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Google's Good Writing Content Filter
The web pages actually at the top of Google have only
one thing clearly in common: good writing. Don't let the usual SEO
sacred cows and bugbears, such as PageRank, frames, and JavaScript,
distract you from the importance of good content.
I was recently struck by the fact that the top-ranking web pages on
Google are consistently much better written than the vast majority
of what one reads on the web. Yet traditional SEO wisdom has little
to say about good writing. Does Google, the world's wealthiest media
company, really only display web pages that meet arcane technical criteria?
Does Google, like so many web site owners, really get so caught up in
the process of the algorithm that it misses the whole point?
Apparently not. Most Common On-the-Page Website Content Success Factors
Whatever the technical mechanism, Google is doing a pretty good job
of identifying web sites with good content and rewarding them with high
rankings.
I looked at Google's top five pages for the five most searched-on keywords,
as identified by WordTracker on June 27, 2005. Typically, the top five
pages receive an overwhelming majority of the traffic delivered by
Google.
The web pages that contained written content (a small but significant
portion were image galleries) all shared the following features:
Updating: frequent updating of content, at least once every few weeks,
and more often, once a week or more.
Spelling and grammar: few or no errors. No page had more than three
misspelled words or four grammatical errors. Note: spelling and grammar
errors were identified by using Microsoft Word's check feature, and
then ruling out words marked as misspellings that are either proper
names or new words that are simply not in the dictionary. Does Google
use SpellCheck? I can already hear the scoffing on the other side of
this computer screen. Before you dismiss the idea completely, keep
in mind that no one really does know what the 100 factors in Google's
algorithm are. But whether the mechanism is SpellCheck or a better
shot at link popularity thanks to great credibility, or something else
entirely, the results remain the same.
Paragraphs: primarily brief (1-4 sentences). Few or no long blocks
of text. Lists: both bulleted and numbered, form a large part of the
text.
Sentence length: mostly brief (10 words or fewer). Medium-length and
long sentences are sprinkled throughout the text rather than clumped
together.
Contextual relevance: text contains numerous terms related to the keyword,
as well as stem variations of the keyword. The page may contain the
keyword itself few times or not at all.
SEO "Do's" and "Don'ts"
A hard look at the results slaughters a number of SEO bugbears and
sacred cows.
PageRank. The median PageRank was 4. One page had a PageRank of 0.
Of course, this might simply be yet another demonstration that the
little PageRank number you get in your browser window is not what Google's
algo is using. But if you're one of those people who attaches an overriding
value to that little number, this is food for thought.
Frames. The top two web pages listed for the most searched-on keyword
employ frames. Frames may still be a bad web design idea from a usability
standpoint, and they may ruin your search engine rankings if your site's
linking system depends on them. But there are worse ways you could
shoot yourself in the foot.
JavaScript-formatted internal links. Most of the web sites use JavaScript
for their internal page links. Again, that's not the best web design
practice, but there are worse things you could do. Keyword optimization.
Except for two pages, keyword optimization was conspicuous by its absence.
In more than half the web pages, the keyword did not appear more than
three times, meaning a very low density. Many of the pages did not
contain the keyword at all. That may just demonstrate the power of
anchor text in inbound links. It also may demonstrate that Google takes
a site's entire content into account when categorizing it and deciding
what page to display.
Sub-headings. On most pages, sub-headings were either
absent or in the form of images rather than text. That's a very bad
design practice, and particularly cruel to blind users. But again,
Google is more forgiving.
Links: Most of the web pages contained ten or more links; many contain
over 30, in defiance of the SEO bugbears about "link popularity bleeding." Moreover,
nearly all the pages contained a significant number of non-relevant
links. On many pages, non-relevant links outnumbered relevant ones.
Of course, it's not clear what benefit the web site owners hope to get
from placing irrelevant links on pages. It has been a proven way of
lowering conversion rates and losing visitors. But Google doesn't seem
to care if your web site makes money.
Originality: a significant number of pages contained content copied
from other web sites. In all cases, the content was professionally written
content apparently distributed on a free-reprint basis. Note: the reprint
content did not consist of content feeds. However, no web site consisted
solely of free-reprint content. There was always at least a significant
portion of original content, usually the majority of the page. Recommendations
Make sure a professional writer, or at least someone who can tell good
writing from bad, is creating your site's content, particularly in
the case of a search-engine optimization campaign. If you are an SEO,
make sure you get a pro to do the content. A shocking number of SEOs
write incredibly badly. I've even had clients whose web sites got fewer
conversions or page views after their SEOs got through with them, even
when they got a sharp uptick in unique visitors. Most visitors simply
hit the "back" button when confronted with the unpalatable text, so
the increased traffic is just wasted bandwidth.
If you write your own content, make sure that it passes through the
hands of a skilled copyeditor or writer before going online.
