New Google Search Quality guidelines: How to create high-quality content

Thu, 02/08/2018 - 11:18
A new set of Search Quality Rater Guidelines was released by Google a few weeks ago. And for all SEO companies in South Africa, they need to know what’s up as content that doesn’t follow these guidelines could lead to a decrease in page rankings.  

And as SEO experts, developers, digital marketers and content creators in an SEO agency from Cape Town, we need to make sure we stick to the guidelines in order to optimise our content for Google and for our clients. These new guidelines state that high-quality content needs to have enough Main Content (MC) to please the reader with the information they were looking for, as well as be a knowledgeable piece of content. In other words, the content writer needs to know what they’re talking about and the reader must be satisfied with what the content they’re consuming. 

What will qualify as “low-quality”?

According to the latest Quality-Rater Guidelines, the following elements will classify your content as low-quality:

  • An inadequate level of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T). 
  • The quality of the MC is low. 
  • There is an unsatisfying amount of MC for the purpose of the page.
  • The title of the MC is exaggerated or shocking.
  • The Ads or Supplementary Content (SC) distracts from the MC.
  • There is an unsatisfying amount of website information or information about the creator of the MC for the purpose of the page (no good reason for anonymity). 
  • A mildly negative reputation for a website or creator of the MC, based on extensive reputation research. 

(This list has been taken directly from the guideline report, page 31, so as not to cause any misinterpretations.)

How to make sure you create high-quality content

If your content fulfils its purpose for a reader, it’s considered “high-quality” content. So, if it entertains, informs, educates or leads to a sales conversion, for example, your content is both fulfilling its purpose and satisfying the reader. 

Naturally, the way to a high-quality piece of content is by doing the opposite of what will classify it as low-quality. You need to make sure that what you’re writing about is on an expert-level, the title isn’t misleading or an over-exaggeration of the content behind it, the SC content is complementary to the MC and not a diversion, and that the SEO content characters aren’t heavy or forced to lower the quality of the MC. 

Google Raters are now being asked to look at more than just the reputation of the website content is on, but that of the content creators as well (no pressure Content Teams). It’s a quality area that Google thinks most sites are lacking or completely ignoring and now they’re penalising content as a result. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense considering the number of fake news articles that attract attention. And don’t even get started on clickbait articles that are a waste of absolutely everyone’s time. Google’s guidelines are an attempt to put a stop to it all. 

But, all in all, it’s actually quite simple and if you’re looking for the right SEO company in Cape Town to boost your website’s rankings and create the SEO content it needs to be relevant in Google’s quality guidelines, then Rogerwilco is where you start and stop looking. 

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