The definition of quality content is certainly relevant – relevant to the company posting the content and relevant to the reader of the content. Being able to capitalize on such a seemingly subjective characteristic can improve your search standings.

Ever since the Hummingbird algorithm, SEO companies alike have tried to answer the question of quality content. It was the prioritization of context over keyword frequency. This new update meant the algorithm would literally read between the lines in order to convey content that matched the true intent of a keyword search. This meant when creating an article for “ice cream” Google would know if you wrote about chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream versus a motorcycle event that served ice cream.

You might be thinking – write longer content for organic rankings!!! Ya, not so much. Having the most impactful content on a particular topic is what triggers Google. By manufacturing comprehensive pieces of content, you will have the highest quality results that ultimately satisfy a searcher’s intent.

Identifying Topics for Content

Finding topics to cover and expand upon can be tedious and labor-intensive but it can be manageable. SEMrush supplies and SEO content template will provide help on topic selection for given keywords. Here are some further steps to help you breakdown how to develop content.

1. Optimize

Take keywords your blogs ranked for and filter the list down to keywords not ranking number one in SERPs but with strong intent. Do this with core landing pages.

2. Evaluate

Take an idiosyncratic look at your content that is ranking for a keyword. With a comprehensive piece, you might want to update your examples. Determine if it could it benefit from an updated inline embedded media. With a cursory look at your existing content ensure examples used are not old and still relevant.

3. Identify Topics

As identified earlier, you can accomplish this in a few different ways. Use MarketMuse to categorize topics and gaps. Also, identify topics competitors are discussing/ranking for and you are not.

4. Update Content

To maintain link equity, keep the same URLs and simply update old content with the new information. Next, update the publish date and the new article is good-to-go with updated content depth, modern branding and visuals.

5. Check Your Results

If you open an incognito window, you can see your updated position. You should see positive results across the board that are realized within 60 seconds of reindexing the updated content. Boom.

Assumptions:

You should assume that content depth and scope of topic coverage matters — a lot. Google’s algorithms are absolutely capable of understanding of the competitive topic landscape for a keyword. For a given keyword ensure you spread out your content to use a collection of topics well defined by research particular to your company and competitors.

You can also assume that Google’s algorithm will either respond immediately to updated information or will cache a snapshot of the competitive content depth landscape for any given keyword. Either scenario is likely because of the speed at which updated content is re-ranked.

Conclusion:

Not the best idea to arbitrarily write content that is not specific to a keyword or long content calling it “high quality.” Select keywords you want to rank for and create a comprehensive piece of content that fully encompasses that keyword. There are never any guarantees you’ll be awarded a top position but you’ll certainly improve your odds, as we have seen.