{"id":1716,"date":"2022-09-29T04:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/what-exactly-is-quality-content\/"},"modified":"2023-03-15T06:24:44","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T10:24:44","slug":"quality-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/quality-content\/","title":{"rendered":"What Exactly Is High Quality Content?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/b>Ahh, quality.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s elusive golden word tossed around at least 20 times a day.\u00a0<\/span>If you\u2019re the type of human being who refuses to roll with a mediocre definition of \u201cquality,\u201d you probably came here to define and learn what makes \u201cquality content.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But first, a bit about content marketing<\/a> on the web.<\/p>\n Do you remember the days when keyword stuffing was the way to go? People would determine a few keywords and cram it into as many places on their website as they possibly could. If you know anything at all about SEO today, of course you know this is no longer the way to go. Rather than pleasing Google, this will actually make Google mad. However, the days of just strategically placing your keywords on your website and calling it a day are also over. Just like consumers, Google is looking for high-quality thought leadership<\/a> content.<\/p>\n That’s why we help startups create high quality content<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have you ever been to a website that doesn’t explain what it does? Or, maybe it didn\u2019t give a good background on who they actually were? You were likely displeased and began looking elsewhere. As consumers, we want to read content on a website that is relative to what we are looking for and also interesting. This also means we don\u2019t want to be bombarded with a sales pitch and awkward keywords. Well, just picture Google\u2019s crawling bots as your everyday consumer. The new algorithm now crawls your website and determines if your content is relevant, readable, and intriguing.<\/p>\n Scary? A little bit.<\/p>\n Important? Absolutely.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd2b<\/strong> PS – I put together these 10 tips for optimizing your content marketing. Watch Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Content is not only important<\/a>, but it is the most important thing. Ultimately, your content is what will make your cash register ring.\u00a0Good, relatable, and well-researched content\u00a0is what sets your website and your brand apart from the masses of competitors all fighting for the spotlight in your industry.\u00a0High-quality content is both what customers and search engines want to see. Every additional page of quality content is a new landing page, or avenue, for consumers to find you through.<\/p>\n One of the content marketing agency truths<\/a> we always try to explain is that by maintaining high-quality content on your website, you will also position yourself as an expert in the industry. The bottom line is that people trust and flock toward people and companies that they think sound reliable, trustworthy, and in the know.<\/p>\n Think of the last website that you visited. How long did you stay on that website? People are generally busy. They have something else to do and\/or they just have a short attention span. If you don\u2019t offer them what they are looking for and something they enjoy reading, they will likely just bounce – which hurts your bounce rate and your bottom line.<\/p>\n Now, think about their future choices as well. Are they going to come back to your website? Well, that mainly depends on the person and their interest in your product. But if they do, it is likely they are hoping not to see the same, boring content. This is where the importance of updating your content comes in. People always need a reason to keep coming back, so give it to them by updating your content. If every few times they visit your website it is updated, this shows them that you are actively focusing on their needs and desires. Updates are a good sign for consumers.<\/p>\n The thing is, \u201cquality content\u201d is entirely subjective.<\/span><\/p>\n But there are<\/i> a few objective and scientifically proven traits that make quality content, well, \u201cquality.\u201d Here are some tips on how to make your content full of quality:<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s go into an alternate universe and pretend that this book was about dogs that dig deep-dish pizza (bare with me here). It\u2019s a great book, and you found yourself devouring the content so readily that you forget to check out the credibility of the author. You do a quick Google search and discover something shocking: The author is a cat lover who is allergic to pizza. The credibility of the author would immediately take a nosedive, wouldn\u2019t it? (for the record, this writer you\u2019re reading is a dog lover who loves<\/i> pizza).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is my dog, Karma. (She likes pizza too)<\/em><\/p>\n This example demonstrates the need for credibility in your content. But for better or worse, credibility almost never has a \u201ctell.\u201d It just is<\/i>, and it\u2019s up to the readers whether they believe it to be credible. The easiest way to do this is by doing your own research.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some ways to make sure your credibility is on point:<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\ude1c PS – Check out our weekly blog content service<\/a> to grow your website traffic and leads!<\/strong><\/p>\n Virtuosity is \u201can appreciation for fine objects of art.\u201d So what in the world does it have to do with content?<\/span><\/p>\n Well, like art, content creates conversation and connections, both of which lead to business. And since I believe that marketing your business is an art form, virtuosity is the path to connect.<\/span><\/p>\n Some ways to determine if your content has virtuosity:<\/span><\/p>\n Raise your hand if you like engagement. Now, raise your hand if you raised your hand.<\/span><\/p>\n If you just raised your hand at any point, great news! We\u2019re engaged. Not in the \u201cif you like it, put a ring on it\u201d kind of way, but the \u201cwe\u2019re actively getting to know one another\u201d sense of the word.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll \u00a0just leave a {hashtag\/engagement} right here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Engagement is one of the most crucial aspects of quality content because it\u2019s the main method for adding context. In other words, when you create a piece of content, you\u2019ve got the content itself and then \u201ceverything else\u201d that makes it high quality and shareable. Engagement is the \u201ceverything else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few tips to engage with your audience on the most popular distribution platforms:<\/span><\/p>\n Now that we know the objective aspects of engaging content<\/a>, is there anything to be done about the inherent subjectivity<\/i> of \u201cquality\u201d content? Well, for better or worse, it will probably always be just that: subjective. But by laying an objectively high-quality foundation, you can feel free to have fun and experiment knowing that its quality will shine.