How do you define good content?

I was at a function recently where I found myself in conversation with a representative from a content management software company. He was picking my brain about needs/headaches for content marketers in regards to taking content from A (conception) to B (publication).

At one point I told him about the types of good, quality content we aim to deliver, to which he responded with the following question: “So what do you consider to be good content?”

I thought for a second, then went into an incredibly long-winded and rambling explanation of the factors that I think go into making a quality article, blog post, eBook, etc. After that, he looked at me for a moment and asked, “So … what do you consider to be good content?”

I had to laugh, since I knew I had rambled a bit (did I also mention that there were cocktails that night?). I collected my thoughts and gave him a much more succinct answer, but I still wasn’t really satisfied with it.

On the way home that night, I thought a lot about that question: what is good content, really? In content marketing, we talk about it all the time as the backbone of our online strategy. The best way to build a strong relationship with your audience is with good content. The first step toward a high page rank in Google and quality site traffic is to create good content. But no one really takes the time to think about what that means or how to do it, and let’s face it, there’s plenty of crap on the Internet to prove that not everyone understands (or cares about) the concept of “good”.

So I came up with five basic principles that I think should be kept in mind with every piece of content you post. Obviously, not everything on your site is going to adhere to these concepts, nor should they in some cases. But by applying these ideas one post at a time, you’ll end up with a respected site featuring a breadth of high-quality (and well read) content. 

1. Substance – First and foremost, the content items you post need to be substantive enough to make it worth the reader’s time. Keep in mind that “substantive” doesn’t necessarily mean “long”; in fact some articles might even be too long for online publication. It means that the content you’re creating adds standalone value to the page. In other words, people can read this one page and get something out of it.

One thing I hate to see is when sites cut their content too thin. This is common in content “series”, where a publisher takes a complete, compelling article and cuts in into itty bitty pieces to post online in multiple parts. The idea (and it’s a somewhat tired one) is to fish for page views by requiring readers to click through page after tiny page. This isn’t necessarily bad on its own, but too often the pieces are cut so small that the subsequent pages are left with too little substance to stand on their own as valuable pieces of content. It’s just short, out-of-context drivel, and your readers won’t thank you for it.

2. Uniqueness – This is another one that’s getting harder and harder in the race to become more visible online, but ideally you want all of your content to be unique in some way. Most SEO professionals are familiar with the old warnings about duplicate content, which basically involves the same content posted multiple times under a given domain. While the search engine “penalty” for this type of content is mostly overblown, it’s hardly reader-friendly. You also (obviously) want to stay away from simply reposting content from other sites on the ‘Net. This is essentially stealing unless you have permission, but even then it’s not ideal.

The best-case scenario is to have a site where people know when they arrive that they will find something unique and fresh that they can’t get anywhere else. And believe me, search engines will recognize it too.

3. Professionalism – This is an easy one, but it’s often overlooked. Remember, in content marketing even your personal blog is a representation of your organization. Take the time to proofread your content before you post, or even hire a professional editor to polish it up. At the very least it should be given a second set of eyes. Sloppy writing might be common online these days, but it can still reflect poorly on your company.

4. Optimization – Everyone should know by now that SEO is an integral component of any content strategy, and this extends to every piece of content you post. Individual articles should all be optimized to the best of your ability, ideally via keyword research, compelling titles and snappy meta descriptions.

5. Success – What good is having great content if no one sees it? True, this last point is a consequence of the previous four, but it’s still an important one, as there is no greater measure of good content than how well it resonates with your audience.

So that’s my best shot at defining quality content for content marketing, but I’m sure there are other points to consider. (For example, I’m working under the assumption that everything you post is already targeted for the audience you want to attract.) What do you think of this list? Is there anything I missed? Sound off in the comments section and let me know!

You can find more information on content marketing and editorial practices at the OpenView Labs website. You can also follow Brendan on Twitter @BrenCournoyer and find more from the OpenView team @OpenViewVenture.