Last Friday (October 22), Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, shared insights into how Google determines content quality. In this article, we’ll examine his answer about what makes quality content. He appeared on his weekly Google’s Search Central SEO Office Hours Hangout where he was asked:
“I know it’s been said before that making technical improvements is less important to SEO than having quality content.” The question related to the importance of technical SEO vs content quality. Mueller began reading the question, but stopped to explain the importance of technical SEO. Mueller went on to explain what Google considers to be quality content.
Mueller’s answer to the question about what makes good quality content was:
“When it comes to the quality of the content, we don’t mean like just the text of your articles. It’s really the quality of your overall website. And that includes everything from the layout to the design. Like, how you have things presented on your pages, how you integrate images, how you work with speed, all of those factors they kind of come into play there.”
Why does it matter?
Content quality is a huge factor in site rankings and in Google’s overall view of your site. If you have poor content quality, Google may distrust your site. So, good content quality not only encompasses author signals, text, and advertisement quality. It encompasses the quality of the whole website which includes text, layout, design, UX, images, and page speed are key factors in content quality.
At ViviScape, we believe in offering not just superior software/web/app development, design, video marketing, aerial photography, virtual reality video, and more. We offer an experience that takes a one-on-one approach to make sure the client’s needs are met.
Google’s Quality Raters Guidelines describe how to rank better in Google. This is a great go-to guide for any developer, marketer, or business owner in search of Google’s latest content quality requirements. It’s also a great resource for tips and advice for making your website a top performing one that customers will appreciate.
Content quality is not all about the text
It is important to have high-quality content on your website for both users and search engine crawlers. However, it’s not just about the text – there are many other factors that determine quality such as images/layouts etc., some which relates back to user experience or how information gets delivered in order to make things easier when someone visits your site.
For example, page speed is an important factor in Google’s ranking algorithm because it impacts how quickly content can be scanned. Many people in SEO have discounted page speeds over time, but that’s a mistake for them to do so.
So, in closing, Mueller’s takeaway about content quality is:
“So it’s not the case that we would look at just purely the text of the article and ignore everything else around it and say, oh this is high-quality text. We really want to look at the website overall.”
Below are a few helpful Google help links to valuable information for developers and business owners who want to achieve the highest content quality for their site:
- Google Quality Raters Guidelines
- Steps to a Google-friendly site
- Webmaster Guidelines
- Google Images Best Practices
- Slow Mobile Pages
- PageSpeed Insights: Check your website speed
Our marketing team at ViviScape can help you with website development, design, and marketing strategy for better rankings and increased sales conversions that consider both the text of an article and all other aspects of a website’s presentation such as imagery, page speed, layout, and more. Contact us or call (574) 207-6511 to learn more about how ViviScape can help improve your website’s content quality and more.
