What’s driving your website’s search engine optimization? Depending on the year, that answer may differ from time to time. It’s hard to stand out in an over-saturated market, or is it? We’ve been discussing SEO since Google’s new page experience update, and just as I thought, standing out with unique content will be the game changer for 2021. Follow along as we go over 5 ways brand awareness and unique content can improve your SEO.
YMYL (Your Money. Your Life.)
Before we get started, ask yourself this question? Does your business offer content in the health, finance, or law sector?
If so, you should make sure the content you’re producing is accurate, helpful, and truthful. The reason – if the information is presented deceptively or inaccurately, it could negatively affect a person’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety. . Google takes this very seriously and will penalize websites for false or misleading information.
Content Considered YMYL
The content that Google considers YMYL is growing every year, and the PDF list of industries affected by this algorithmic metric is publicly available here.
Some of the industries Google perceives as YMYL include:
- Current News
- Health
- Fitness
- Law
- Shopping
Now, you may be asking yourself, “What if my website isn’t considered YMYL?
Whether or not you’re operating in the YMYL sector, Google has been refining its algorithm over the last few years to include metrics related exclusively to quality and relevance. This is why it’s always a good idea to create quality over quantity.
The Content You Create Should Be Relevant
No matter what industry you work in, the content your website is publishing should be relevant and beneficial to the user. Google has been talking about the term “beneficial purpose” since 2015, but 2018’s update to the Search Quality Evaluator Guide made reference to a webpage’s purpose and beneficial purpose almost immediately, signaling a preference for quality and relevance over quantity. Needless to say, Google’s algorithm is becoming more and more transparent over the years, and it’s easier than ever nowadays to find out exactly what Google looks for in ranking pages. A few resources I personally use are outlined below.
Search Quality Evaluator Guide – Google actually hires real humans to rate websites on quality. This is the guide they are required to follow. It’s over 170 pages, but definitely worth the read! Don’t worry, I’ll be reviewing several of these key factors in this blog series. Bookmark our blog page and look out for new tips weekly.
Google Keyword Planner – If you create content for your business website, Google’s Keyword Planner can give you a massive insight into trending topics. This can play a major advantage to see what topics people are searching for.
Grammarly – Have you ever published something and then immediately noticed a typo? Never again with Grammarly. It’s powered by AI, and it can help you proofread your content, highlighting errors and suggestions. I’m actually impressed by its ability to assess readability and offer suggestions based on previous content.
Quality, Relevance, and Purpose
Three factors that will affect your website’s ranking are quality, relevance, and purpose. As outlined in this article, this is the direction Google has been moving for years. As more and more people use the internet to make decisions, it becomes more important than ever to produce content that is unique, user-centered, and beneficial. Stay tuned for more tips next week. Want more tips now? Read more about SEO here.