Every company strives to have high-quality content. We know it’s the cornerstone of our marketing campaigns, blogs, business websites, affiliate articles, and more. However, you might not know precisely what it is or how to create it. What really constitutes high-quality content? How do you recognize it? Can anyone create quality content that informs and converts?
In this article, we’re going to answer those questions by covering the following topics:
- What high-quality content is.
- Why it’s important to focus on creating top-quality content.
- How to create amazing content.
Why is High-Quality Content Important?
High-quality content is critical to your website for many reasons. Being able to present your visitors with highly-informative, factual, and interesting content holds several benefits for your business, website, or marketing. However, with 60% of marketers creating new content each day, you’ll need to craft something truly masterful to stand out from the crowd.
Before we get into what constitutes high-quality content, or how you can create it, let’s look at some of the top benefits of having a killer content strategy in place.
Affordable Lead Generation
According to DemandMetric, content marketing costs 63% less than most other types of methods, but can generate three times as many leads. Additionally, Aberdeen found that high-quality content has a conversion rate that’s six times higher than other methods. That alone makes it an extremely smart investment.
However, to convert visitors into leads and potential buyers, you need high-quality content that’s expertly written, well researched, and interesting. It’s a killer combination that isn’t easy to get, but it’s well worth the time and effort.
Modern and Effective
Digital content is a modern way of marketing over multiple platforms. It’s become so popular that 72% of marketers consider it more effective than traditional print advertisements. According to the Custom Content Council, another 69% believe it’s far superior to public relations and direct mail campaigns.
Producing new quality content consistently is the ideal way to lure in your audience, make them stay, and eventually turn them into loyal followers or buyers.
Brand Reputation
Arguably, brand reputation is one of the most significant benefits of producing high-quality content. When people search for your services, they want to see that you’re trustworthy, transparent, and that you communicate with your customers.
The invention of the internet made managing your brand reputation ten times harder. After all, one bad review posted on social media can spread like wildfire. Even if the review is untrue, the majority of consumers trust online reviews just as much as recommendations from friends and family – 79%, in fact.
No matter how hard you work, an occasional unhappy customer is unavoidable. So, how do you combat the impact they have? Consistent high-quality content that showcases the truth about your business – and user generated content also counts! For example, say you own a cafe. After a user complains about the food and poor service, start by responding to their review in a positive and constructive way. Then, use high-quality content generated by both yourself and your customers to show that your food is excellent and your service is fantastic.
Show, don’t tell.
This approach to content marketing provides a positive experience, which keeps returning customers while also drawing in new ones. Catch people’s eyes by reinforcing a consistent and confident impression.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Content serves many purposes, but SEO is one of it’s most critical roles. The goal of any marketer is to use high-quality content to lure more visitors to their website, landing pages, eCommerce stores, or affiliate articles. In other words, the more people who find your posts, the better.
High-quality content is one of the two most important factors considered for search rankings. Sure, keywords help. However, stuffing your articles full of them isn’t the way to go. When looking for SEO content writing services, look for companies that focus on quality over quantity, and ensure they understand the nuances of search engine algorithms.
Increasing On-Page Time
Getting people to find your site is only the first obstacle you need to overcome. Once they’re there, you need to ensure they stay. Quality content helps increase on-page time and decrease bounce rates. If your article honestly answers the question in the title, readers are more likely to stick around.
What Is Quality Content?
Now that we’ve gone over the benefits of high-quality content, it’s critical to understand how content qualifies for that lofty title. Is it consistency? Accuracy? Value, facts, length, usability? What about grammar, punctuation, and readability? Perhaps images are the key factor to determining whether content is poor or high quality.
In short, all of these factors play a role in determining how good your content is, and none of them should be neglected. Each one is a critical piece of the puzzle, and deserves your full attention. Let’s look at a few key factors in a little more detail.
Credible, Accurate, and Up-to-Date
If you’re not supplying visitors with accurate and up-to-date information, they’re not going to trust you as an authority – and they certainly won’t visit you again. You wouldn’t trust a chocolate chip cookie recipe from someone who’s never eaten one (or baked one, for that matter), and neither will your readers.
Good content marketing means being knowledgeable in the topic. Even so, remember that research is your friend. If you’re unsure about something, find some reliable resources and read up. Otherwise, don’t bother writing about it; you’ll do more damage to your reputation than anything else.
If you’re a company providing services, make sure your customers can trust you as a source of authoritative, informative content. If you’ve been in business a long time, let them know. Show them proof of satisfactory results. Share success stories from previous clients, or publish case studies and white papers to show your results. If you’re an affiliate blogger or reviewer, make sure you test the items about which you’re writing.
Additionally, make sure your posts are up-to-date with the latest facts. People are looking for relevant information. Make sure to include new developments related to your topic. According to internet guru Neil Patel, updating and republishing old posts with new content and images can increase traffic by more than 100%.
Generates Traffic and Encourages Engagement
One of the overall goals of high-quality content is increasing site traffic. To do this, be engaging. Give people a reason to communicate with you or each other about your posts. There are many ways to create a conversation with readers, including:
- Turn on comments, which allows two-way communication. Make sure to interact with commentary, though, or this tactic could be a flop.
- Use high-quality photos that are relevant to your topic.
- Mention other authors or influencers when appropriate. If they have a formal biography page, consider linking to it. You can even tag them when posting on social media.
- Give readers something to think about. Pose a question or make a bold statement to get people talking. Be careful about making any controversial claims, though. You don’t want to damage your brand image in the process.
- On social media, use alternative forms of content like videos, polls, games, etc.
Any piece of high-quality content will encourage your visitors to engage with you on a meaningful level, forging a more personal connection between you and your customers.
