Quality content key to long-term website optimisation

Prioritising users, rather than algorithms, is the best approach to sustained website optimisation, according to one search expert.

Yes, keywords can effectively act as bait, reeling in users and attracting them to your website, but the real ‘hook’ will always be quality content. So said founder of Audette Media and SEO veteran Adam Audette writing for Search Engine Land, adding that investing in quality is the best way to yield long-term results.

While there is certainly a case for paying attention to algorithms and the number of hits a website gets, Audette asserted that it is vital to focus on what visitors to an online portal actually want.

As SEO matures, a number of elements now influence how a site is scored – including but not limited to information architecture, user experience and web design.

The essence of Audette’s advice – to build your SEO strategy around your users – echoes a recent Econsultancy blog, advising that content written with SEO in mind must be consistently “interesting”, “useful” and “informative”.

Thinking beyond Google (or any search engine), effective SEO should have a subtle but important effect on how the site ‘feels’ to a user. A credible, high-quality site will not only attract one-off users, but ultimately have a long-term influence on site rankings.