4 simple ways to tell if you have rich content.
Even without a technical Search Engine Optimisation Report, there are some simple ‘rules of thumb’ to get a sense of how hard your content is working. Remember that just Googling your own site or target search terms is likely to be misleading. The results for your own pages will be wildly over-stated.
1. Think like Google
Google is in the business of answering customers’ queries.
So, take any topic of interest to your customers or prospects.
Do you have a unique take on that topic?
What’s distinctive about your ‘angle’? Is the information up-to-date? More critically, do you offer a rounded answer?
That might mean, say, up to 2,000 words (with a summary for skimmers). Or is it just a great online experience.
2. Questions and key phrases
Does your site answer specific questions? Is it highly relevant to the key questions in a customer’s mind? Is the topic introduced in the first paragraph in a precisely worded way? Does it use the targeted phrase and variations naturally, without being monotonous?
Does the copy refer back to the key question in the conclusion?
Is the text original? Is it well written, grammatical and easy to read? (Yes, Google can tell.)
3. The small screen
Does it work on a smartphone? Perhaps you might want to have a video or two anyway for a richer, mobile friendly experience. (And, cynically, perhaps because Youtube is part of the Google ecosystem.)
4. Trust or bust
Just as a well-made ad signals a quality brand, good content creates trust. Google also likes to check your references. How long have you been at this web address? Are you well-known, respected, popular? How many other trusted sources also point people your way? Are people talking about you on social media, in a good way?
Google frowns upon old-fashioned, cynical link strategies. But high authority links show good evidence of your status and credibility.
