Search Is Built On Content
The core function of search engines is to help users find information. Search engines first discover webpages, they parse and render, and then add them to an index. When a user inputs a query, search engines retrieve relevant webpages in the index and then “rank” them.
Search Engines Retain Users
Search engines retain users by ensuring their confidence and trust in the displayed results. Over time, they build expectations that using their platform is a safe, streamlined experience that quickly leads users to what they want.
SEO Success Depends on Being Found by Your Target Audience for What They Are Looking For and Consistently Providing a Satisfying User Experience Based on the Context of the Queries They Type into Search Engines
Search Is Built On Content
The core function of search engines is to help users find information. Search engines need to know what pages are about and what they contain in order to serve them to the right users. In concept, they do this quite simply: They examine the content. The real process behind this is complicated, executed by automated algorithms and evaluated with human feedback.
The SEO Value Of Content
Google has said it prioritizes user satisfaction. It’s confirmed that user behavior signals impact ranking. At this point, whether this relationship is causal or correlative doesn’t matter. You must prioritize user experience and satisfaction because it’s a key indicator of SEO success.
Evidence For The SEO Value Of Content
Google highlights the importance of content in its “SEO fundamentals” documentation. It advises that Google’s algorithms look for “helpful, reliable information that’s primarily created to benefit people,” and provides details about how to self-assess high-quality content.
What Kinds Of Content Do You Need?
Successful content looks different for each goal you have and the different specific queries you’re targeting. Text is still the basis of online content when it comes to search. Videos are massively popular. However, in terms of referrals, they only send 3.5% of referral traffic to the web in the US. In addition, videos have titles, and these days, most have automated transcripts. These text elements are critical for discovery.
Content And User Behavior
Recent developments in the SEO industry, such as the Google leak, continue to highlight the value of both content and user experience. Google values user satisfaction to determine the effectiveness and quality of webpages and does seem to use behavioral analysis in ranking websites. It also focuses on the user intent of queries and whether a specific intent is served by a particular resource.
Conclusion
Serving the right content to the right users in the right way impacts whether they become leads, convert, or come back later. Leaning into quality and experience is a win all around. Good experiences lead to desirable behaviors. These behaviors are strong indications of the quality of your website and content. They lead to positive outcomes for your business and are correlated with successful SEO.