If you’re new to the world of SEO content writing, you might be trying to understand why content matters at all for SEO. It’s not a dumb question at all, so don’t feel silly for asking it. I’ll go over why it’s so important in this blog and hopefully by the end of it, you’ll know that it’s the way to go in terms of getting ranked in the SERPs.
Why is Content Important for SEO? Because People Consume Content!
This might again seem almost too obvious, but let’s really try to break this down. People go to Google because they have a problem they need to solve right then and there. It might be something as simple as trying to find the name of something that they’ve seen before and can describe, or something more complicated, like a step by step guide for professionals.
This means that in reality, content can be anything that is useful to people. That means it could be text, images, videos, audio or a combination of everything. Content is as fluid as the desires of people and the problems they’re trying to solve. Ultimately, Google continues to be best known search engine because it has a reputation of solving problems quickly. It will show whatever content people need to see to resolve their problem ideally from the first search.
As long as you create content that lets people solve for their problems, you will rank well in Google.
What Types of SEO Content Should I Create?
Another great question and a logical one. In general, you should only create as much content as you need to solve a problem. If the answer is clear enough in a 200-word paragraph, then leave it at that. However, there is a bit more complexity at play here.
A 200-word paragraph isn’t that difficult to write. I’m reasonably prolific in my writing and try to blog everyday. If I know the topic, I can write 200 words *just like that*. It means that people who are searching for an answer to their problems will naturally try to find the most relevant answer to their question.
What does relevant mean? Google has their own definition of it here, which I”ll screenshot and share below:
Essentially, the more information you have about a topic, the better it is. Again, this is a general piece of information, but still applies.
The more thorough and in-depth your content is, the better it will be (within reason).
Why SEO Content Writing Is A Key Building Block
In the beginning, Google was a text-based search engine. While a lot has changed in the 30 or so odd years that Google has been around, including having sections for Images, Shopping and acquiring YouTube, you still go to Google, type text in and get pages and pages of text recommendations. Sure, you might find other media sprinkled in there if it’s relevant. But Google is rooted in text.
What does this mean? It means that if you spend time writing out content that’s useful to people, Google will handle the rest. There are ways to make sure your content is particularly visible to Google, but if all you did was write strong content that solves people’s problems, i.e. things that they are searching for, your website or blog would eventually be found.
I stand by that and it’s why I write this blog as well. I don’t think SEO is complicated. It just takes time and belief in the process. Google didn’t get to be what it is today by just blind luck. It built its business on being the best utility for people to solve their problems. As long as this is true, SEO content writing will have a place in your digital strategy.