Optimize for Search Engines And People
The goal of SEO is two-fold: provide site visitors with valuable information and increase your search engine ranking. Both aspects are crucial to improving your content marketing.
For the first one, you’ll need to consider search intent. Consider why someone would search for the topic you’re covering, and then write an article or create an infographic that answers their question as thoroughly and with as many relevant details as possible. Google wants to know that your content will help and inform users, so always keep that in mind when creating content.
To improve your search engine ranking, you’ll need to focus on the more technical side of SEO. Try:
- Using detailed keywords related to your topic (but not overstuffing them).
- Linking to other pages on your site and other credible sources.
- Include alt tags for any photos.
- Write effective meta tags that summarize your content.
Tell A Story
Emotion is very compelling. Ads using it cause a 23% increase in sales on average. Take advantage of this tool by incorporating it into your content marketing. Tell a meaningful story that captivates your audience.
If your customers have a favorable emotional association, it’s statistically proven they’re more likely to trust you. Plus, they’re more likely to purchase your goods or services and forgive any mistakes you make.
There are several ways to go about this. Tell stories about yourself (or your company) that resonate with people. Readers want to feel like they’re experiencing it themselves, so try to make them identify as the hero.
Give a visual experience that enhances your content. Use descriptive language, and insert images that represent what you’re talking about. Images account for 20% of searches on Google, and over 60% of younger generations prefer visual searching.
Consider using the following to complement your storytelling:
- Annotated Screenshots.
- Memes.
- Graphs and Charts.
- Pictures with Powerful Quotes.
- Infographics.
- Videos.
If you decide to use memes, though, make sure you keep them up-to-date. The formats are constantly changing, and this tactic is better suited when targeting younger generations.
Insightful and Useful
High-performing content needs to be useful. Your goal is to meet your users’ needs. Write with a purpose in mind and give your perspective on a problem you can solve. Don’t give them the same answer they’d find on a thousand other sites. Instead, provide a new angle they may not have considered before.
Don’t Forget The Technicalities
You shouldn’t ignore aspects like length, readability, value, and grammar. These are the basics of content creation. Any piece of high-quality content should be informative and accurate, yes, but it also needs to convey information in a way that’s easy to read and understand. If you struggle with these aspects, consider hiring professional proofreading services.
It’s also vital to consider your brand voice. No matter how good your article, it will feel disingenuous if you’re talking about something completely outside your realm of expertise. You may just end up alienating your existing following by straying from your brand voice.
How To Create High-Quality Content
Having both an understanding of what high-quality content is and why it’s important, it’s time to explore how you can create it. Keep in mind that, while we’re going to share a few simple tips, you won’t craft a masterpiece on your first try. In fact, many content creators take years to develop the necessary skills to consistently create marketable content.
Take the time to learn what you need to know. Alternatively, consider outsourcing your content creation so that you can focus on the other elements of your business while the professionals handle the writing.
Now, let’s start with a few basic tips to get you started on the road to creating high-quality content.
Research, Research, Research
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; whether you’re an expert or a novice, thoroughly research the topics you cover. Even if you’re an expert in a particular field, there may be new updates or advances you weren’t aware of before, and research can help you stay on top of these developments. Take the time to find credible sources with valuable information, and incorporate it into your content.
If your content isn’t accurate, people will lose trust in your brand. The more research you do, the more credible you’ll be.
Don’t Forget The Technicalities
You shouldn’t ignore aspects like length, readability, value, and grammar. These are the basics of content creation. Any piece of high-quality content should be informative and accurate, yes, but it also needs to convey information in a way that’s easy to read and understand. If you struggle with these aspects, consider hiring professional proofreading services.
It’s also vital to consider your brand voice. No matter how good your article, it will feel disingenuous if you’re talking about something completely outside your realm of expertise. You may just end up alienating your existing following by straying from your brand voice.
Focus on Your Audience
Writing solely for yourself can be fun in your free time, but it has no place in content marketing. Instead, focus on your audience. Their opinions will determine whether you create a successful website or business, or whether you’ll fail.
Before writing, consider what interests them, what events they follow, and what problems need to be solved. Then, think about how these concepts relate to your business. Incorporating them into your content is a fantastic way to increase engagement.
Hire a Professional Content Service
Of course, the best way to get high-quality content is to let professionals do the work for you. There are many benefits to outsourcing your writing, so much so that over 64% of professional marketers leave the content creation to professionals.
Benefits of hiring a professional service include:
- Speed: Content service companies like Captain Words have large teams of talented writers. Turnaround time is much faster than when you do the work yourself. Whether you’re an individual or a business, you have a finite amount of resources to dedicate to high-quality content. Outsource to a company solely focused on this area. You’ll be amazed by how much quicker the process is!
- Quality: Creating quality content is challenging, especially if you’re new to it. Instead of dealing with a learning curve, put your trust in the professionals. These companies have the experience to write content that goes above and beyond your expectations.
- Multilingual Options: Another incredible aspect of content services is their multilingual abilities. International companies like Captain Words have writers and translators from all over the world. You can get articles written fluently in multiple languages, which will help you expand your audience reach.
Conclusion
High-quality content is a vital and often misunderstood aspect of SEO and market. Improving your content marketing boosts your brand reputation and search engine ranking. Plus, it increases on-page time.
When people think about this type of content marketing, they often think about length, readability, value, and grammar. However, these aspects aren’t the benchmark. Creating high-quality content boils down to being credible, up-to-date, and engaging.
If you want to try this content market tactic yourself, do your research and focus on your audience. However, you should consider hiring a professional content service for better articles in half the time.
