“Content is King” is a frequently used quote in online marketing. What’s it all about? Where does it come from? And why is it so important for content marketing and SEO?
The statement “Content is king” expresses that high-quality content and valuable content are decisive for the success of a website on the Internet. Especially in the area of content marketing as well as in the area of search engine optimization (SEO), this is a frequently used quote to underline the importance of good content.
The term “content” refers to a variety of formats. Basically, content in online marketing means any form of text, image, audio, and video data on the World Wide Web that has certain information content.
What many do not know: The quote “Content is king” comes from Microsoft founder Bill Gates. in one of his essays from 1996. The statement is their Content use even at this point in time he predicted that high-quality content would gain increasing importance on the Internet in the future. More precisely, in his essay, he addressed the future importance of the Internet as a “marketplace for ideas, experiences, products” and, last but not least, for content.
He even went so far and put it as follows:
“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”
“Content Is King” In The SEO Context
But what does the quote “Content is king” have to do with search engine optimization (SEO) as we know it today?
Search engines like Google are always interested in providing the searcher with the best possible search result. In other words: Google wants to satisfy the user’s questions and needs as best as possible. However, the Internet company Google can only do this with an algorithm that can distinguish good and high-quality content from inferior and bad content.
Since the Google Core Update called “Panda” in 2011, the search engine has focused on content with added value. With the update, the internet company stipulated (to put it simply) that meaningless content without added value receives a poorer ranking. Conversely, websites with good content and high-quality specialist content are rewarded for their efforts. Other updates such as Penguin and Hummingbird also resulted in better ratings for high-quality content.
In recent years, Google has repeatedly emphasized the importance of high-quality content. For example, Google itself stated that a website with relevant content but poor on-page optimization (e.g. slow loading time, poor core web vitals) will always have a better ranking compared to websites with poor content but better on-page optimization. It is therefore clear that relevant content that provides the user with added value and adequately answers their question is a core element of search engine optimization and is rewarded by Google. Anyone who publishes inferior content on their website should therefore not expect excellent rankings. Or even worse: Anyone who copies content (duplicate content) can be penalized by Google. The meaning of “content is king” is, therefore, greater than ever, especially in the area of SEO.
The problem: content and especially texts are still neglected in some companies. While in one company the intern compiles specialist content on various topics, in other companies text content is bought cheaply and enriched with a large number of keywords. Outdated methods such as keyword stuffing or spam text have been useless and certainly not sustainable since the updates mentioned above. The focus is on the semantics of the content, texts that are well structured, and the focus is always on the user. To achieve a good ranking in search engines, increasing the quality of the content is therefore essential. “Content is king” therefore also means content quality over quantity. For example, a well-prepared, unique blog article is many times more effective than ten articles written on average.
Despite its great importance, it is, conversely, naive to assume that content is the only important ranking factor. Although unique content represents the core of search engine optimization to a certain extent, the large number of on-page and off-page factors must not be neglected.
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“Content Is King” In Content Marketing
Similar to search engine optimization, content marketing focuses on content and thus on the user. Content marketing and SEO are very close, as every type of content is published online these days and should therefore be optimized accordingly. Conversely, search engine optimization also requires content, which is usually published in text form.
Content marketing, like so-called inbound marketing, aims to win customers over without intrusive or aggressive advertising and to convince them with specialist content. The necessity of content marketing is justified in particular by the overstimulation and the associated advertising blindness of many users. While other marketing channels, such as paid advertisements, deliberately “disturb” the user in their work (push marketing), content marketing picks up the user with his concerns and grants him a stimulus-free zone (pull marketing). Especially due to the occurrence of the content marketing hype, the statement “Content is king” has again been given increased importance.
As a company, it can be worthwhile to provide its target group with its knowledge and know-how free of charge. With free high-quality content, you can achieve the following goals, among others:
Goals And Benefits Of Content Marketing:
- You will be perceived as an expert in your field because of your content.
- Your company or personal brand is imprinted in the minds of your target group. You thus strengthen your branding.
- Your organic reach in the respective channel (blog, Youtube, LinkedIn, etc.) increases. For example, you get more traffic from your blog.
- You will receive qualified customer inquiries and leads who will be happy to buy from you based on your reputation and authority.
- Your ranking in search engines increases if the content is used correctly, for example in your blog or on your website.
Summary:
“Content is King” is much more than a proven statement by Bill Gates. The importance of the uniqueness and quality of content that is published online now and in the future is increasing every day. Bad and inferior content does not bring the user any added value and will therefore achieve success both in terms of content marketing and certainly not in search engines such as Google. Those who value user-oriented content, on the other hand, score points with both users and search engines and, conversely, achieve a good ranking. No matter what form of content is meant, the quality determines success and failure.
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