From the company bio page to pages about your products and services, your website may have thousands of words spanning across dozens of pages. Beginners to website building may feel overwhelmed by how much content actually needs to go on their website, and this pressure can lead to low-quality content — and a generous use of copy and paste.
Although a website with poor content may look the same as even the most successful websites, low-quality content will hurt your company in the long run. Instead of falling into the temptation of poor, quick-to-create material, consider these benefits of high-quality content.
Serves Multiple Groups
High-quality content is valuable to different groups, from the general readers who just want to browse to the search engines that analyze and rank your website.
Readers
Depending on your company, drawing in general readers may be the ultimate goal. Whether you need to boost your website’s clicks and views or you want to turn readers into customers, high-quality content will act as the bridge between a reader and your company.
This connection happens because readers respond to and appreciate content that both informs and entertains them, which high-quality content is specifically created to do. On the other hand, low-quality content can’t fulfill these requirements. And with poor material, readers may not only reject your website in the moment by clicking away but they may also deliberately avoid your website in the future.
Beyond this, high-quality content also builds your credibility with your readers. If your website repeats the same basic information that a dozen other websites also report, it won’t promote a relationship with your reader.
However, if your website offers unique content — and especially if the readers sense a specific tone or personality from the author — they may be more likely to stay on your website because it offers them something they can’t get somewhere else.
Customers
Your website must meet the needs of your customers, both new and old. High-quality content reaches your customers because it provides them with the information they need to make a purchase. When your website gives them the information they need, and is straightforward and honest in its approach, it generates trust.
Low-quality content will give your customers information that is riddled with filler, redundant material. Your customers may not understand what the products are or what your services actually include. This confusion will not promote trust, and your website will likely struggle to generate leads.
Additionally, high-quality content shows that your company cares about its customers and is willing to take the time to give them the information they need. Taking the time to reach a reader in this way builds a positive relationship with them and turns them into a loyal customer.
Search Engines
The success of your website may depend on how it’s received by the search engines that analyze it. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play, and high-quality content goes hand in hand with SEO.
Search engines like content that is high-quality, relevant, and recent. If your website has this type of content, it is more likely to be near the top of the list of search results.
Additionally, search engines analyze how much time visitors spend on your website. Helpful, updated content will likely draw readers’ attention longer, which means they’ll spend more time on your website.
Furthermore, search engines do not like duplicated content. Low-quality content often includes this type of material. For example, if your website has the same two paragraphs with your company’s bio on every webpage, a search engine may flag those paragraphs as low-quality content.
In this same situation, a website with high-quality content may have this bio rewritten uniquely for each different webpage. Not only does this appease the search engines but also gives readers something new to read on each page.
Adds to the Overall Conversation
High-quality content does more than just benefit your own company or organization; it also adds to the quality of the content on the internet at large.
For example, imagine you’re in a meeting with some of your employees and you ask them a question. One by one, each employee tells you the same information, and some of their responses are even word-for-word the same. This conversation isn’t helpful, wastes time, and is frustrating — and this is exactly how readers will feel if the content on your website doesn’t provide them with unique, useful information.
Whether your content describes your services and products or details your company’s core values, it should offer real information that rewards the reader for their time with new knowledge.
As an added bonus, when your website offers content that is unique and adds to the overall conversation, visitors may be more likely to explore the other pages on your website. If they discover your entire website is rich in high-quality content, this can lead to future purchases. Readers may even bookmark your website — which boosts its SEO value — or share a link on social media.
Without question, creating high-quality content for your website is a lot of work. But if you make this a priority, your website will benefit for years to come; and your company will have a website that shows your high levels of quality, passion, integrity, and customer service.