What Does ‘Quality Content’ Mean? 20 Tips And Examples

Quality content. Google wants it. Your customers want it. Your boss wants it. But what is it? What does ‘quality content’ actually mean?

 

Let’s take a deep dive into what ‘quality content’ means and 20 components of high-quality content you can (and should!) use to create outstanding content for your company, website or blog. I’ve even included examples, so you can see exactly what quality content looks like in practice and get good inspo for your next blog post.

 

Definitions: what is quality content?

 

The best way of answering the question, ‘What’s quality content?’ is to remember what and who the content is for.

 

This can be broken down into three determinants of your content’s quality: readers, Google and the business. To be considered ‘quality content’, it needs to be deemed valuable to all three:

 

• It needs to provide readers with what they’re looking for and give them value with minimal friction. To do so, it must be easy for them to find, read and navigate, and be written in an engaging way that speaks to them, with valuable information they couldn’t easily find elsewhere.
• Quality content follows SEO best practices to rank highly in Google. This means following Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines and optimising content with on-page SEO tactics.
• The content should have business goals in mind and support KPIs, like keyword visibility, traffic, leads and sales.

What are the main components of quality content? 20 examples

 

Now that we’ve got the definition of ‘quality content’ down to a T, let’s delve into what it looks like in practice.

 

Here are 20 ideas you can use to create high-quality content that pleases readers, Google and even your boss.

1. Meet reader search intent

 

Ask yourself, ‘Does the content give readers what they’re looking for?’

 

If you’re unsure, test it out by searching Google. What’s the top result for the search term you’re targeting? What’s included in the coveted featured snippet position?

 

EXAMPLE: Britannica Kids, ‘Snow’

 

Here’s an example for the query, ‘Why does it snow?’ Straight away, you get a Britannica Kids article with a clear answer meeting the search intent.

 

 

2. Provide readers with value they couldn’t easily get elsewhere

 

Provide unique value by giving readers reliable information, entertainment or some other quality that they can’t easily get elsewhere. Adding original insights, angles and data makes quality content that’s better than competitors and provides value to your readers.

 

EXAMPLE: Expert Reviews, ‘The best GHD hair straighteners you can buy in 2022’

 

This article offers first-hand opinions of GHD models alongside in-depth comparisons of their different features. This allows the article to secure the #1 spot on Google for ‘Why is GHD the best hair straightener?’

 

 

3. Optimise content for SEO

 

Quality website content is SEO-optimised, helping it rank for relevant keywords and appear in search engines.

 

To optimise your content for search engines, you’ve first got to have a well-thought-out content strategy in place. Then, ensure each individual piece is properly optimised for the keywords it’s targeting. (If this sounds confusing, give me a shout!)

 

EXAMPLE: Edible, ‘50 Most Popular Types Of Flowers’

 

When I search Google for ‘What is the most popular type of flower?’ the top result is this article by Edible. One of the reasons this article appears first is because it’s properly SEO-optimised.

 

 

4. The content is edited for readability

 

‘Readability’ is how easily a reader can understand written text. It goes without saying that for content to be deemed high quality, people need to be able to read and understand it. That means no overcomplicated language, endless blocks of text or rambling sentences.

 

EXAMPLE: Hemingway App

 

The Hemingway App aids readability by giving you suggestions on writing voice, complexity, density and more.

 

 

5. It’s easy to navigate

 

Quality content creates a good user experience via navigational features like crosslinking (both internal and external) and a table of contents. These help readers find their way around.

 

For example, they can skip to the part of the content they’re most interested to read or navigate easily to related pages of your website.

 

EXAMPLE: Semrush article ‘What is blog SEO?’

 

SEO tool Semrush (so yes, they should know their shit) includes a table of contents on the left-hand side of all its blog posts to aid reader navigation.

 

 

6. Content is engaging and resonates with your audience

 

Quality content captures the audience’s attention — and maintains it. Any of a number of creative writing techniques can be used to do this, such as storytelling, hooks and anecdotes. This should be done in a way that resonates with the audience.

 

For example, a target demographic of attorneys will like being spoken to differently from Gen Z fashionistas, and vice versa.

