If you think that the way to generate organic traffic for your website is to post dozens of articles on your blog, you’re sadly mistaken. While sheer volume was once a path to success, that’s no longer the case. Companies only succeed in the digital arena when they create high-quality content. 

The marketing industry knows this. We’re seeing a massive reduction in the quantity of “thin” content being churned out and a drive towards original content that relies on creativity and flair. Just hitting keywords is no longer sufficient for SEO. 

Google has already announced that it will take what it calls “page experience” into consideration in the future, marking a significant shift in its philosophy. No longer will it merely target relevance. Instead, it will ask whether websites, including their blogs, deliver the holistic experience that users want. If they don’t, then down-ranking is inevitable. 

But it’s more than just Google pulling strings. Users themselves want readable content that provides them with genuine value. When they pull up an article, they don’t want the writer to waste their time, waffling on endlessly in an attempt to reach the word count. They’re looking for something fundamentally entertaining, informative, or both. 

If you were a digital marketing agency in the past, you’d sell SEO packages. Clients would hand over a couple of hundred dollars a month. Then you’d drip-feed search algorithms their pound of flesh using a variety of methods, including content. What these agencies actually produced, however, wasn’t a primary concern. The main issue was getting content out the door and tapping into the Google page ranking priorities. 

That world, however, has come crashing down in recent years. Google and other search engines now have excellent proxies for page quality. And they’re able to get a sense of whether you’re providing people with value, without actually understanding what’s written.

You’ve probably noticed this effect in action when you type search queries into Google. The search engine returns the results that best answer your question almost every time!

The ramifications of this for content creation, therefore, are substantial. If you want quality content, you either need to write yourself or find agencies that focus on creativity and flair. The days of SEO mills are seemingly behind us as the market demands ever-more detailed and comprehensive content. 

If you struggle to be creative, focus on being informative. Many people visiting your site are simply looking for information: facts and figures to do with their topic of interest. If you can provide these, you’ll put yourself on the road to genuine organic traffic growth. When you become the go-to resource for something on the internet, search engines take notice and ascribe value to your brand. So even generic traffic can boost your website performance and allow genuine prospects to find you. 

Whatever topic you cover in your content, aspire to be the best. Check what’s already out there and improve on it in whatever way you can. Be original and do your research.