<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\udd25 PS – Check out our latest case study<\/a> that shows how we helped one company double their leads!<\/strong><\/p>\n For too many organizations I meet, content quality is assumed. Or, it\u2019s delegated to those creating the content. Defined and documented content quality criteria don\u2019t exist. They aren\u2019t part of a service agreement with content creation teams. When content quality criteria do exist it\u2019s typically defined at the lowest level of quality maturity.<\/p>\n Of course, this makes no sense. It\u2019s part of the legacy of where and how content has traditionally been sourced. Agencies and production teams were hired to not only deliver quality content, but to figure out what that actually meant.<\/p>\n With greater content production and accountability moving internally, this gap in thinking and practice is an important reason for low content performance. It also impacts content operations productivity. Content time-to-market is delayed, and costs rise, due to re-work of content products following initial and often multiple reviews.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how I describe the evolution in content quality criteria:<\/p>\n Is content well written, on brand, accurate and up-to-date?<\/strong>\u00a0The traditional and still prevalent definition of content quality criteria. Obviously necessary, but in the digital era, insufficient. This is table stakes.<\/p>\n Attractive, engaging, easy to read.<\/strong>\u00a0Good advice, and table stakes.<\/p>\n Findable.<\/strong> Does it address SEO requirements<\/a> with the correct key words, metadata, image tags, etc. I would add: are related assets connected or cross-linked?<\/p>\n Contextually Relevant and Personalized.<\/strong> This is the new baseline standard, it seems to me. This means it\u2019s designed or tailored to address a specific context, and the purposes of content users and audiences in that situation. Ask yourself: is content in the right forms and formats for delivery channels and user preferences? Dynamically changing content<\/a> meets this criteria.<\/p>\n Insightful and Useful.<\/strong>\u00a0This is a notch higher, but a condition for what we call high-performing content. Since content serves two masters \u2014 users and audiences \u2014 usefulness must support both constituents. Too often the purpose and needs of content users are overlooked. Think of your sales and channel content, for example.<\/p>\n Shared and Re-used.<\/strong>\u00a0Not just your finished assets (table stakes). Are the important content components\u00a0within the finished asset\u00a0accessible and re-usable? Also\u00a0required is the ability to re-configure and re-assemble those components.<\/p>\n Long-life Asset.<\/strong>\u00a0Can assets be maintained to extend their useful life, a requisite definition of any \u201casset.\u201d This means assets that require maintenance must be easily found and edited.<\/p>\n Content Source of CORE Assets.\u00a0<\/strong>This moves content quality criteria beyond the individual asset. This definition shifts focus to the quality and completeness of a \u201ccore\u201d set of organization-wide source content, with which to create high-performing, situation-specific assets.<\/p>\n Core content elements are high-value, highly shared assets, that are\u00a0common to multiple functions and content purposes, across the organization. (CORE:\u00a0create once, reuse everywhere<\/em>.)\u00a0Core assets are created based on a well-defined\u00a0information architecture. These shared and re-usable content elements are developed and deployed as modular, microcontent components.<\/p>\n Content Source<\/em> is the central search and access point to find any and all assets that are appropriate for specific users and functional groups. This includes (among other and emerging types):<\/p>\n At this point, you are likely thinking: will anything ever be good enough? First, you had to abandon a solely keyword focus and actually develop good content that included your keywords naturally. Now, I\u2019m telling you that you need to update that content, too? The world of SEO, marketing, and the Internet, in general, is always changing – therefore, you should be, too.<\/p>\n Google is regularly crawling through sites to see which ones should be boosted and which ones should be demoted.<\/p>\n If you have never focused on your website content before, or maybe you know you slacked a bit – especially after reading about how important it really is, don\u2019t fret. It is never too late to get in the game. Here are a few tips for improving your content:<\/p>\n Research, research, research.<\/strong>\u00a0Writing any content should always start with research. You need to research the keywords that you will use so that you can have the foundation on which you will build your content. The only way to present keywords in your content naturally is to build your content around them. Simply trying to stuff those keywords in at the end will not work.<\/p>\n However, keyword research is not the only thing that falls under research. The best way to get ahead of your competitors is to first see what they are doing. If they are at the top, they must be doing something right. Research your biggest competitors and see what type of content they are using. Of course, don\u2019t copy them exactly, but you can use this as a guide for how you will mold yours. It might also show you a few things that could be done better before you ever even make the error.<\/p>\n It is not about you.<\/strong>\u00a0You have probably seen it time and time again – you visit a website and it is full of technical jargon. The way the content reads sounds as if the creator of the project wrote it himself. As the business owner, it can be hard to avoid this. However, writing for your audience is the key to quality content.<\/p>\n Keep the content fun, in short and easily readable sentences, relevant to your website and product, but avoid technical jargon at all costs.<\/p>\n Ask for help.<\/strong>\u00a0This is the one thing that nobody ever wants to do – it makes us feel like we have to admit that we can\u2019t do it. However, there are people who specialize in developing engaging website content. If you find yourself struggling, it might be time to\u00a0contact the professionals<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the final tip: don\u2019t stop there.<\/strong> Your content is vital, let it be the center of your website and then build around it. Think of your content like that expensive little black dress you just bought for a party. Would you wear it without the perfect pair of shoes, carefully done make-up, and a few accessories? Probably not. You should be treating your website content the same way. Add high-quality content to your website and then dress it up with design and other visuals, like video!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why Is Content Important?<\/h2>\n
What Is the Mark of Quality Content?<\/h2>\n
1. Credibility<\/span><\/h3>\n
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2. Virtuosity<\/span><\/h3>\n
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3. Engagement<\/span><\/h3>\n
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The Evolution of Content Quality Criteria<\/h2>\n
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Tips for Improving Your Content Quality<\/h2>\n