 

EXAMPLE: Boux Avenue, ‘Work from home clothes for lounging in comfort’

 

I wrote this article in the voice of a quintessential Boux Avenue customer. I used relevant slang and examples that would resonate with their audience of fashionable young women, highlighting how they might wear loungewear in their own day-to-day.

 

7. Speak directly to your audience’s problems, interests and desires

 

Your content should directly speak to your customer’s pain points, telling them how to fix their woes, reach their desired state, or generally get from A to B.

 

Solving customer problems is essential to garnering and maintaining their interest, building relationships of trust and establishing yourself as an authority. It’s a primary function of quality content!

 

EXAMPLE: Home Science Tools, ‘How to Make Slime’

 

Laugh all you want, but keeping kids distracted is a genuine problem for most, if not all, parents. Home Science Tools saves the day with this DIY slime recipe.

 

 

8. Use examples, anecdotes and storytelling

 

To really bring your message to life and have it stick in the minds of your audience, use examples, anecdotes and stories. Paint a vivid picture and show relevant real-life examples of the point you’re trying to make. Not only does this make content more engaging, but it also helps it stick in the mind of your readers so they’ll remember you better.

 

EXAMPLE: Lauren Meredith, ‘What does quality content mean?’

 

You’ll see I’ve used examples throughout this very article, for instance. 😉

 

9. Use internal and external links

 

Quality content includes internal and external links for three main reasons:

 

• They help users navigate to other relevant pages of your website.
• External links show your claims are backed by other reputable sources.
• Internal linking helps Google crawl your site, facilitating page indexing.

 

A good content writer will be on the lookout for relevant and helpful crosslinking opportunities (like I did just there!) from any content piece to other relevant web pages, without being spammy or adding crosslinks for the sake of crosslinks.

 

EXAMPLE: Google Search Central Guidelines on Links

 

Where better to go for examples of what to do — and what not to do — than Google itself?

 

Google’s Search Central Guidelines gives examples aplenty of how to apply links to text, including the types of wording to use, how long anchor text should be and how spaced apart links should occur.

 

 

10. Build backlinks

 

Content with a large number of backlinks from external sources, particularly those with high domain authority, has said backlinks because of the content’s quality. Its value is recognised by the websites and publications linking to it. This in turn tells Google that the content and website are reliable, valuable and rank-worthy.

 

EXAMPLE: Share to Buy, ‘The Most Romantic Cities in the UK’

 

I created Valentine’s Day content for Share to Buy, using data to compare UK cities for romanticism. It achieved 140 links, with an average domain authority of 57. ​The highest DA was Yahoo (94 — and it featured twice).

 

 

11. Incorporate different media

 

Media like images, videos, infographics, tables, gifs and more boosts the quality of your content.

 

For one, it makes it more eye-catching. By nature, vibrant or aesthetically-pleasing imagery is more enjoyable and attention-grabbing.

 

Secondly, imagery spaces out text to boost the overall layout and experience of the content.

 

Finally, informative videos, infographics or similar can help reader comprehension of the content. For example, stats can be difficult to comprehend, but an infographic can bring numbers and values to life via graphs, charts and other imagery.

 

EXAMPLE: Packaging Online, ‘The UK’s Most Popular Lockdown Gifts’

 

This piece I created for Packaging Online uses colourful graphs throughout to highlight the most popular gifting trends during lockdowns. It really hits home how popular the favourite gifts are compared to the other trends!

 

 

12. There are no silly grammar or spelling mistakes

 

Nothing detracts from content credibility like spelling or grammar mishaps. You could have the most helpful, valuable and reliable insights for your readers — but a spelling mistake or rogue semi-colon later and your credibility’s down the toilet and your message is lost.

 

EXAMPLE: Grammarly

 

Apps like Grammarly can check your writing for errors and are free and easy to use, so there’s no excuse really.

 

 

 

13. Use an attention-grabbing headline

 

If your headline isn’t hooking the reader and compelling them to continue reading, the content isn’t going to perform well.

 

It’s essential that the headline speaks to the reader’s needs and emotions. What value does it promise can be obtained by reading on? Does it pique curiosity, promise new knowledge or some kind of entertainment?

 

EXAMPLE: BuzzFeed

 

BuzzFeed is a goldmine for attention-grabbing headline ideas.

