“To succeed in SEO, you need high-quality content.”
This is a phrase often heard, but many may wonder what exactly “high-quality content” refers to.
As search engine (Google) capabilities have improved, the importance of “content quality” in SEO has increased significantly.
As of 2021, it is often concluded that “the reason a site isn’t ranking higher is due to poor content quality. Let’s create high-quality content!”
However, the term “high-quality content” is quite vague.
This article explores what “high-quality content” means in the context of SEO, based on Google’s documentation.
- What is content in the first place?
- Why is “high-quality content” required in SEO?
- What does Google define as “high-quality content”?
- Definitions of “high-quality content” by experts and authoritative sites
- SEO writing tips for creating “high-quality content”
By reading this article, you should gain valuable insights into creating high-quality content.
If you’re looking to improve your site’s rankings, this will be a helpful reference.
Table of contents
What is Content in the First Place?
When hearing the term “content,” many people may imagine “articles.”
However, the scope of “content” is much broader than that.
The word “content” essentially means “substance” or “what’s inside.”
Outside the context of SEO, Twitter posts, YouTube videos, manga, and music are all examples of content.
In SEO, everything displayed on a web page can be considered “content.”
According to Google, web page content can be categorized into three types:
- Main Content (MC)
The core content of a page.
Examples include text, images, videos, calculator functions, games, and user-generated reviews.
The quality of the main content greatly impacts the page’s evaluation.
- Supplementary Content (SC)
Content that enhances the user experience.
Examples include navigation links (links that help users navigate to other pages on the site).
- Ads and Monetization (Ads)
Content aimed at monetizing the page.
However, the presence of ads does not directly affect the evaluation of the page.
Reference: Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (General Guidelines) – Page 10
In other words, Google views not just the main content, such as text and images, but also links and ads on the page as “content.”
In the next section, we’ll discuss why “high-quality content” is essential.
Why is “High-Quality Content” Required in SEO?
Google prioritizes creating a search engine that is useful for its users.
This focus on users ensures that many people continue to use Google.
“If I search for something but can’t find the answer to my question,”
“If search results are filled with unreliable or unhelpful information,”
No one would want to use a search engine that only recommends “low-quality content.”
Google exists as a “Q&A system” that answers users’ questions.
By providing “high-quality content,” user queries can be resolved, satisfaction can be achieved, and ultimately, Google’s profits can increase.
That’s why Google upholds a user-first philosophy and continuously improves its algorithms to display high-quality content at the top of search results.
Recently, Google’s quality standards have become more stringent, and there are increasing cases where new pages are not indexed.
Reference: Overseas SEO Blog – Is Google’s Indexing Threshold Higher Than Before?
In other words, without high-quality content, not only will it be difficult to rank high, but the page may not even get indexed, preventing site traffic from search engines.
So, what kind of content does Google consider “high-quality”?
This will be explained in the next section.
What Does Google Define as “High-Quality Content”?
In SEO, it’s crucial to understand what kind of content Google evaluates as “high-quality.”
However, Google does not provide a clear definition of “high-quality content.”
In this section, we’ll explore the characteristics of “high-quality content” based on Google employees’ statements and documentation.
- 1. Insights from John Mueller
- 2. Descriptions in the SEO Starter Guide
- 3. Descriptions in the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
- 4. Guidance on “Building High-Quality Sites”
1. John Mueller’s Perspective
Let’s begin with a statement from Google’s John Mueller.
During a Webmaster Office Hours session on October 22, 2021, John Mueller addressed the topic of content quality with the following explanation:
And the other thing I just want to mention while I’m here is that when it comes to the quality of the content, we don’t mean like just the text of your articles.
It’s really the quality of your overall website.
And that includes everything from the layout, to the design, like how you have things presented on your pages, how you integrate images, how you work with speed, all of those factors, they kind of come into play there.
So it’s not the case that we would look at just purely the text of the article and ignore everything else around it and say, oh, this is high quality text.
We really want to look at the website overall.
Source: YouTube – English Google SEO office-hours from October 22, 2021
As this statement suggests, simply writing valuable information for users is not enough for Google to recognize your content as “high quality.”
You need to ensure all elements of your website that users interact with are well-organized.
For example, when creating articles, it’s essential to focus not only on the content and logic but also on making it visually comprehensible.
Additionally, the layout and loading speed must allow users to access information quickly.
If users experience multiple stress points, your site will be farther from being considered “high quality content.”
2. SEO Starter Guide Recommendations
The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide is a resource summarizing Google’s recommendations for optimizing websites.
