To rank on Google, content must be useful. But what does useful content mean? According to Google, useful means helpful. They use the word helpful 122 times in the Search Evaluator’s Guidelines. Here’s how to make sure your content is useful and helpful.
A helpful article Answers the question.
When creating content, the writer should think about what people are searching for and answer those questions. If this is done helpfully, the article will be much more successful.
Helpful might include current-day examples, a video, case studies, screenshots, or other visual aids for the readers.
Jamal Ballouk created a Medium story about how to get more followers without begging. His story is helpful because it answers the question: “How to get more followers.”
His article included a personal story and a specific list of how to achieve the goal.
This is useful.
A helpful article is accurate.
The best way to maintain accuracy in content is for the writer to go back and verify the information. If the audience can’t depend on the content for accuracy, they will quickly tune out. I see writers making one mistake using AI tools like Jasper without fact-checking.
Most AI writing assistants can add content, but their facts are purely placeholders and are entirely inaccurate.
Rick Govic published an article on Medium listing nine publications needing writers and paying $300 to $750 per story.
Rick had to focus on accuracy in an article like this, or he’d lose his trusted followers quickly.
He included the rate per article, the publication, and even where to send your pitch with each suggestion.
That’s helpful.
A helpful article is up-to-date.
An article must be updated with the most current information to be helpful. As soon as new information arises, the writer should update the article and provide that information to the audience.
One way to keep content fresh is to use Twitter lists. Lists are a great way to monitor who’s talking about a particular topic. Often, the influencers in the field will tweet out new articles that you can share with your followers.
Casey Botticello published a story on Medium about creating a personal brand in 2021.
It’s up-to-date, relevant to its readers, and offers resources. In addition, he includes visuals, links, and resources.
That’s Helpful.
A helpful article is easy to follow.
One of the most significant issues with many articles is that they are not easy to follow. It could be true due to a lack of organization, challenging vocabulary, or complex sentence structures.
When writing content, it is vital to make sure that it is easy to read and follow.
Christopher Kokoski published a story about what he learned from his most liked comment on Youtube.
I found his article on the “best” list of the year in the writing category (tag) on Medium.
[Hint: I included the previous sentence with a link so the reader can find the best articles on Medium for the Writing tag because it’s helpful].
His article we well thought out, easy to follow, and gave insight that could help a reader.
That’s Helpful.
A helpful article is well-written.
The writing is clear, concise, and error-free. In addition, the use of strong verbs, adjectives, and adverbs can help make an article more helpful.
My sister Wendi Lord is one of my favorite writers. I may be biased, but her fans share my opinion.
In this article, Wendi lists seven crystals that attract wealth and abundance.
Her article is error-free, well-written, and straightforward.
I happen to know that she uses Grammarly to check for spelling and grammatical errors.
That’s Useful.
A helpful article includes images or videos.
When appropriate, helpful articles include images or videos that will help explain the concept more visually.
This can be especially helpful for readers who cannot read the words on the page.
There was a time when I was looking for a way to make boiled eggs that were easier to peel. Unfortunately, I hadn’t realized a formula for creating the perfect boiled egg that was also easy to peel.
Simply Recipes did a great job with their article that includes video, images, and a written step-by-step tutorial.
That’s useful.
A helpful article is formatted correctly.
The formatting of an article includes headings and subheadings, the use of lists, and proper paragraph spacing. These things help keep a reader’s attention and understand the content better.
Dew Langrial broke down Medium publication Illumuniation’s curation guidelines in her article.
Not only was her article correctly formatted, but she included formatting requirements for Illuminations which included items such as:
- Formatting for mobile
- Creating easy to read paragraphs in the body
- Using subheadings
That’s helpful.
A helpful article is designed for various types of readers.
To be most effective, a writer needs to know their audience and how they best learn new information. An article might be helpful to one person, but not so much to another.
I chose a video and article I did on a case study in this example. In the case study, I tested an AI writing tool called Jasper to see if it could rank on Google. Once I achieved the goal of getting an AI-assisted written article to rank on Google, I made the video and wrote the paper.
It explained the goal, how the goal was achieved, and details about how I used the tool specifically to achieve the goal. It also linked to resources to a trial of the tool, plus another step-by-step tutorial video.
The video has done well on my channel, along with the article on my blog, and this is how I know that it was helpful.
A helpful article is sourced correctly.
When providing information in an article, it is essential to include the source of that information. Sourcing allows the reader to verify the information and makes them more likely to trust the content.
Rachel Yerks published a story on Medium about formatting changes every writer should make to their story.
She starts with a sourced statistic and then gives four clear and concise steps to achieve the goal.
That’s Helpful.
A helpful article is original.
Lastly, an article needs to be unique to be truly helpful. If the writer rehashes information that can already be found on another site, it isn’t worth reading or sharing.
Instead, an article should always add something new and worthwhile for the audience to read.
Article spinners are not helpful. Useful content shares a unique point of view, entertains, provokes thought, or includes personal experience.
Natasha Nichole Lake published an article about quitting her job and moving across the country. She provides her unique perspective and experience and then shares the questions she had to ask herself that set her free.
Readers may find her article inspirational, informational, and insightful.
That’s Helpful.
Final thoughts
Useful content is helpful. That means that it is organized, easy to read and follow, well-written, includes appropriate visuals when necessary, properly formatted, contains sources, is up-to-date, accurate, is designed for the right audience, and is original.
I took a look at my Las Vegas Real Estate Blog to see what my #1 traffic earning page was, and it’s a helpful blog about finding Las Vegas Zip Codes.
And my top story on Medium is 25 Little Known Ways to Get More Views, which helps Medium writers create better headlines that can generate more views on their stories.
Now you know how to write useful content! Let me know if you found this article helpful.
Sources:
- Google Quality Search Evaluators Guidelines: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf
- Dictionary.com: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/helpful
