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Good Content Versus Fast Content

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Good Content

It can be a tough world for those starting out with blogging or content writing. The conventional wisdom is that you need to write new content regularly both for SEO benefit and to keep users engaged. For those that follow this advice, this means that the content you write is put together relatively quickly. This is not an effective content strategy.

[box type=”gray”]Engaging your users is important. Drawing SEO benefit from the content you write is important. Sacrificing quality to write regular content is detrimental to both your users and your SEO efforts.[/box]

The key to both engaging new users and retaining existing users is writing compelling content. It doesn’t matter if you are writing several new articles a week if nobody wants to read them. One article that you pour your heart and soul into is going to be far more engaging than 4 lackluster articles that you could’ve produced in the same amount of time.

Moreover, the biggest component of effective SEO is link building. If you are writing content to build links, you want that content to be damn good. As with the above example, writing 20 average articles in a week isn’t going to draw anybody’s attention, as the articles are going to be no more than filler. Spend a week writing 1 article about something you both know a lot about and care about, and your potential for both links and engaging new users is much, much higher.

Assume a hypothetical scale where 1 is the worst possible piece of content you can imagine and 100 is an absolutely awesome piece of content. Intuitively, I would assume that somebody writing 20 articles in a week would average around 30 on this scale for each of those articles. For somebody spending a lot of time writing only 1 article, the scale position would more likely be at the 60-70 mark. Articles with a scale rating of 30 get few/no links, and perform similarly in user acquisition and retention. Articles with a scale rating of 60 or 70 are going to be gaining both links and interested users.

Producing something irreplicable and unique

The point I’m trying to make is that there is currently too much focus on pumping out content irrespective of its quality. Think about how awesome your content can be if you meticulously put in hours of work over the course of a week finding cool information, creating amazing graphics and tables, and just generally producing something irreplicable and unique.

Put effort into your content. Write better, even if it means writing less. You will get better results, and you’ll likely enjoy the creation process a great deal more.

About

I'm a 21 yr old entrepreneur from Brisbane, Australia. I'm deeply interested in marketing and social entrepreneurship, and I'm currently running a Brisbane driving school. We provide the best driving lessons Brisbane has to offer.

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{ 15 Responses }

  1. Sentry says:
    Writing content damn good. Easy to say it! :))))
  2. George says:
    It's true. The quality of content is directly proportional to the amount of time and pain that have gone into its making.
    • Matt Williams says:
      Pain definitely George! Passion too, you want a 'definitive guide' over a '10 tips post'.
  3. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Matt, I've learned that intelligent content creation counts most. I churn out my posts quickly but I always think them through. I say to myself "Is this post an effective tool to reach my target market with?", before hitting the publish button. Write from your heart, but remember who you're writing for. Keeping SEO in mind makes a world of difference when it comes to driving passive traffic to your blog. Thanks for sharing your insight with us Matt. Ryan
    • Matt Williams says:
      Hi Ryan, I think a great strategy can be to plan both quality quick content and quality heavy content that you put a lot more effort into - the quick content is great for capturing passive traffic through those articles ranking, and the heavy content is a great way of showcasing your authority on a given topic.
  4. Murray Lunn says:
    I've always stressed this exact line of thinking. I try to tell people to write each post as if they were creating a product for their community. Create something so thorough and lengthy that it immediately blows people away because they've always come to expect bloggers to write very short-form. It takes a lot of work to create one massive post but it's definitely worth it.
    • Matt Williams says:
      Hi Murray, massive is a great start, but I believe the true winners are condensed such that they aren't too intimidating and convey the post's purpose without too much fluff. Blending text, infographics and video/slides is a great way to appeal to different learners/readers while conveying complex topics without too much bulk. Thanks for the comment.
  5. Marya says:
    Hi Matt (from Mebourne, we are having a sunny day today for once. yipee) I agree, producing quality content is essential, if one hopes to get any result from writing at all. The most overrated piece of advice that is regularly doled out to newcomers: to write as often as you can. Daily even - I'd die of pressure alone. That putting something out is more important than anything you can do. Anyone who offers this advice should be banned form ever giving out any kind of advice. :)
    • Matt Williams says:
      Hi Marya, great to hear from someone from Australia! Looking at your blog, I see you stick to 2 posts per week, which I think is a great strategy. A skill I'm really looking to develop at present is infographic design - infographics are both great for conveying information in an easy-to-digest fashion and for link building (if you're into SEO like myself) and I think it's something bloggers should look into. Thanks for the reply! Matt
  6. Adam says:
    Hi Matt, You do a good job laying out the case for quality very quantity. I think it is a definite balancing act. You do need regular content; I have certainly seen that in my own traffic. However, it has to be at a pace where you can generate quality that generates engagement, and, to your point, links. Good reminder, thanks!
    • Matt Williams says:
      Hey Adam, thanks for the kind reply. My opinion is that regular content has traffic building effects through SEO and quality content has community building effects through engaging users and encouraging them to tell others how awesome it is. Thanks mate, Matt
  7. AIDY says:
    Excellent article. Too often websites believe that they have to crank out articles on a daily basis to be considered successful. Great content takes time. I rather publish an article or two per week--that is content rich and informative, than too many quick and short articles that are not informative. Quality vs. Quantity will always remain strange bedfellows.
    • Matt Williams says:
      That last sentence is a great way of summing up the situation. I personally feel that the divide between quality and quantity is increasing, and it's becoming harder and harder to earn somebodies attention without giving them quality.
  8. Samantha Box says:
    Makes sense if you can't keep up to just slow down, but not too much or it will be tough to build a following if you're not consistent. Thanks!
    • Matt Williams says:
      That's alright Samantha, thank you for your reply.