Content material is king … however why? Here’s a data-driven reply

Tired of hearing that "content is king?"

It's a phrase that makes most marketers roll their eyes.

Does it still sound true? If so, why is the content still so important?

Where does the phrase “content is king” come from?

In 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay that changed the course of digital marketing. With the title "Content is King", he suggested that most of the money generated on the Internet would come from content, similar to broadcasting.

Even more groundbreaking, Gates suggested that content could act as a balance, as anyone (and any brand) could create and publish content:

One of the exciting things about the internet is that anyone with a PC and a modem can post any content they can create. In a way, the Internet is the multimedia equivalent of the photocopier. It enables inexpensive reproduction of material regardless of the size of the audience.

Much has changed in the decades since Gates coined the phrase. So does it still sound right?

I wanted to find out by asking marketers and business owners on Twitter if content was still king and why – or why not.

The results have been split – the vast majority of people believe the content still prevails, but a growing number of people believe the content is slowly losing its crown.

What's even more interesting is why people think that content is still paramount – and there is a wide range of opinions on the subject.

So is content still king? If so, why is it still so critical more than two decades after Bill Gates' statement that content is the driving force behind internet monetization?

Users and Google like quality content

The vast majority of respondents said content is still king because Google and people like content.

There's no doubt that Google likes content. According to a study of more than 11 million SERPs, the average word count for pages ranked on Google's first page is 1,447 words.

That's quite a bit of content.

While Google has been notoriously quiet about exactly what it takes to improve, many veteran marketers (and some Googlers) have found that quality content is key to ranking well on Google. Twitter followers agreed:

It's not just Google that likes content, but people too. In fact, global consumption of online content doubled in 2020.

Content is also one of the most effective ways to convert readers into leads. Companies that blog are earning 67 percent more leads per month than brands that don't.

This is probably why most brands spend 41 percent of their total marketing budget on content.

However, there is one caveat that many companies and marketers overlook: When we talk about content, we're not just talking about blog posts and e-books.

One of the biggest misconceptions about content is that it is only written content.

Content also includes videos, social media, virtual reality, podcasts, and all other types of content that people can read, listen to, or interact with. Good content creates links too, so different types of content create "linkable assets" that naturally make it easier to create links because the content is useful.

Consider it:

• According to HubSpot, 93 percent of marketers say video is an important part of their marketing strategy.
• More than half of US consumers over the age of 12 listen to podcasts.
• Interactive content is 39 percent more likely to be rated “very effective” in educating buyers than passive content.

If you rely on written content to attract visitors and keep Google happy, it may be time to broaden your horizons.

More content improves your position in the SERPs

More than 15 percent of respondents said that content is king because it increases your position in the SERPs.

What is true. Most of time.

Google's goal is to provide users with the most useful and relevant search results every time. So it makes sense that more content is better, doesn't it?

Not quite.

It's important to note that ranking high in the SERPs isn't about quantity, it's about quality.

Writing 50 terrible blog posts won't help you get three or four well-researched, well-written posts. More information from Twitter:

While more content will obviously improve your position in search results, it is important to focus on creating quality content. This includes:

• Be original: Google continues to use sites that use duplicate content. So try to create original content. Original content is also usually more useful as it provides users with information they cannot find anywhere else.
• Answering questions: Answering questions provides a great user experience and can help you get the Google recommended snippets that appear at the top of search results.
• To be precise: Add statistics, links, and sources to back up your statements. This helps build trust with users and create a resource that other websites will want to link to.
• Include readers: Nobody wants to read or watch boring content. Use a hook to grab readers and ask questions to create a conversation. Interactive elements such as polls, contests, and polls can also be helpful.
• Add pictures and videos: Images and videos break up long content and make it easier for users to understand complex ideas. Images also offer another way to optimize using alt tags.
• Remove lint: Get to the point; Avoid useless modifiers and make sure each heading is useful to website visitors.
• Be Consistent: Creating good content is only part of the battle. If you want to improve your ranking, make sure you regularly create content by creating an editorial calendar.

