There has been plenty of talk about content in the world of SEO In 2012, with most experts agreeing that content writers are now the most important members of any SEO team.
Recent algorithm updates have meant that to secure the long-term future of an SEO campaign, building links to good content is the only safe tactic.
Google’s Panda update was huge for SEO because it represented the first time that Google had managed to detect ‘thin’ content effectively, and when it was launched websites that didn’t match up saw their traffic plummet.
Google has rolled out a number of updates to Panda to try to perfect one of the major updates in its history. Additionally, Google is planning to introduce an ‘over optimization penalty’ over the coming weeks, meaning content writers will now need to be able to do much more than write keyword-stuffed content – flexibility is a major part of the job.
Panda showed that Google is committed to developing an algorithm that doesn’t just rely on links, which are so easily manipulated.
Sooner rather than later, Google’s algorithm will encompass more social and quality signals, so the number of links won’t carry anywhere near as much weight. The service of content writers will be at a premium, as long as they write engaging, conversion-friendly content.
That content will also have to incorporate an understanding of synonyms and semantics as a more sophisticated algorithm won’t rely on exact match terms, but instead will read content like a human, rather than a robot. Continued reliance on exact-match keywords will fall foul of over optimization penalties, but flexible content writers will embrace the long tail and sites will reap the rewards in increased keyword visibility and traffic.
This article was written by Custard Media, a Preston-based SEO and digital marketing agency.
About Josh Nadeau
I guess content is not as important as it could seem, but links.
A strong link building with high PR could be more accurate that the best content of the world.
Thank you for sharing!