“Basically, it really doesn’t matter how much information is out there, as long as people can find what they want and need without endlessly wading through the haystack to get to the needle.” Mark Lusky
There are many ways to define “good content” depending on the subject matter and context. For general discussion purposes, good content should contain one or more of the following attributes—relevance to the audience, and ability to engage, entertain and/or energize. It should be memorable and in some way be valued as the proverbial “needle” amid a haystack of extraneous gobbledygook.
For those of us who remember clipping articles and other content out of newspapers and keeping it for reference, that’s good content. In today’s world, everything from bookmarking a website to retweeting a post can signify recognition of good content.
Good content is always important because we all need good, useful, engaging and relevant information. That will remain true no matter how much is out there to digest. Everyone wants and needs input and insights that will improve their lives, help make wise buying decisions, and help locate resources to address topics from A to Z.
Does good SEO equate to good content?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is often viewed synonymously (or almost) with good content. Optimizing opportunities to find your information, it is argued, is part of what constitutes good content. For some, what is written isn’t nearly as important as its findability.
I disagree. And, evidently, so did Google. A couple of years ago, they changed their algorithms to reward compelling content, engaging conversations…stuff that matters to people; and started penalizing obvious loading up of keywords and other SEO-centric techniques.
Both SEO and good content are critical, but as complements to one another—not in lieu of anything. Effective SEO will help people find content, but it still must be something of value…something worth keeping… something worth remembering to resonate with its audiences and get them to act, react or respond in some way.
As content proliferates and creates overload, the challenge continues: getting to heart of the best content. That’s why the ability to filter and curate relevant information—a chief objective of SEO—is important.
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Mark Lusky, President, Mark Lusky Communications (aka The Happy Curmudgeon) is a veteran writer, storyteller and author, with 40+ years of public relations, advertising, marketing and journalism experience. READ BIO
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