Changes are coming to the search results you see on Google. The search engine will now be featuring "in-depth" content. This is an important change for those of us who are very invested in content marketing. With this new focus on in-depth content, companies who post blogs and articles are even more likely to get featured in Google search results.
Why In-Depth Content?
Google appears to be focusing on in-depth content because of user demand. They found that 10% of all the information that Google searchers want to find necessitates articles that are longer and entail analysis that is much more in-depth than a short sentence or blurb. One staff member states that they want to show more in-depth content that "will remain relevant for months or even years after publication," as this is the information that users really want to find.
What's Changing?
The changes are not actually as drastic as they may seem. The in-depth content will be relegated to a certain section indicating that it is in-depth, similarly to how Google News groups various news articles. In-depth content also will not appear with every search. The Google algorithm will detect certain keywords to provide with in-depth sections. While in-depth articles appear for few historical figures, they do come up with current events and many broad topics.
Some experts are wondering exactly how Google will choose where in-depth content should appear and whether or not the results will always be trustworthy. For example, an article may meet the standards for the "in-depth" section despite being about a rumor or false claim. Many hope that the in-depth section will be similar to an archive of well-researched and reliable articles that have fallen behind in search results due to age.
What Does This Mean For Me?
For the world of content marketing, the new in-depth section provides a huge advantage. This shows that having content on your website really will pay off in terms of search result rankings and the resulting clicks. When selling this new information to your clients, there are some key aspects that you should focus on.
First, tests of the new in-depth section have shown that content needs to center on either a current event or a broad topic. Second, the content should use certain keywords that have proven effective for yielding in-depth content sections. Finally, spending your money on quality content is the best way to ensure that your content will both appear in search results and be clicked on over other articles.
How will you take advantage of the new in-depth section on Google?