How the Bar is Higher Than Ever for Website Content
Dylan Welsh
If you don’t make it through this full article, here’s what to take away: approach ChatGPT for content writing with caution.
Google’s algorithm has been honed and trained continuously to a state that looks nothing like it did over ten years ago. The ramifications for website owners and SEOs across the planet are still setting in and having a lot of people scratching their heads. Old tactics are out; the Google-shaped bar for content quality is higher than ever. Here’s what it all means for you if you run a website.
Now, as an agency, we’ve always advocated for writing content that is human-centric, not overly optimised and stuffed to the brim with keywords. But that rule is now as vital as ever, with the rise of openly accessible AI tools – ChatGPT being but one. We thought we’d give you some actionable pointers in the right direction, to avoid your website being tanked by Google.
It’s tempting to jump on ChatGPT and generate screeds of text to build out your site with scores of new pages. We’ve seen firsthand, though, that whole websites are being burned by this approach and relegated out of top Google spots. So, what is a better approach to writing content that’s genuinely ‘helpful’ to users and will be rewarded with higher rankings?
How to Endure in the New SEO Era
It’s time to focus less on tricks and more on quality. That doesn’t mean throwing the best SEO practices out the window, but finding a balance in using them effectively.
Meta-Tags – Short & Sweet
Your meta title is what users see first in search results, so make a good first impression. It should be punchy, relevant, and include your primary keyword. Keep it under 60 characters to avoid being chopped off. The meta description? It’s your chance to persuade a user to click, so make it enticing with a Call-To-Action like ‘Learn more here.’ Stick to 160 characters or less.
H1-Headers
People should land on your page and instantly know what’s going on. Your H1 header is how to do that. The page’s main title should include the same main keyword from the meta. In fact, if you’ve got countless pages to deal with, a good tip is to just make each page’s H1 the same as the meta title, since you’ve already spent time prepping that.
Say What You Need to Say, Then Optimise
One mistake people still make is optimising before writing. Flip this on its head. Instead, just write. Pour your thoughts onto a page, reflecting your own voice and the experience you have in your field. Afterwards, add in keywords naturally, clean up the structure, and make it easy to read.
Steer Clear of Keyword Abuse – It’s 2024, Not 2010
Stuffing keywords into every sentence is a no-go. Google’s smarter than that. Use your primary keyword sparingly in important places like the meta title and H1 and maybe once or twice throughout the body. Otherwise, chill… Google bots can keep up.
Internal Linking – Create Connections
Google loves a well-connected site. Make sure you’re linking to other relevant pages on your website to help users (and Google) find their way around. This not only helps with rankings but also keeps people on your site longer.
Final thoughts: We’re not saying avoid ChatGPT altogether. Use it to generate the bare bones of content. Enhance and humanise this first-draft with your own perspective and expertise. Run your content through undetectable.ai and quillbot.com before publishing it. If these tools can notice AI-text, so can Google, and it won’t be in your favour.