 

 

14. It’s not plagiarised

 

Plagiarism is unethical. It’s also penalised by Google. Quite simply, it’s not a sign of quality content, it’s a sign of stealing content. Don’t. Just don’t.

 

EXAMPLE: Duplichecker

 

Duplichecker is one example of many free online tools that check your content for plagiarism.

 

 

15. It’s not copied and pasted from an AI chatbot like Chat GPT

 

Stemming from the previous point, just as your content shouldn’t be copied from other websites, it also shouldn’t be copied and pasted from Chat GPT (or any other AI content generator.) Doing so will naturally lead to unoriginal and TBH unengaging content.

 

EXAMPLE: Chat GPT’s opinion of itself

 

Straight from the horse’s mouth.

 

 

16. It’s well-researched

 

Quality content gives valuable, practical and reliable advice and opinions. These aren’t just plucked from thin air; they’re a result of in-depth research. That could be from data sources, in-house industry acumen, expert interviews, research papers, books or some other authority.

 

EXAMPLE: Abbott Lyon’s ‘Jewellery Trend Report’

 

I wrote this report for Abbott Lyon using data around a whole tonne of jewellery trend metrics, including the popularity of different items across social media channels and online search volumes.

 

 

17. Have a goal and get readers to act accordingly

 

Quality content has a purpose. It also guides readers towards said purpose via a call to action. This could be a range of things:

 

• Reading articles on related topics on your blog
• Sharing on social media
• Commenting with their thoughts or own experiences
• Signing up to a mailing list for more news, content and updates
• Browsing a specific product collection
• Buying a product or service

 

Ideally, you’ll want to use a call to action appropriate to the stage of the funnel that readers are on.

 

EXAMPLE: ZDNET, ‘Can’t decide which iPad note-taking app is best? Our top picks’

 

This ZDNET article guides readers towards where they can download the notetaking app of their choice. At the end, it includes additional ‘alternative note-taking apps’ for readers who reach the end and so possibly want other options.

 

 

18. It’s topical and timely

 

People are interested in content that’s relevant to what’s going on in their lives and the world around them. Creating content that’s topical and timely meets this need.

 

For example, if there’s an economic recession (and there always is), content around saving money is topical and timely, providing value to those worried about saving money.

 

EXAMPLE: This Is Fresh, ‘UK Student Loan Interest Rates: What You Need To Know In 2022’

 

In response to interest rate increases, I created this content for Fresh’s audience of students specific to how the changes affect student loans.

 

 

19. Appeal to emotions

 

Quality content speaks to a reader’s emotions, whether that’s awe, joy, disgust or otherwise. Appealing to emotions helps reel readers in, keeps them hooked and compels them to take action.

 

EXAMPLE: Pregnant Then Screwed’s Stories

 

Charity Pregnant Then Screwed uses real-life stories of female struggles and discrimination following pregnancy and having a baby to appeal to the reader’s emotions and rally awareness and support.

 

Recently, they even set up a billboard in London that literally cried as people walked past. If that’s not appealing to emotions, I don’t know what is!

 

 

20. Last, but certainly not least, it performs well!

 

Finally, a sure sign you’re making quality content is its performance metrics.

 

Common content KPIs to track are:

 

• Traffic
• Social shares and engagement
• Leads
• Conversions
• Session duration
• Bounce rate
• Keyword positions
• Backlinks

 

If your content is performing well for some (or all!) of these, then that’s a good sign of its quality.

 

Be sure to review your content performance regularly to see what’s working and what’s not to inform future strategies.

 

EXAMPLE: The Spruce, ‘15 Clever Handbag Storage Ideas’

 

According to Ubersuggest, this content receives over 3,000 sessions per month, has over 400 backlinks and has almost 13,000 social shares — all key indicators that the content is high quality.

 

 

The best way to create high-quality content? Hire an expert

 

Hopefully, this article has given you plenty of advice and ideas for creating high-quality content.

 

If you’d like some help, feel free to reach out for a chat. As a content writing and marketing expert, I’d be happy to assist.

 

Click here to learn more about me and how I can make your content shine. ✨

 

 

Additional Sources
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/definitions-quality-content/

 

Image Sources

Nick Morrison on Unsplash