Search Engine Optimization: Creating Great Content

Websites get found, not because they have pretty graphics or clean code, but instead because they have great content that is worth finding. Often, we focus so much on promoting ourselves that we forget what visitors really want. They want to learn how to solve a problem, increase their knowledge in an area, or be entertained.

The search engines understand what visitors want and they look for signs of quality content. They often do this by looking at how many people share your content, by looking for links from other websites. However, they don’t stop there. In many cases, they will look at the popularity of those websites that are referring traffic. For example, a link from a major news site could be more helpful than a link from a lessor known blog. To learn more about how links lend credibility, read about search engine optimization basics.

Search engines may also consider how fresh your content is. That article you wrote two years ago many no longer be relevant. And, even if it is, your visitors are less likely to return unless they expect new content to explore. So, you need to post new content regularly.

Everything that you post is content that can be indexed by the search engines and which your visitors can link to and share. If your content is good, there is also a better chance that your visitors will share it on social networking sites, bookmark it on social sharing sites and link to it from other websites. For these reasons, a blog is often a great way to increase the exposure of your site.

While it is import to add new content to your site regularly, it should be unique. Simply copying content from other sites won’t impress the search engines. They know what is out there. They want to see that you are adding something new to the conversation. For this reason, it is best to avoid posting pre-written articles from companies that sell the same content to multiple customers.

Bottom line, most modern search engines understand what visitors want and try to show them only the most relevant pages. For your site to gain momentum, it needs great content, posted regularly, that will be of interest to someone other than you. How does your site measure up?