Update your content often. It's important both to add new pages and
update existing pages. If you can't afford original content, use free-reprint
content.
Distribute your content to other web sites on a free-reprint basis.
This will help your web site get links in exchange for the right to
publish the content. It will also help spread your message and enhance
your visibility. Fears of a "duplicate content penalty" for free-reprint
content (as opposed to duplication of content within a single web site)
are unjustified.
In short, if you have a mature web site that is already indexed and
getting traffic, you should consider making sure the bulk of your investment
in your web site is devoted to its content, rather than graphic design,
old-school search-engine optimization, or linking campaigns.
About
the Writer of this Article
Joel Walsh is the owner, founder and head-writer of UpMarket Content.
To read more about web site content best practices, get a consultation
with Mr. Walsh, or get a sample page for your site at no charge,
go to the SEO web site content page: http://www.upmarketcontent.com/web site-content/#seo
Business Website Content Theft: 3 Myths
Myth 1. Web Content Theft & Other Internet Copyright
Violations Are Hard to Pursue.
At least for written content, search engines make internet copyright
violations easier to find and pursue than violations in print.
It is very easy to take injunctive action against a copyright violator;
it would be a waste of money in most cases to go to an attorney. Simply
file a DMCA complaint with Google, Yahoo, MSN, other search engines,
any advertising programs of which the site is a part, and/or the site's
host. I just filed a complaint with Yahoo the other day. They responded
within two days.
Myth 2. Search Engines Inflict a Duplicate Content Penalty on Content
Theft Victims.
There is no duplicate content penalty in major search engines for work
that is duplicated across different sites; only for content that is
duplicated across the same site. If there were a duplicate content
penalty for content shared across web sites, distributing content to
other sites would not be such a popular web site promotion tactic. Do
a search on "Secrets of Writing a Business Website Homepage," on of
my articles, and you'll see it on hundreds of web sites--none of them
delisted.
Myth 3. Web Content Theft Completely Destroys Your Site's Value to
Web Surfers.
Web content theft erodes the links of trust that make up the web. But
it won't completely destroy your site. The web is so vast that even
having your content on hundreds of sites does not mean that people
will find your site unoriginal and not worth visiting. Just look at
how much of any newspaper is "duplicate content" in the form of AP
feeds.
In short, web content theft is bad, but it's not the end of the web--that
is, unless people let it be.
About
the Writer of this Article
Web Content Strategy 101
Your web content makes or breaks the profitability of your site. Here's
how you can develop a strategy to make the most of your site's content.
Your content is what gets you in search engines, speaks to visitors,
and ultimately decides the success or failure of your site. Meanwhile,
your content has to be updated at least once a month if you want to get
return visitors and search engine traffic. You need to have a web content
strategy for your site to succeed.
Web Content Strategy Components
There are four basic ways you can get content for your site.
Free-reprint content that you can publish on your site in exchange for
putting a link to the authors' site under the article. The main benefit
of this kind of content is that you can build up your site quickly.
Original content contributed freely by your visitors, such as message
boards and guestbook-style comments. The main advantage of this content
is that it costs nothing and gives you insight into your visitors. The
disadvantages are low quality and the constant vigilance needed to police
it for misbehavior.
Original written content that you allow other sites to republish in exchange
for a link to your site. This content is usually informational articles,
whitepapers, and sometimes, press releases. Exchanging content is an
essential component of getting links to your site.
Original written content that's exclusive to your site. You should
have some content that you hold back from republication, to avoid giving
visitors or search engines the idea all your content can be had somewhere
else. This can include FAQs, "about us" pages, case studies, testimonials,
and other content that other sites would not want to reprint anyway.
What Kind of Content to Use
So, which of the four kinds of content should you use on your site? Ideally,
all four. That way you'll maximize the amount of quality content your
site can have.
Just be careful not to rely too heavily on free-reprint content. If most
of what's on your site isn't original to you, you'll suffer in credibility,
both with your visitors and the search engines.
Here's a good starter content strategy:
One-quarter free-reprint content.
One-quarter content contributed by visitors.
One-quarter originally written content you let other sites reprint in
exchange for a link to your site.
One-quarter originally written content you do not redistribute.
Scheduling Content Updates
Search engines, especially Google, seem to give pride of place to sites
that regularly update their content. Regular content updates also give
visitors a reason to return.
In short, if you have thirty web pages worth of content this month, it's
better to post one page each day rather than put them up all at once.
To make sure you do this, schedule an hour each day for updating your
site's content.
One way to get regular content updates for your site is to start a weblog , a "web log" in which you write your thoughts and post news.
The one disadvantage is that many web users are getting tired of blogs,
which are often not well written and contain more opinion than information.
Search engines, too, seem to be featuring blogs in their results less
often.