The guide introduces the following seven methods for “optimizing content”:
- Create interesting and useful sites
- Understand and provide what readers seek
- Build a trustworthy website
- Clearly establish expertise and authority
- Provide appropriate amounts of content for your topic
- Avoid distracting ads
- Use links effectively
Reference: SEO Starter Guide – Optimizing Content
Each item is accompanied by detailed tips, so it’s recommended to review the guide yourself.
Reading the guide thoroughly reveals the importance of commonly discussed SEO elements:
- Understanding search intent (see “Understand and provide what readers seek”)
- E-A-T (see “Build a trustworthy website” and “Clearly establish expertise and authority”)
- Uniqueness (see “Understand and provide what readers seek”)
For more details on search intent, check out our other article:
What Is Search Intent in SEO? How to Accurately Grasp and Apply It to Content
3. Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
The Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (General Guidelines) are a set of guidelines created by Google to evaluate search quality.
Google hires external raters to assess search results based on these guidelines.
While their evaluations are used solely to improve algorithms and do not directly influence rankings, the guidelines offer valuable insights for creating high-quality sites.
According to the guidelines, Google evaluates search results primarily on two axes:
- Page Quality (PQ) evaluation (assesses page quality)
- Needs Met (NM) evaluation (assesses how well user needs are met)
Pages rated “Highest Quality Pages” under PQ have the following characteristics:
The highest quality pages are created to serve a beneficial purpose and achieve that purpose exceptionally well. [Omitted]
- Very high levels of expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T).
- A very satisfying amount of high or highest-quality main content (MC).
- Extremely positive website reputation for the site responsible for the MC. If different, very positive reputation for the creator of the MC.
Source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (General Guidelines)
*MC stands for Main Content.
Purpose refers to something like “delivering news” for news sites or “providing product information and sales” for e-commerce sites, all intended to serve users effectively.
The following description sheds light on what constitutes high-quality or highest-quality MC (examples provided):
For informational content: Very high-quality MC must be original, accurate, comprehensive, clearly communicated, and professionally presented. It should reflect expert consensus where appropriate. Expectations may vary depending on the type of information. For instance, a scientific paper has different standards than hobby-related information like stamp collecting. However, all types of very high-quality informational content share common attributes of accuracy, comprehensiveness, and clear communication, in addition to meeting standards appropriate to the topic or field.
Source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (General Guidelines)
Meanwhile, pages rated “Fully Meets” under NM have the following characteristic:
All or almost all users on mobile devices would be fully satisfied with the result and would not need to view other results to fulfill their needs.
Source: Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (General Guidelines)
*Translation by our company
Considering both metrics, the conditions for being “high quality” include:
- Being trustworthy and professional (E-A-T)
- Providing enough highly accurate content to satisfy search intent
- Ensuring usability, like website structure and mobile compatibility
If you’re creating content that aims to rank well on Google, it’s crucial to understand these evaluation standards and apply them comprehensively.
4. Description in “Guidance on High-Quality Sites”
Google provided specific details about what constitutes a high-quality site in a 2011 blog post titled “More Guidance on Building High-Quality Sites”.
This blog post serves as a checklist for self-assessing content quality, listing a total of 23 items.
By comparing these items to your own content, you can determine whether it truly qualifies as “high quality.”
For example, here are some of the questions listed (quoted excerpts):
- Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
- Does the article offer a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Would you bookmark this page, share it with a friend, or recommend it to a friend? […]
Source: Google Search Central Blog – More Guidance on Building High-Quality Sites
The questions cover aspects such as content quality and expertise, as well as presentation and overall site standards.
For more details, please check the link above.
SEO Writing Tips for Creating “High-Quality Content”
Having reviewed the definition of “high-quality content,” you might still wonder, “Even if I understand the definition, I don’t know how to create such content.” This is a common concern.
For those facing this issue, start by focusing on the following 15 points when creating content:
- Address search intent
- Provide information users want to know
- Enhance originality
- Improve E-A-T
- Follow the PREP method
- Motivate users with a strong introduction
- Maintain a clean and organized appearance
- Encourage users to take the next action
- Keep sentences simple
- Aim for easy-to-read expressions
- Include keywords in titles
- Convey content clearly in descriptions
- Use H tags for headings
- Add alt attributes to images
- Indicate content with anchor text for links
These are the practices our company follows to create “high-quality content.”
[Summary] Aim for Top Search Rankings by Creating High-Quality Content
Google continuously improves its algorithms to ensure that “high-quality content” ranks at the top of search results.
If you want to increase search traffic in the future, focus on creating high-quality content.
To achieve this, at the very least, pay attention to the following elements:
- Search intent
- E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)
- Originality
However, Google’s definition of “high-quality content” implies that the entire site (or page) must be of high quality.
Prioritize the user experience and create a site that is easy to use and satisfies your audience.
