Content Creation: What’s Changed Over the Years
2022 has been focusing on quality content, with 6 out of 7 updates targeted toward content.
Today, some content methods are no longer applicable.
Search Engines are getting better at understanding content as humans would; it now:
- Puts context into queries and sentences.
- Punishes keyword stuffing.
- Analyzes the holistic meaning of a query.
- Looks at the meaning/scope of whole paragraphs.
- Leverages NLP and AI to predict information people want.
In light of these updates, what do you need to do?
What To Do Now: Write for Humans
Unfortunately, over time, we became too technical in SEO and forgot that the content we produce is supposed to serve a purpose for humans.
Writing for humans means producing high-quality content. Here’s how.
High-Quality Content: 3 Factors to Consider
When you want to start writing high-quality content, there are three factors to look at.
Factor #1: Empathetic, People-First Content
Ask yourself, what would you feel if you were in the shoes of the reader?
Humans respond to narratives, stories, brands, and information – and so do search-engine algorithms!
So, make sure you:
- Start with intent – the “why.”
- Focus on the “who.”
- Personalize content.
- Tell stories.
- Make it readable & user-friendly.
By writing people-first content, you’ll stay aligned with Google’s narrative that great content is the best way to protect yourself from updates.
Factor #2: Topic Clustering
Topic clusters are resources that answer all the questions around a topic.
When you think about topic clustering, you can think about it like what you’ll have on your plate for dinner.
Focus On Topics & Not Keywords
Now, this doesn’t mean keywords don’t work anymore. It just means keywords should be within the topic cluster.
Topic clusters are great for:
- Future-proofing SEO.
- Scaling SEO strategy based on topics.
- Internal linking.
- Attracting backlinks.
- Increasing web engagement.
- Increasing conversion.
Factor #3: Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
A subject matter expert has highly specialized knowledge of a particular industry or field.
Having an SME onboard your content has advantages; they can:
- Improve E-A-T score (must-have for YMYL content).
- Give you a competitive advantage.
- Build trust.
- Make content unique.
- Provide more organic opportunities for backlinks.
A Note on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Is AI good or bad for content? It depends on how you use it.
For example, AI is a tool to help writers be more productive, overcome writer’s block, and create an outline.
However, AI will not replace 100% of what a writer can do.
So, it’s best to proceed cautiously when using AI to create content.
Make sure your content strategies stay up-to-date by applying all the principles discussed in the on-demand webinar.
You’ll find that adapting to the rapidly changing SEO standards will be easier, and you’ll be able to energize more of your online presence.