SEO for Beginners – Is Content Important for SEO

SEO for Beginners – Is Content Important for SEO?

Welcome back to what is SEO – SEO for Beginners Series. In the last video, we went over SEO Factor #4 User Experience:

We talked about Click-thru Rate, the importance of dwell time, and how to increase the dwell time on your website.

In this video, we are on #5 of the 10 most important ranking factors, and that is Content Freshness, Accuracy, and Depth.

SEO Factor #5: Content Freshness, Accuracy & Depth

Google realizes all content is not created equal, and it cares very much about giving searchers the correct content. To ensure they give the best results, they look at several different things.

Content Freshness

If a search is time-sensitive, then it’s important that it’s fresh and updated.

For example, if someone searches for the “current NFL standings,” they want the most recent information. They don’t want NFL standings from last year. 

If the information on your site changes regularly, it’s important to keep it current. If you don’t, it won’t rank high in searches. 

A long-form guide about John F. Kennedy probably doesn’t need to be updated regularly since the information stays relatively the same.

But a guide to the best gaming laptop probably should be updated somewhat regularly since new laptops come out frequently. 

✅ Try to update your content when there are major updates to the information.

Content Accuracy 

Google does its best to make sure that the information they show in search results is accurate. You can imagine this isn’t easy to do. They check accuracy in several ways.

They compare online information against something called the “knowledge graph,” which is a huge information repository that has data on all sorts of things. 

There’s also evidence that Google relies on several “trusted” resources online to verify information.

The reasons for all this work on accuracy are obvious.

If Google always regularly returned incorrect search results, you wouldn’t want to use it. And if people act based upon incorrect information (like medicine dosage), the results could be disastrous. 

✅ So be sure to fact-check the content you publish.

Check verified, trusted sources when you’re in doubt about something included.

Content Depth

The more in-depth you cover a subject, the greater the odds of ranking in search results. Now, to be clear, thoroughness is not the same as length. 

Covering an in-depth subject means that you include all the information that a searcher is looking for. 

If you don’t cover a subject thoroughly, searchers will come to your website, not find exactly what they’re looking for, and then move on to another website. This means your dwell time will be low, and Google will take to mean that your content isn’t relevant. Your content will rank lower. 

As you create your site’s content, think through all the different things people might be searching for related to your content. The more you can cover, the more relevant your site will be to searchers. 

If you’re not sure exactly what people are searching for, type your primary keyword into Google, scroll to the bottom, and look at related searches. This will give you a sense of other topics related to your primary keyword. 

You can also jump into Ubersuggest and find related keywords and ideas there.

In the next video in the series, we’ll dive into SEO Factor #6: Site Authority

SEO For Beginners – What Is SEO?

Search Factor 1 – Search Intent

Search Factor 2 – Backlinks

Search Factor 3 – Page Speed

Search Factor 4 – User Experience

Search Factor 5 <– you are here 🤩

Search Factor 6 – Domain Authority

Search Factor 7 – Security

Search Factor 8 – Mobile Friendliness

Search Factor 9 – Structured Data

Search Factor 10 – Voice Search

SEO – Playing the Long Game

Content Freshness, Accuracy and Depth FAQs

Q: What is content freshness and why is it important?

A: Content freshness refers to how often your website’s content is updated. It’s important because it helps you maintain a high search engine ranking, which can lead to more traffic and conversions.

Q: How often should I update my website’s content?

A: That depends on your business and goals. If you’re a news site, you’ll need to update much more frequently than a site that sells products or services. A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least once a week.

Q: What happens if I don’t update my content regularly?

A: If you don’t update your content regularly, your search engine ranking will suffer. This can lead to a decrease in traffic and conversions.

Q: How can I make sure my content is fresh and accurate?

A: There are a few things you can do to ensure your content is fresh and accurate. First, set up Google Alerts for key terms related to your business. This will notify you whenever there’s new content related to your business. Second, use a tool like HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator to come up with fresh ideas for blog posts. Finally, consider hiring a copywriter or editor to help you create high-quality content.

Q: What is depth of content and why is it important?

A: Depth of content refers to the length and quality of your website’s content. It’s important because it helps you maintain a high search engine ranking and improve your conversion rate.

Q: How long should my website’s content be?

A: That depends on your business and goals. If you’re a news site, you’ll need to update much more frequently than a site that sells products or services. A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least 500 words per page.

Q: What happens if I don’t have enough depth in my content?

A: If you don’t have enough depth in your content, your search engine ranking will suffer. This can lead to a decrease in traffic and conversions. In addition, shallow content can turn away potential customers and cause them to look elsewhere for the information they need.

Q: How can I add depth to my content?

A: There are a few things you can do to add depth to your content. First, use keyword research to come up with topics that are relevant to your business and have a high search volume. Second, include images, videos, and infographics in your content to break up the text and make it more visually appealing. Finally, link to other websites and blogs to provide your readers with more information.

Q: What is the difference between freshness and accuracy?

A: Freshness refers to how often your website’s content is updated, while accuracy refers to whether or not your content is accurate. It’s important to aim for both freshness and accuracy in your content to ensure a high search engine ranking and conversion rate.