How to Create Content That Google Will Love

Creating content that ranks high on Google is the holy grail of digital marketing. But with constant algorithm updates, AI-generated content flooding the web and increasing competition, how can you ensure your content stands out from the crowd – not just for your audience, but for Google, too? The key is striking a balance between search engine optimisation (SEO) and genuine value for users. Here’s a comprehensive guide to creating content that Google will love and reward:

Start with the right keyword strategy

Google’s love language is relevance. That starts with targeting the right keyword terms your audience is actually searching for, with clear intent behind them. Here are some simple tips for developing the right keyword strategy from the outset:

• Use keyword research tools – Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Ubersuggest or AnswerThePublic are great tools to get your teeth into to come up with the right keyword strategy
• Focus on long-tail keywords – these are more specific and often less competitive 
• March search intent – know if the searcher wants to learn, buy, compare or navigate, and then tailor your content accordingly to meet those demands

Create content around “E-E-A-T” principles

E-E-A-T stands for: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. This is Google’s framework for assessing the quality of the content you’re producing. Here are some tips on how to build E-E-A-T effectively:

• Showcase real experience – add first-hand insights, case studies or product use example
• Cite sources and experts – link to credible data and consider quoting experts or having professionals author your content
• Build a trustworthy site – use HTTPS, have an ‘about’ page, contact information and clear privacy policies

Write for humans & optimise for search

Yes, SEO matters. But writing just for the algorithm won’t win hearts or long-term rankings. Your content must first serve the user. Here are some of the best practices for writing for humans and optimising for search:

• Use a clear, engaging tone – avoid fluff, jargon and robotic language
• Structure with H1, H2s and H3s – this makes content more scannable and easier for Google to understand
• Answer questions clearly – especially those that might land you in featured snippets (like direct, concise answers to FAQs)

Create comprehensive, in-depth content

Google favours complete answers. Thin content that lacks depth and information won’t rank against authoritative pages. With this in mind, here are some tips for creating comprehensive, in-depth content that Google will actually want to have appearing in its search engine results pages (SERPs)

• Cover the topic fully – address related subtopics, synonyms and common questions
• Use semantic SEO – tools like Surfer SEO or Clearscope can help identify LSI (latent Semantic Indexing) keywords to include
• Use visuals – charts, infographics, screenshots and videos improve engagement and time-on-page

Optimise metadata & on-page SEO

Behind-the-scenes elements still play a vital role in how Google interprets your content. Here are some of the essentials that you need to know in order to effectively optimise metadata and on-page SEO:

• Title tag – keep it under 60 characters, include the target keyword and make it compelling
• Meta description – summarise your content in 155-160 characters. Use action words and include a CTA also
• URL structure – keep it short, readable and include the keyword

Improve page speed & mobile usability

Google uses Core Web Vitals and mobile-first indexing as ranking factors. No matter how great your content is, if your site loads slowly or isn’t mobile-friendly, you’ll lose rankings. Here are some of the tools you can use to improve page speed and mobile usability:

• PageSpeed Insights – to test and improve loading performance
• Mobile-friendly test – to ensure usability on all devices
• Compress images and minimise scripts – these are easy wins for faster performance

Use internal linking strategically

Internal links help Google crawl your site and understand content relationships. They also keep users engaged for longer. Here are some tips for using internal linking as strategically as possible for maximum reward and results:

• Link related content – use contextual anchor text that naturally fits into your copy
• Add links to cornerstone content – guide users (and Google) to your most valuable pages
• Avoid keyword stuffing – use natural language, not forced repetitions

Update & refresh content regularly 

Even evergreen content can go stale eventually. Google prefers fresh, accurate and relevant information to appear in its SERPs. Here’s a content maintenance checklist that you can use in order to update and refresh content regularly:

• Update statistics and links – broken or outdated references hurt credibility
• Reoptimise for new keywords – SEO trends shift – keep your content aligned
• Republish with a fresh date – when substantial updates are made, republish and share

Encourage engagement & shareability

User interaction signals, like time on page, bounce rate and shares, can indirectly influence rankings. You can boost interaction in order to encourage engagement and shareability by doing the following things:

• Adding clear CTAs – invite users to comments, share or take the next step in their consumer journey
• Including interactive elements – quizzes, polls or clickable tabs should be present for visitors to click on for some added interest
• Using social share buttons – Make it easy to amplify your content

Earn quality backlinks 

Backlinks are one of the strongest indicators of trust and authority in Google’s eyes. This makes attracting them incredibly important and valuable. With this in mind, here’s how you can attract quality backlinks:

• Create inkable assets – ultimate guides, infographics and original research
• Reach out for guest posting – offer value to other sites within the same niche
• Promote your content – don’t “post and ghost”. Share your content across the relevant channels, including social media

At Kumo, we deliver tailored digital marketing solutions to businesses across the UK. Based in the heart of Nottingham, our experienced team specialises in SEO, PPC, content creation and website design – each service designed to strengthen your brand and help you stand out. Interested in finding out more? Contact our approachable and professional team – we’re ready to support your success.