CAN A MACHINE DETERMINE CONTENT QUALITY? PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN DO IT!

Sometimes metrics deliver mixed signals that can lead to assumptions that are like totally bogus.

Quality content makes Google bots happy, and metrics glow.

Bask in the glow of quality.

BOYCOTT CONTENT SPAM

How Does Google Measure Quality, Any Way?

64% Of Search Engine Users Want to Know

Google owns search engine marketing with 64% of all search traffic, and seems to be solidifying that position by, not only providing directions to content, but by being the content provider as well. Type in the flavor of the week in Google’s query box and up pops links to print content, but now Google offers a “Watch Video” button (where vid-clips are an option, of course) keeping you on Google. No more YouTube. Google finds and provides the content.

But Google doesn’t just want content. It wants good content. (Maybe they should check some of the garbage on YouTube?) Fresh content. Green, informative content that hasn’t appeared already on 100 different sites. Naturally, this hasn’t prevented the sewer rats of the W3 from purchasing software that “generates” (in the broadest sense of the word) content.

There are lots of tools that’ll jiggle your nouns and verbs, and the text looks new to a spider but it’s going to leave a human reader wondering what planet the author came from. Software like spam site generators (create site and content by the long ton), automated text generators (just add words in no particular order) and scrapping tools to spread this hackneyed tripe is the cheap way to go. Ah, but you are wrong, grasshopper.

Content is NOT King

Every SEO and SEM professional will tell you content is king. Not true.

Even these so-called professionals confuse quantity of content to quality. Content generators can crank out pages by the ream but a lot of it is going to be gibberish – at least to human readers. Spiders gobble up letter strings so as long as those strings taste different, you score for the green.

Other site owners buy 100 cheapie articles at a buck a piece, written by an outsource in Bangalore. These articles sound as though they were written by ESL writers and I wouldn’t bet a nickel on authenticity. When you’re getting a buck for the piece, double checking isn’t a high priority.

Google defines quality content as “…link-worthy content which is original, conceptually unique and serves as a useful resource for information.” The Mighty Google continues,”…it refers to the text of your website. Though keywords matter in your page copy, your page should not look like a keyword studded page [designed for] search engine robots. You should write for your site visitors focusing on readability and usefulness.”

Now, that’s what Google says. Right from the company’s own site. But it appears that Google talks a good game, but those Google spiders ain’t so smart.

What is Quality Content?

Even Goog-people are a little vague on this one. Informative? According to whose criteria? Conceptually unique? There hasn’t been a new idea since eBay. Useful resource? How does a search engine evaluate whether the information is useful.?

It can count the number of bounces, but that’s not a measure of usefulness. It can determine if visitors go to other sites in search of other information. Okay, that doesn’t demonstrate that the first site had insufficient and/or unreliable information. The visitor could simply continue his or her search so no judgment calls here.

In fact, the only barometers of content quality that search engines have are social book marking sites and cookies. Without digg.com, no one would ever notice that piece on refraction you worked so hard to produce and upload.

The point is, search engines are limited in determining quality. Quality is 100% subjective so what’s quality to one person is “classy” (said in a Brooklyn accent while chewing gum) to another reader. It’s amazing, if the reader likes the piece, chances are s/he agrees with the opinions or views expressed. Vice-versa, too.

So Does This Mean You Can Ignore Content Quality?

Not quite, genius.

Spiders may not be able to tell the difference between Hemingway and me, but readers sure can and readers have come to expect quality content:

• Content that is accurate. (site your sources and stop making up stuff).
• Content that does NOT sell; it informs and teaches.
• Content that is written for the reading and skill levels of the ideal visitors.
• Content that isn’t simply a cut and paste job. Inject some of you into what you write. It makes it more…personal.
• Short and sweet. If I wanted to read a book I wouldn’t be sitting at this computer.

Forget the spam generators, the robo-writers and the dollar an article guys, NOT to appease the search engine gods but to keep your visitors on-site longer. Oh, and it’d be real swell if they book marked your site, too.

Now, they’re regulars and it’s all because your wrote it. Straight up and from the heart. Now that’s something Google won’t tell you, but it will grow your revenues. The fact is, people are surprised to find good content on the web (there’s so little of it) that when they do, they bookmark the site and keep coming back…

…exactly what you want them to do.

If you're building your first web site, or simply contemplating the possibilities, drop me line and welcome to the jungle. We're all trying to manipulate the machine.

Webwordslinger.com