With the recent change in the way Google calculates SERP’s, EzineArticles has taken a slight hit in overall rankings, which has some article marketers going overboard in a panic.
While it might be true that EzineArticles aren’t the same as they once were, that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful in some form. Smart marketers know that Google is always changing, and when dealing with changes in the search engines, it is much better to avoid drastic changes than to freak out and drown in a sea of doubt.
Smart marketers also know how to track metrics so that they can measure each part of their conversion funnel, and in doing this, they can learn the true value of a website like EzineArticles.com.
The reason that EzineArticles has dropped in status is not because they did anything wrong, but because the lazy marketers ruined it. You can be sure that EzineArticles isn’t going to go away simply because of a new SERP algorithm change.
Instead, they are going to tighten up and enforce stronger guidelines, which means that you, as a smart marketer, can make some major gains in the marketplace by doing a few things well.
Quality, Quality, Quality
Content farms are labeled content farms because they lack value, and it’s likely that many of the sloppy content writers are going to get canned because they simply can’t provide value in any form.
You on the other hand, understand the importance of quality content and know that quality content not only ranks better but converts better.
What is Quality Content?
In my opinion, quality content boils down to 3 things.
1. Relevance – If your content isn’t laser sharp and focused around a specific question, concern, or problem, then it’s probably too general to help your reader, and if you can’t help the reader, than your content is useless.
2. Timeliness – If your content contains information that’s dated or that no longer works, then you are not only failing to help, but you are confusing people.
3. Specificity – Your content should provide clear guidance and should enable the reader to take immediate action. If it does not and you are only offering “food for thought,” then it will likely be forgotten the second they move to the next page. Worse yet, they won’t even read it.
Why Quality Matters
If you write relevant, timely, and specific content, then you’ll do a few things:
1. You’ll solve problems, and if you solve problems, you are doing exactly what Google and EzineArticles want to do – help people.
2. You’ll have content that makes sense, which means more people will link to it, and more people will comment, bookmark, and share it.
3. You’ll look like an all-star compared to the scores of spammy article marketers that were once given free reign, which means you’ll get noticed, and in all likelihood, pushed to the top of both Google and Ezine results.
Lead the Way
In closing, a great article stands out among its peers and diminishes the need for keyword stuffing. Instead, lead your readers on a journey from problem/question, to solution, where they’ll need to click through your resource box to do so.
It’s simple, but somehow people lost the way. Quality = $.
What do you think? Are you nervous about the new Google results? Are you changing anything? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.