Is content still king? This question receives conflicting answers from time to time – some SEO experts claim that text quantity has ceased to matter, while others argue the opposite. Google knows better – and constantly reminds us that on the internet, as in life, it's not just quantity that counts, but also quality.
How does the Google algorithm work?
One of the most important goals of the Google search engine is to provide its users with the best, most satisfying answers to their queries. To this end, a constantly improving algorithm was created that sorts pages, searching for that one unique page that satisfies the searcher's thirst for knowledge. It's this constant algorithmic variability that keeps SEO experts awake at night – Google, like a fickle woman, can change its attitude towards a website overnight!
The algorithm comprises around 200 factors that influence a website's ranking , and their importance is constantly changing. Major updates (incongruously named after rather cute animals – Panda, Penguin) can disrupt the results and lead to a reshuffle in the top 10, pushing sites from farther back in the search engine rankings. To learn more about these factors, it's worth reviewing the Search Engine Optimization Guide ( https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.pl/pl/pl/intl/pl/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide-pl.pdf ), which is the official light at the end of the tunnel for lost webmasters. Google discusses the most important elements in it, but doesn't provide much detail about every aspect of the algorithm. The same applies to news about subsequent changes – some are only enigmatically mentioned in tweets from key Google employees related to the search engine. Most of the knowledge about positioning is based on years of observations, tests and trials by SEO enthusiasts, paid for by many painful declines and tears shed over websites that were permanently removed from search results...
So says Google
So what can we glean from the webmaster guide? A frequently emphasized issue is the uniqueness and high quality of the website's content—titles, descriptions, and the broader context. This last aspect—content—is of paramount importance not only for SEO but also for users.
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Over the past few years, SEO has changed almost beyond recognition. Centuries ago, SEO focused primarily on injecting keywords into every possible piece of HTML code, with the meta keywords tag sometimes containing more words than all the pages on the website. This also resulted in grotesque publications straight from popular blenders (which allowed for thousands of combinations of a single text).
(example of mixing the Invocation from Pan Tadeusz in a mixer on the blackpress.pl website)
Text blenders were perfect for acquiring links from directories and presell pages, which required the inclusion of original text advertising our website. Short (around 500 characters), keyword-laden texts were easily read by Google bots, which analyzed the site before placing it in a specific spot in search engine results. Over time, however, Google learned to recognize these types of activities and eliminate them from search results, simultaneously reducing their relevance to the pages they served as a resource.
The real devastation of these types of sites began in the first quarter of 2011 (a little later in Poland) with the introduction of a major algorithm update called "Panda," which focused on cleansing the search engine of most spammy content. Panda was followed in 2012 by Penguin, whose goal was to eliminate sites with unnatural links. These two algorithm changes shaped modern SEO in their own way, and SEO specialists split into two camps: the "old school," who stubbornly adhered to outdated methods, and the "new school," who recognized the direction Google was heading and began systematically learning how to create pages with content that was both robot- and user-friendly.
Give me content, my dears!
Since 2012, Google's algorithm has become much more mature and has learned to recognize not only words with and without Polish characters, but also to be able to combine synonyms and export content from websites that will be 100% satisfactory to users.
(example: Direct Answer via Google – April 2016 brought further changes related to text – Direct Answers – i.e. direct answers to queries, displayed before the “traditional” search results. Another excellent reason to take care of the text content on the website!)
The number of penalties for failing to adapt their sites to the changes forced creators and webmasters to focus on website quality. Longer texts began to be created, not only satisfying the greed of web crawlers but also satisfying the curiosity of users, who were more likely to stay on the site longer and browse other content as well. And the sites began to climb higher and higher in the top 10.
Longer texts provide more space for keywords and their synonyms, thus increasing the page's visibility in search engines. This is crucial for broad SEO—the so-called "long-tail" keywords, which are characterized by significantly higher click-through rates than shorter, highly competitive phrases.
I see and describe Your beauty
Why is content so important to Google? The simplest answer is because Google is a text-based search engine, and its bots look for words they can latch onto. Even when it comes to images, the algorithm relies on what's stored in the alt and title attributes of the img tag, combining it with the image filename and the content found on the page.
For several years now, the Bootstrap framework has been incredibly popular, with more and more websites being built on it. It's no wonder, as Bootstrap allows for the creation of designs with a fashionable, minimalist look and high-quality background graphics. Another key feature for web developers is the ability to write clear code, which, if modified, doesn't require laboriously wading through thousands of lines of unclear structure. From an SEO perspective, these "clean and trendy" websites are a true curse – aside from graphics, they contain almost no text!
How does a search engine perceive them? Let's take a look at the website of Today Made, a North Dakota-based website and mobile app development agency. Bootstrap provides a clean and fresh design.
And how does Google see it?
A "naked" website can't captivate us with its beauty or provide much practical information. It's also not a valuable source of knowledge for search engines, which means it won't be the first choice of the algorithm responsible for ranking pages in the SERPs. The aesthetic appearance of a website is certainly important and influences the user experience. But we have to somehow invite them to our website, right? Therefore, when optimizing a website, it's worth paying close attention to its content. Creating content, however, is neither easy nor cheap.
Sites featuring the latest news, guides, and blogs will certainly have a simplified task. Their content is typically rich and rich in complementary elements—graphics, videos, and user comments. Regularity in the appearance of new content and keyword diversity are also important factors. Such sites also don't have to worry so much about traffic—in addition to search engines, content created by the creators of such sites easily spreads via social media , with users recommending it to each other on their feeds and profiles.
But what about websites intended to present non-internet-based businesses to a wider audience, such as locksmith services or car rentals? A good solution in this case is to prepare texts that thoroughly describe specific aspects of the company, not only to encourage customers to use the services but also to demonstrate professionalism and knowledge of the company's field. Another solution is to create a company blog, linked to the website, and post not only reports on the completion of individual assignments (e.g., a summary highlighting the challenges the company encountered during the project) but also articles with interesting facts about the chosen field – for example, historical information, detailed descriptions and tests of offered products, or a report from an industry event or trade show. Extensive and high-quality content is not only appetizing for Google's search engines but also key to winning the hearts of customers, who value the professionalism and expertise of the companies they choose, regardless of the industry.
Grandpa planted the seed of content…
When preparing content for a website, it's important to remember that content isn't just words, but also graphics and videos. According to internet forecasts, in the coming years, these too will be targeted by robots, which will be able to recognize objects and people in photos or video frames. So let's share our knowledge and improve our websites, building a brand and a base of returning customers, and let Google's robots explore our texts.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- Google algorithm variability and its importance for SEO strategy,
- the importance of quality and unique content in the context of Google's webmaster guidelines,
- how to create content on websites,
- balance between the aesthetics of the page and its text content in the context of positioning,
- the use of multimedia as a complement to content and an element increasing user engagement.
