. The visual content displayed on your website must be high quality, professional, and unique to your business. And when you display a good mix of visual content, such as images, videos, or infographics to supplement all those juicy articles, your website will definitely plead a stronger case to Google when trying to achieve a higher ranking.

4. Dot Your I’s and Cross Your T’s

Flawless copy ensures your website reflects a sense of professionalism. But it also keeps Google’s grammar police from slapping you with a citation. Google just isn’t going to rank a website full of content with errors higher than those with error-free content. Be sure to double-check all of your copy and then check it again. Better yet, enlist the help of Net Design’s professionals to check for any grammar or spelling issues and make sure all of your commas and apostrophes are in order.

5. Crystal Clear Copy

If you read your text out loud and it doesn’t read nicely or it sounds strange or is too technical, then it probably won’t rank that well. Text that isn’t easy to read will likely frustrate your audience and provide them with a bad user experience (a direct violation of Google’s rules). This is also the place to stay one step ahead of the competition. With voice search on the rise, the readability of copy is becoming increasingly important, so you can expect this to weigh even higher on search results in the near future.

6. Internal and External Linking

When writing articles, blog posts, or webpage content, using relevant links in the body of your content can provide a ranking boost for your website. Internal links go to other pages on your website. For example, if you were to mention contacting your business, you want to link to the contact page on your site. This helps to keep visitors on your website for longer periods of time. External links direct the visitor to other websites. When directing users to other websites, make sure they are relevant and reputable. Google will penalize you if you are linking to unrelated pages just for the sake of linking.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to give the people what they want! Build your content for the humans—not the bots.

If you’ve been slipping down in the rankings and your website needs a little love from Google, Net Designs can help revamp your website content which may help you rise in the rankings. Net Designs even has expert content writers on the team that are familiar with Google’s rulebook and know how to create not just remarkable content, but the right content to fill the pages of your website.

Contact Net Designs today and let’s start a conversation!

Author: Kendall Dick, Net Designs Blogger

Net Designs, Wendy Bedell | (269) 428-5016 | wendy.bedell@netdesignsonline.com | Contact