In our final installment of the Google SEO Quality series we are going to look at a third part of Google’s system referred to as “Needs Met”. Let’s dive in!
Needs Met Refers to Needs Met
Simply defined, Needs Met is a measure meant to determine the “how much” a need was met. The question is, what need? The important thing to remember is when someone is using Google to search, they are essentially seeking an answer to a question. For a search to be successful, the website that ranks high should be able to clearly answer the question.
Keeping it Simple
More than likely this sounds pretty elementary. However, think about your own searching experience. How many times have you ended up at a site that makes it difficult for you to find your answer? Depending on the complexity of the explanation, you may need a large amount of text and graphics. If the answer is simple, keep the presentation simple. This becomes even more important on mobile. Keep in mind that the really awesome graphic you created may not be understandable or viewable on a mobile device. If that happens, the need is not met.
Meeting the Need
Let’s start by looking at Google’s rating system.
Ranking at the top is incredibly difficult. Still, you can greatly improve your ranking by following a few guidelines.
- Be Mobile Friendly – You can see how important mobile is in this ranking guide from the Google. This is because layout and interaction are viewed as key components in a user’s satisfaction.
- Say What You Mean – Be clear and concise in the answers you give. Additionally, for more complex topics or those that may have a lengthier explanation, be sure to include a link or download where the user can opt to request more information.
- No Bait and Switch – Do not promise an answer and then say something else instead. An example is titling your blog using a current event item to get a page visit and then write about your own product. Just be honest.
The three blogs in this series are not an exhaustive look at all the pieces of SEO. Instead, they are meant to build awareness for new web development. The good news is that, when followed, the end result is a cleaner and easier functioning website that performs well, offers good information, and doesn’t stink.
We hoped you liked this article and found it useful and hopefully it met some needs to understand how SEO is changing. Do you think that this is a positive direction, or is it going to make producing content more difficult? Let us know in the comments below.
