How to create high-quality content on your website and increase your chances of ranking on Google

Thin content on a website can be penalized in search results, just like duplicate content. A site that lacks meaningful text and sufficient text length will not be rewarded by Google or rise to the top of the search results. Google likes text and good content, as it makes it easier for Googlebot to understand your site and rank it based on the quality of the information.

We promise that no matter which SEO expert you speak to who truly deserves the title, they will review your site and point out the importance of good, substantial content. But what actually is good so-called “content”? How should you think in order to create the best possible content for your visitors and for Google?

The right amount of text

To begin with, review the pages on your site and count how many words you have on your homepage and main category pages. There is no exact rule for how much text you should have on your pages—it depends on what the pages are about. For an e-commerce site, we would recommend at least 400–500 words on each main category page. If you sell services, you can often write longer texts about everything related to the service and what is important for visitors to know.

Use your keywords

Once you have identified your keywords, you need to use them. They should appear in the page title, meta description, and also within the content itself. When you highlight your keywords, Googlebot understands what the content is about, and if it determines that the content is informative and relevant to those keywords, you will rank higher.

However, be careful with how often you use your keywords. You do not want to be penalized for keyword stuffing. There are no exact guidelines from Google, but a good rule of thumb is not to mention the keyword so often that it feels unnatural. Overusing keywords negatively affects content quality, making the text worse and harder to read.

Structured and correct content

Proofread, proofread, proofread! Google is very good at understanding Swedish—and English. Even if your text is 1,000 words long, the page or the entire site may receive lower rankings if the text contains poor sentence structure, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors.

If you are unsure about your writing skills, ask colleagues, partners, friends, or even strangers online to read and correct your text. Of course, you can also buy copywriting services, but then it is important to be clear in your instructions to writers who may not be familiar with your company or your industry.

Don’t write just to sell

Content that is obviously created solely to sell to the reader is not taken as seriously as text that is written with the intention of teaching the reader something. Avoid stuffing the text with sales pitches or writing a 1,000-word essay about why you are the best. Of course, you should highlight your products or services, but try to maintain a more objective tone.

If you can write texts that explain how a product or service works, include a bit of history (if the product has an interesting background), or provide guides, you have a much better chance of attracting readers and gaining Google’s attention.

We can use Brath as an example. We are an SEO agency—we help companies optimize their websites for search engines and assist with outreach and SEM services. Yet we also run this blog, where we try to explain how companies can optimize their sites themselves and learn the basics of SEO. It may sound like we are working against ourselves by “giving away” SEO tips, but we see it as a way to be transparent. Potential customers can form their own opinion of us and decide whether they can handle SEO on their own or if they need help.

Content tailored to the reader

Which target audience do you want to reach with your content? What information is important to your audience, and how does that audience communicate? If your text is aimed at other businesses, it may need to include information about certifications, how their company can benefit from working with you, and similar topics. If you want to attract consumers, the text should instead focus on how easy it is to order, user friendliness, good prices, and warranties.

Use the right tone in your texts. If you want to reach people aged 18–25, there may be little reason to dive into deep technical descriptions or use terms that are not well known outside your industry. However, that same technical depth may be essential when targeting business owners or an older audience.

Good content is not just about text. You can also include images, videos, and tables. If you want to reach a younger audience, less text and more visuals and frequent updates may be beneficial, while an older or more professional audience often prefers more text and downloadable material they can print and use at the office.

Let experts speak

Expert statements are not only about good content—they are also closely tied to trust signals that Google looks for. Google wants to know whether your company can be trusted, whether the information is accurate, and whether you are a legitimate business. To determine this, Googlebot looks for signs that you know what you are talking about and are not trying to mislead people. You can read more about trust signals in one of our other posts.

If you have experts in your field in-house, let them take space on the site or be quoted. If they write their own texts or fact-check content, you can use the HTML tag rel=”author” to mark the expert’s name and title. It is also reassuring for readers to see that you support your claims and offerings with expert opinions and research. Alternatively, you can interview experts or, with their permission, use their statements or research on your site to support your arguments.