Semalt - High-Quality Content Matters
We've all heard the saying, 'content is king', but what does it actually mean in the digital age?
Content has been a buzzword in marketing circles for years, and even more so as the focus has shifted away from traditional media channels to online outlets. Today, no marketing plan is complete without a strong focus on content and SEO, especially as consumers spend increasing amounts of time online researching about products and following brands on social media before making a purchase.
Not all content is created equal though with a stark difference between average, sales-driven material and high-quality content that provides something of substance for a savvy online audience. The former is quick to produce and focuses solely on the brand, but the latter is created with the consumer in mind, which is where the magic happens.
Basically, high-quality content takes time and effort to produce, but as with most things in life, the investment is worth it.
Creating high-quality content
So, why does high-quality content matter?
High-quality content is successful content. It adds value to an audience by informing, educating or entertaining. It's authentic, honest and resonates with readers and viewers. And above all, it achieves a goal, such as increasing web traffic, boosting Google search result rankings, improving conversions and generating leads.
But with so many options for content creation out there, which types are most beneficial to be used as part of an SEO plan? Here are a few examples of how high-quality content can be featured on a website.
Blogs
Blogs are a great way to showcase knowledge in a subject matter and connect with website visitors while positioning a business as an industry leader. For example, a real estate company specialising in property in Mexico could attract potential customers by blogging about the industry in the region. The content would be valuable to the audience because it would help to answer questions and provide expert opinion, while also promoting the real estate services.
Testimonials
Client testimonials and case studies are incredibly useful for third party endorsements of a company's skills and services. After all, what better way to promote a business than by happy clients describing their experience? Testimonials and case studies also provide potential customers with an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of a company and a snapshot of what it would be like to purchase a product or service with them.
About page
The 'About' page is an important place to include high-quality content. Useful details to feature include relevant experience and expertise, the values of the business and the reasons why it operates. The 'About' page is also a great place to introduce the team and inject some personality into the story about the company.
Descriptions
Descriptions about products and services should be high up on the priority list when it comes to applying high-quality content. This is where a business can shout about what they do and how they can help customers. Think of it as a sales page (or several pages, depending on how many products and services there are), and an important destination for visitors to a website.
Video
Video content is having a big moment right now and can be incorporated into a website via carefully curated corporate explainer videos. Not everyone has the time or patience to read articles, but videos can provide useful information in an easily digestible format. Plus, it's another chance to show potential customers how you could make their life better with your products or services and incorporate brand messaging.
To sum up, high-quality content helps to build trust with an audience, which in turn can help to improve conversions and generate leads. Remember, people are more likely to spend money with a company when they trust them.
High-quality content and SEO
No successful website is complete without a dose of SEO.
SEO is all about optimizing the content on a website so that it can be easily found by search engine crawlers and reach the top spots in Google - the position all businesses want to be in.
It's well documented that the use of keywords is an important aspect of SEO, and when coupled with high-quality content, it's a winning combination. The reason for this is because high-quality content is well researched and authentic, which helps to boost SEO because search engines like Google reward websites that contain original content.
Combining high-quality content with SEO also helps businesses to stay ahead of the competition through the use of website analytics. Regular analysis of keywords ensures website content is relevant by revealing what works and what doesn't. It can then identify fresh opportunities for brand development on a regional basis, by highlighting key areas of increased web traffic.
Of course, this all takes time and effort, which is where the help of professionals comes in.
Writers, web designers, SEO experts and video producers can make a world of difference to the performance of content and the success of a website. By hiring experts, high-quality content that is tailored to a particular niche or industry can be created professionally and efficiently. It also frees up time that could be better spent on managing a business.
Working with experts
At Semalt, content creators and SEO experts work together to help businesses make the most of their websites by getting them to the top of Google search results.
This is mainly done through two core services: FullSEO and AutoSEO.
Let's find out more.
For many business owners taking their first steps in applying high-quality content to their website, AutoSEO is a good introduction to how content creation and SEO work.
AutoSEO is specifically designed for smaller businesses that are not ready to make a big financial investment but are looking for some expertise in how to increase site traffic. The service involves working directly with Semalt specialists to identify keywords and link building opportunities to help a website move up the search engine ranks. It's inexpensive and promises 100 per cent effectiveness.
Alternatively, FullSEO is an integrated SEO solution for larger businesses, people with several companies, or for those ready to invest a little more money into high-quality content and optimizing a website. FullSEO is based on in-depth analysis, with a strong focus on unique content creation for significant website traffic growth. This is a tool for those looking to send a website all the way to Google-TOP.
As part of the service in both AutoSEO and FullSEO, Semalt writers and video producers work with SEO experts to optimize websites and create high-quality content. Semalt has years of experience in creating unique online content and the team is guided by SEO best practices to provide a finished product that ticks all the right boxes. The result is a positive return on investment and long-term results.
Success stories
Now we know the theory about why high-quality content matters, let's consider some real-life examples of how Semalt has helped clients to boost their business.
A life insurance brokerage website in the USA opted for the FullSEO package after trying to increase organic traffic with limited success. The Semalt team redesigned the website including a full-featured insurance calculator for visitors. The package also involved writers creating unique high-quality content for all website pages with relevant SEO keywords and meta tags distributed throughout. A series of blogs completed the campaign and helped the business to achieve TOP Google rankings for international searches.
Within the first month, the number of visitors to the site had doubled, and by three months, organic traffic had increased by 2.3 times from Google, Bing and Yahoo. After 13 months with the FullSEO package, organic traffic to the website had increased by 275 per cent.
In the UK, an e-commerce company specialising in honey products wanted to get into the Top-10 rankings in Google and to increase organic traffic to the website. The Semalt team set to work by revamping the website and creating high-quality content as part of the FullSEO service.
After six months, website traffic increased by 4,810 per cent, monthly visits increased by 12,411 and the number of keywords in Google TOP-100 went up from 147 to 10,549. The client was also featured in Google's "People Also Ask" box, further boosting organic traffic to the site.
As you can see, businesses can greatly benefit from the application of high-quality content as part of an effective SEO plan created by experts. That is why high-quality content matters, and why content is set to remain as king of the online marketing world for the foreseeable future.