Content: The Big C of Search Engine Optimization

Just like cancer, good content is malignant – it spreads. But unlike cancer, good content is not fatal. In fact, in post-Panda and Penguin internet world, it’s one of the most important lifelines of your website.

First things first. To assume that good content only became important after Penguin and Panda were launched is totally wrong. Content has always been there since the practice of internet marketing was born. The shift is on the level of quality of online materials businesses put out there and how they leverage on these, especially when it comes to search engine optimization.

Needless to say, an SEO company should know that content should satisfy the algorithmic requirements of search engine giant Google and at the same time, present internet users with a meaningful interaction with their brand through their web properties.

Content is the Foundation of Link Building

Many websites generate web traffic through external links and one of the common mistakes which, can be committed even by an experienced SEO agency, is creating links without good content to which they lead to. To be perfectly blunt, if you don’t have any relevant or useful content to offer your target audience, don’t do link building at all! You’re not only wasting your time, you’re also wasting the time of your target market. Bad content is bad for your online reputation.

There are two ways of effective link building through the use of content:

1. Posting compelling content on your site and hoping that your site visitors or other website administrators will link to you.
2. Asking other websites such as blogs if you could trade content for a link.

Both of the methods stated above are effective and it’s good to have them both in your link building strategy. The common denominator across the two is extensive research. For the first tactic, check what people are searching for (through Google Analytics, Google Trends) or by surveying forums and looking at topics your target market is highly talking about.

For the second method, there’s nothing more annoying, not to mention impolite, than an SEO company emailing a website owner asking for a link in exchange for a content without even taking a look at his or her site or blog. Read the blog thoroughly and see what content you can offer to add value to its readers.

Impress Search Engines

Google has become so intelligent that it actually knows whether internet users stay at your site or leave after just a few seconds. These “search and run” visits are called bounces and do not really do well in terms of ranking.

With your collaboration, your SEO agency should be able to create interesting content for your site that will hook your target audience and make them stay.