Identifying a Content Provider
Ever wonder how Bill Gates keeps the MSN and Microsoft sites so content-rich?
Doesn't he get RSI from writing a thousand or more pages a day?
You guessed it: Bill Gates does not write the content for any of the
Microsoft web sites. Nor should you write all your own content. All
successful web site owners have someone else write a large part of their
content. This person or company is called a "web content provider."
Your web content provider has to be a person or company with proven experience
writing content for the web, rather than just print content. Ask to see
writing samples. You might even ask if you can commission just a single
page to start with, for evaluation purposes.
In short, your web content is too important to leave to chance. Make
sure you have a strategy for getting the best content. Contact a content
provider to develop a web content strategy today.
Joel Walsh, a professional content writer and founder of UpMarket
Content, recommends you check out their site to learn more about
what you can get from a web site content provider: http://upmarketcontent.com
Business Web Site Content Strategy
Your web site content helps you get in search engines,
speak to visitors, and ultimately get visitors to buy, contact you,
or follow a link. Meanwhile, your content has to be updated at least
once a month if you want to get return visitors and search engine traffic.
To be successful, you need to have a web content strategy.
Web Content Strategy: Sources of Content
There are four basic ways you can get content for your site:
1. Licensed content that you can publish on your site for a one-time
or recurring subscription fee, or in exchange for putting a link to
the author's site under the article. The main benefit of this kind
of content is that you can build up your site quickly. The drawback
is that hundreds if not thousands of other sites will be publishing
the same content, which means you will get little search engine traffic
from it. Also, within a few years, the subscription fees or the value
of visitors who leave via the required link to the author's site will
amount to more than you would have paid to have original content professionally
written.
2. Original content contributed freely by your visitors, such as message
boards and guestbook-style comments. The main advantage of this content
is that it costs nothing and gives you insight into your visitors.
The disadvantages are (usually) low quality and the constant vigilance
needed to police it for misbehavior.
3. Original written content that you allow other sites to republish
in exchange for a link to your site. This content is usually informational
articles, whitepapers, and sometimes, press releases. Distributing
content is an essential component of getting links to your site.
4. Original, well-written content that's exclusive to your site. You
should have some content that you hold back from republication, to
avoid giving visitors or search engines the idea all your content can
be had somewhere else. This can include FAQs, "about us" pages, case
studies, testimonials, and other content that other sites would not
want to reprint anyway.
What Kind of Content to Use
So, which of the four kinds of content should you use on your site?
Ideally, all four. That way you'll maximize the amount of quality content
your site can have.
But, the precise ratio of the four kinds of content you end up using
will depend on the goals of your site. Some examples:
* Licensed content: If you have a content-based web site that draws
revenue from advertising, a large amount of licensed content can be
useful. However, if your site's primary goal is to collect leads, too
much licensed content might risk distracting visitors from contacting
you, without the benefit of bringing in significant search engine traffic.
* User-contributed content: A web site that handles support issues may
have a lot of use for a user forum. A professional services firm would
probably be better off without a forum, with all the user-contributed
content in the form of testimonials.
* Original written content, exclusive and for distribution: Any web site
can benefit from original content since it draws search engine traffic
and puts your best foot forward with visitors. The broader your potential
audience and the greater the competition from other sites, the more
content you need.
Scheduling Content Updates
Search engines, especially Google, seem to give pride of place to sites
that regularly update their content. Regular content updates also give
visitors a reason to return.
In short, if you have thirty web pages worth of content this month,
it's better to post one page each day rather than put them up all at
once. To make sure you do this, schedule an hour each day for updating
your site's content.
One way to get regular content updates for your site is to start a weblog , a "web log" in which you write your thoughts and post news.
The one disadvantage is that many web users are getting tired of blogs,
which are often not well written and contain more opinion than information.
Search engines, too, seem to be featuring blogs in their results less
often.
Identifying a Content Provider
Ever wonder how Bill Gates keeps the MSN and Microsoft sites so content-rich?
Doesn't he get RSI from writing a thousand or more pages a day?
You guessed it: Bill Gates does not write the content for any of the
Microsoft web sites. Nor should you write all your own content. All
successful web site owners have someone else write a large part of their
content. This person or company is often called a "web content provider" or "web site
copywriter."
You need to select a web content provider with proven experience writing
content for the web, rather than just writing for print. Ask to see
writing samples. You might even ask if you can commission just a single
page to start with, for evaluation purposes. Also make sure that you
are buying all rights to the content.
After all, the most important part of your web site content strategy
should be quality.
Joel Walsh, a professional content writer and founder of UpMarket
Content, recommends you check out their site to learn more about
what you can get from a web site content provider: http://upmarketcontent.com/web site-content [When
posting on the web, please hyperlink this text as the anchor text: "web
site content provider"]
Hey,
please visit the Internet Marketing web sites:
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