Week 7: Importance of Content to SEO

While there are a few different ways to improve your search engine result rankings, one of the best ways is to ensure that your site has optimum content. While many people believe that flashy websites will bring in the most traffic, this is actually not the case. In fact, it is the content rich sites that have the most advantage, as they provide useful and valuable information to the consumer. This is not to say that cramming your site full of information will automatically help you in your search results. In fact, adding useless information can be very detrimental to your site. Users who try and add too many key words can also run into problems because the content will appear too spammy, which could lead to the search engine provider removing the site from it’s index altogether.The information must be unique and relevant in order to engage the user, as well as attract spiders. One example of this in action is Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a site which is in a constant state of flux, as users are continually adding content to the site, which explains why they are consistently in the top couple of rankings when using a search engine. As the following video shows, it is important to create content which will compel the user to link in to your site, subsequently increasing your traffic, and allowing the opportunity for other visitors to find your site through their link.

One way to add relevant and interesting content in your site, is to write SEO optimized articles. These articles should not be used as a promotional tool; rather, they should be used be companies looking to engage the user, and provide information about the product, service, or company. For example, if a yoga studio wanted to improve their search results, they could write an article on their site about the top 10 health benefits provided by yoga, or it could discuss upcoming yoga retreats. The point is, the articles should provide original content containing keywords, without making a sales pitch.

Another way to increase traffic, is to allow the content on your site to be easily bookmarked. Social bookmarking is a great way to increase traffic, as it provides another method for potential users to find yor site. Social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us have increased in popularity, and provide a great way for people to organize and share their links with users of similar interests. Therefore, by making your site easy to bookmark, you have the opportunity to find users who will likely be interested in your content. Expanding upon this further, it could also be useful to send your articles to a social news site such as Digg, if you felt readers would find your content interesting and relevant.

For businesses uncomfortable with the thought of creating content, there are many agencies who specialize in SEO; however, nobody can guarantee results. For those who would like to try and optimize content on their own, there are many resources and tools on the web to help guide this process. If unhappy with your results, remember they are constantly changing so keep playing around with your content until you find a mix that improves your standing.