A question I’ve heard a lot of times is “Do I need a blog for SEO?” And the answer is…not exactly. You don’t necessarily need a blog for SEO (search engine optimization), however, you do need content if you want to rank higher in Google search results for keywords related to your brand, product, or service. In my opinion, the term ‘blog’ can be a bit limiting and off-putting for some businesses.

That’s why I offer content services because I do more than just blog posts. Think about it this way — all blog posts are content but not all content is blog posts. Let’s take a closer look at why you should focus on creating quality content for SEO rather than solely doing blog posts.

You Need Content for SEO

Content is important for SEO because it’s what search engines, like Google and Bing, show in search results when users enter a query like “What are the best women’s running shoes?” or “How do I remodel my kitchen?” It doesn’t matter so much if you have a blog on your website, what you need is content that satisfies the user’s search intent.

There are many types of content beyond blog posts, for example:

You certainly don’t need to create all these types of content to improve SEO. In fact, you’ll see better results when you focus on a handful of types and produce quality content than spread yourself thin and create crappy content.

Satisfying the User’s Search Intent

People use search engines for a variety of reasons — to get information, learn something, or be entertained. It’s crucial that your content meets your target audience’s search intent to boost your site’s SEO. While technical on-page optimization is important, you won’t be able to optimize your way out of content that doesn’t provide value to your audience. Google is all about giving the best user experience (UX) possible and if your content doesn’t cut it, then your site’s organic search rankings are going to struggle.

Content Quality is More Important than Ever

Google’s core update in May 2020 placed an even greater focus on content quality. But what is considered “quality” content? To make it easier for content creators, Google recommends following the ‘E-A-T’ principle which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Some ways to do this are to use statistics and facts to back up your claims, link to reputable sites, and have backlinks (i.e. links from other sites that point to yours) from authoritative sites.

E-A-T is outlined in more detail in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, but here are immediate actions you can take to enhance your content’s quality:

In addition to E-A-T, freshness can be an indicator of content quality, depending on the topic. For example, freshness is important for time-sensitive events and information like breaking news, concert dates, elections, etc.

When In Doubt, Start with Evergreen Content

Creating content can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start. I recommend beginning with ‘evergreen content’ because it will always be relevant and won’t go out of date. When creating evergreen content, select topics that will carry the same value over time so it’ll be able to attract organic traffic at the same rate (or even a higher rate) from when it was first published.

Updating Old Content Has SEO Benefits

Already have some content? Great! When was the last time you’ve updated it? Old content can lose effectiveness over time which is why ‘historical optimization’ is key for keeping content fresh and up-to-date. Most content isn’t something that you can “set and forget.” It must be maintained to continuously reap its SEO and branding benefits.

What’s considered “old” content varies — it can be several months or several years. Here are some ways to determine if your content needs refreshing:

Updating content, however, takes time so it’s important to be strategic with the content you update so you don’t waste resources on content that will produce a low ROI regardless of what you do. Start with old content that used to rank high in search results or generate a lot of engagement, but has been declining.

Boost SEO with E-A-T Content

While you don’t need a blog for SEO, you do need quality content to rank higher in organic search results. Content is a big deal for SEO because it’s what Google displays when users enter a query with keywords related to your brand, product, or service. Look for ways to show that your content is E-A-T (expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) to search engines. Not only will this improve your site’s rankings, but it’ll also enhance perceptions of your brand.

As always, feel free to contact me to boost your website’s rankings with an SEO content strategy.