If you write the best content in your niche you can't lose. Nothing can stop you.
There’s a difference between publishing content for the sake of it and writing good content that actually helps people and gives them a reason to stick around.
Amazing content makes everything else about blogging easier — from ranking to growing your email list to getting followers on social media.
What Makes Good Content?
Calling something “good content” might sound a bit subjective, but there are actually several benchmarks and questions you can ask yourself before hitting publish.
To put it simply Good Content = Helpful Content. The more helpful it is, the better it is.
Here are some of the characteristics that make good content for your blog:
Answers User Intent. Good content provides value to readers by answering their questions and matching search intent. Really, your content should either leave people feeling more knowledgeable, entertained, or both.
It's Unique. Every topic has been written about, but you need to write original content that also has your own voice. Paraphrasing other bloggers is a recipe for lackluster content. It's one thing to get inspiration from another blog. It's another thing to copy it.
It's Readable. Mobile reading is more popular than ever, so good content is scannable. This means breaking up text into smaller paragraphs, using headers properly, and adding compelling visuals to space out text.
It's Actionable. Another characteristic of good content is that it provides readers with next steps and that you’re giving your opinion on what they should do. Don't be afraid to tell your readers what to do. Be a leader.
If you’re ever wondering how to create good content, Google the keyword you want your post to rank for and read the competition on page one of Google.
Next, ask yourself what gaps exist in that content and how you can write the best article out there. Perhaps the information is outdated, or other bloggers haven’t gone deep enough. Whatever competitive advantage you can find, take it!
Why Good Content Matters – The Benefits for Bloggers
Writing great content always takes more time than writing fluff. So, why should you embrace this and put in the extra hours?
Well, there are several benefits of content marketing that open up when you write higher-quality blog posts. In fact, without good content, your blog has almost no chance of success.
1. Get More Traffic (SEO Benefits)
Google has over 200 ranking factors, ranging from page speed to backlinks and social signals for your blog.
However, quality content is one of the most important factors. According to Google, its algorithm can identify signals that “determine which pages demonstrate expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness on a given topic.”
This is known as EAT, and in short, Google awards content that demonstrates its expertise, authority, and trustworthiness by ranking it higher. So, if you write good content that’s thoroughly researched, cites your sources, and matches user intent, you have a much better chance at ranking than if you write fluff.
Related: Trouble Ranking? Here's the Part of SEO You're Missing
2. Build Your Authority
Speaking of EAT, another reason good content matters is because it helps build your authority in your niche.
This makes sense. If a reader enjoys the content on your blog and thinks it's the best content out there, they’re more likely to view you as an authority. They’re also more likely to become a true fan, subscribe to your email list, and use your blog as the go-to resource if they have future questions.
In short, writing great content shows you know what you’re talking about. Becoming an authority also opens doors for other opportunities, like guest posting or podcast appearances, which can help further promote your brand.
3. Get More Social Shares
According to Neil Patel, there are a few ingredients you need to get mass amounts of social shares. This includes a captivating headline, compelling visuals, and making it easy for readers to share content in the first place by using the right plugins.
But writing great content is still the foundation of social shares. And, according to a content study by SEMRush, guides, how-to posts, and lists also get the most shares out of all content types.
In short, creating great content that intrigues readers is a recipe for getting more social shares. As a bonus, you can test out guides, listicles, or how-to posts to get even more social media traffic to your content.
4. Make More Money
Popular strategies to monetize a blog including display ads, affiliate marketing, and selling your own product.
Writing great content helps you make more money per user with all of these strategies. I’m not kidding.
For advertising revenue, great content captivates readers longer than bad content, so you’re getting more advertising impressions per user.
As for affiliate marketing and selling products, this is where creating good content makes a world of a difference. Selling products whether your own or someone else's requires building trust. And you can't build trust with your reader if your articles are not helpful and thoughtful.
For example, if you’re writing the best review posts out there, you’re going to earn more affiliate income than if you wrote a piece that wasn’t well researched since potential buyers won’t trust bad content.
Related: How to Write Review Posts that Make Money
5. Get More Backlinks
Another reason creating good content is vital for your blog is to get more backlinks.
The length of your blog post can actually make a difference to how many backlinks you get on average. After analyzing over 900 million blog posts, Backlink.io found that posts between 3,000 to 10,000 words get the most referring domains on average.
This truly demonstrates why creating great content is important.
If you write in-depth, authoritative content for your niche, other bloggers are more likely to link to it. Over time, this is how your content ranks higher on Google, leaving you with more traffic and an authoritative brand.
Related: What is the Perfect Article Length?
6. Stands Out from the Crowd
According to Worldometer, approximately 5 million blog posts get published every single day. That’s a ton of content.
The reality is that most blog posts get almost no attention. This is the nature of blogging, and getting traffic from search engines and social media becomes more competitive every day.
If you don’t have a massive marketing budget to pay for ads, backlinks, and press mentions, writing good content is all you have. But this is enough.
With content marketing and writing the best blog posts in your niche, you can grow your organic traffic and find success on social media. In fact, good content is the only way to stand out from the noise.
So, even if writing great content takes a few extra hours, the effort is worth it if that post actually ranks and gets traffic versus a shoddier post that never gets read.
The Hit Publish Course
Writing amazing blog posts is easier said than done. For some, it comes naturally, but for a lot of people (like me!) it takes a long time to learn.
I've been creating blog content for almost 16 years — 7 of which as a full-time editor. I can conservatively say I've edited over 4,000 articles. I've seen it all… and I've given a ton of feedback to writers over the years.
I took all the knowledge and skills I've learned over the years and created a course on how to create the best content on the internet. You can do what I did — spend 10 years figuring out how to write amazing blog posts — or you can learn it in a weekend with the Hit Publish course.
With the Hit Publish course you will:
- Discover how to write high-quality articles that drive traffic
- Learn how to prep your articles so that you can write them faster than ever before
- Avoid common mistakes when writing blog posts
- Finally understand what you're looking for in a keyword and how to identify a good one.
- Learn how to write specific types of articles like review posts, list posts, and interviews.
- Get all the free tools and checklists you need to optimize your articles for Google and professionally edit your articles
Learn more about the course here.
Summary
There are a lot of moving parts to running a blog. Handling the tech, design, and content marketing efforts for your blog could be a full-time job.
But at the end of the day, it’s writing good content on a consistent basis that gets your blog noticed. As long as you learn some SEO basics, write valuable content, and stick with the process, you can find blogging success and even turn your blog into a business.