Content must be helpful to users, as repeated on Twitter:

It's also worth noting that tons of other factors can affect your ability to rank in the SERPs, including page experience, one of the newer Google ranking factors. The website's most important vital signs also affect the ranking.

If you don't have enough content on your website it can affect your ability to rank in SERPs. If you're struggling to produce high quality content on a regular basis, our agency can help.

Content helps you optimize for keywords

According to our survey, 15.3 percent of people think content is king because it helps optimize keywords.

What makes sense; Keywords are the backbone of SEO.

However, optimizing for keywords goes beyond including them in your meta titles and adding them to your content as often as possible.

Thanks to Google updates like RankBrain and Hummingbird, the old method of targeting keywords is no longer available.

In the past, marketers would find a single keyword (usually a low-competition, high-volume keyword), write a post about it, email it and social media, do a little link building, and bam, Google rankings.

It's not that easy these days.

Google has gotten smarter and users have gotten smarter. For example, if you want to rank "How to Do SEO", you cannot just publish a range of content on SEO.

Instead, you need to focus on related keywords, long-tail keywords, and user experience to rank well on Google.

You also need to make sure that the speed of your website is up to snuff.

However, writing good quality, useful content is still one of the most important factors in keyword optimization. But don't forget about all the other factors that affect ranking.

Content loses its crown

A little more than 10 percent of those surveyed said that content was losing its crown.

Some people may be tired of hearing how content is the be-all and end-all of digital marketing.

I get it. The truth is, digital marketing is a lot more than just content creation.

SEO, PPC, social media, technical SEO, and even link building are critical to improving your Google rankings and generating leads and conversions.

If you search for "content is dead", you will get tons of search results. However, dig a little deeper and these arguments don't hold water.

Let's look at some of the most common reasons people claim content is dead:

• Creating oceans of content, according to CMSWire, brands have burned out and readers are fed up with creating low-quality, high-selling content.
• Dreamgrow reports that content marketing is dead and 2021 will be all about storytelling.
• Mark Schaefer claims that content marketing is not a sustainable strategy because our ability to consume content is limited while the amount of content doubles every 9 to 24 months.

Essentially, all of these claims boil down to one thing: Consumers are fed up with crappy content.

You don't want to read a 500 word post that offers little value and is primarily aimed at showcasing a product or service. Twitter agreed:

But here's the thing, consumers never wanted to read crappy content. This content used to help you rank on Google, but it never really converted the types of customers you actually want to keep.

What has changed?

The truth is not much. Consumers want content that is convincing, educates, provides useful and interesting information.

One thing has changed since the 1990s when Bill Gates wrote his essay. The type of content users want has changed dramatically. Back then, it was exciting to send a single photo over the internet. Now podcasts, videos, courses, and interactive content are becoming increasingly popular.

Today's consumers want content in all forms – video, audio, and even interactive content.

While Google updates like the top website vital signs are gaining momentum, none of the new ranking factors can rate your website on their own.

For example, a perfect user experience won't help if there isn't content for users to read or interact with.

Rather than assuming content is losing its crown, it may be time to dig deeper with a consultant who will do a site review to determine what content is not working and update other issues that your site is having may face e.g.

Conclusion

The content does not lose its crown; It only expands the royal family.

Despite the opinion of some marketers, it's safe to say that content doesn't lose its luster anytime soon. Google likes it, people are consuming it more and more, and it can dramatically improve your ability to rank in SERPs.

However, the way we create content and the most effective types of content are changing.

Google uses artificial intelligence to better understand the context of content. Therefore, it is more important than ever to use multiple keywords and incorporate long-tail keywords into your content.

People are fed up with boring, boring, and sales-boosting content. Other types of content such as videos and interactive content are likely to become the norm.

This means marketers need to improve their content marketing game without giving it up entirely.

Is the content still king? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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