SEO 2021: How Much Will Quality Content Matter?
SEO is a lot like Health and Safety in a business. It’s important to do it, but unless you’re really going to do it properly, you might as well not bother. Sure, adding a little bit of one or the other might have some fringe benefits, but a wider policy that sees SEO (or H&S) applied business-wide is essential. Without committing properly to implementing a system, all you’re really going to end up with is half measures at best.
As part of an SEO marketing strategy, the question of quality content is one that divides people. Everyone knows that you need to have a viable sitemap, use backlinks properly, and understand how keywords help. When it comes to content, there are those who will talk down the importance of content itself. Their reasoning is that people really aren’t on your site to read and be entertained, so the content can be cookie-cutter word salad. But is that really the case; and giving the changing world of SEO, will it likely be the case in 2021?
Consumers are more conscientious than ever
Most obviously seen in regard to environmental protection, the rise of the conscientious consumer has been in action for a few years now. This means they will favor companies that they believe to themselves be conscientious. The best way to show this by means of a website is to create content that shows awareness of customer concerns with particular regard for how this intersects with your products and services. If you sell camping gear, for example, your content can make mention of its low environmental impact, and make the customer aware that eco-friendly policy is a priority for you, too.
If the bounce rate isn’t right, then the rest won’t matter
Some people, as noted, will argue that the quality of content on a business website isn’t that important. If people want to be entertained, informed, or reassured, they’ll pick sites that are specifically aimed at that end. This is fundamentally short-sighted. You may not be competing with the Wall Street Journal, but expressing yourself professionally is still important. If this is something you need to turn over to the likes of SunCity Advising, then you should by all means do exactly that. Content that makes your business look cynical, or lazy, will lead to high bounce rates and stymy your efforts to grow your business.
Interactive content is becoming more vital
There is no doubt that making your content interactive can be a double-edged sword, and it is important to know when to let the customer read, and when to hit them up with a quiz or a survey. What you can be confident of is that interactive content, done properly, can really benefit you and your business. So how do you do it “properly”?
First and foremost, you make it useful to customers: it could be a conversion calculator, an infographic, or any one of a number of other options. What is important is that you use it right and make it easy for customers to share information with you, as well as encouraging them to come back. As time goes on, the companies that stand out will be the ones who benefit from SEO marketing.
Content isn’t just decoration for your business website; it has a function (several, in fact) and if you pay attention to how it is used you can really help your business grow.
