SGE: Why content quality is paramount

A huge change in the way people search is on the horizon in the form of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), and businesses with lacklustre content risk being overlooked.

Maintaining the standard of your content is by no means easy, particularly when your time is tight and resource is stretched. It also requires a high degree of expertise and a collaborative approach between a writer and an editor. That’s what you get from idhl, with a team of in-house editors making sure your content is ticking all the right boxes ahead of the full SGE rollout.

What is SGE?

This is more than just an algorithm update – it’s going to transform how people interact with Google and the results it provides them.

SGE uses AI to help users find only the best answers to their questions. Essentially, it will understand the intent behind your search, prepare for potential follow-up questions, and collate information from multiple pages to provide a comprehensive answer that’s unique to you.

One potential impact of the way these results will be displayed is that traffic to websites is likely to be reduced. Avoiding that is not as easy as just churning out a load of new content for a wide level of coverage – it has to be of a high standard.

Increasing the focus on quality

Multiple factors go into SGE’s assessment of “quality” content. If you’re hosting outdated or incorrect information, your page could be passed over. Any copy must be clear, straightforward and to the point. If you’re meeting the search intent in an easily digestible fashion – much like you see with a featured snippet – it’s more likely to be included in the SGE response.

This all means that creating high-quality content goes far beyond a foundation of good spelling and grammar – although you’ll still want that to be correct! The team of expert in-house editors at idhl assesses content from multiple angles to ensure it meets the needs of the user, your business, and, of course, Google.

We check any statement of fact in every piece of content, be that the distance between two locations, the specific context of any statistics, or general information about your business. No stone is left unturned in the process of ensuring the accuracy of content.

Part of the editing process is putting ourselves in the shoes of the user to determine whether the content sufficiently answers their question. If it doesn’t, we can increase the depth of the page to help it meet the user’s needs and thus influence how Google perceives it. On the other hand, our editors know how to streamline cumbersome content so that it zeroes in on search intent and therefore has a higher chance of being cited in the SGE response.

Of course, the depth and breadth of your content is irrelevant if it isn’t easily comprehensible – if your page lacks structure and flow, is littered with jargon, or the copy needs revisions, it’s not going to be deemed helpful. Our editors can ensure your audience is being addressed appropriately with content they’ll understand and value.

These are just a few of the rigorous checks that go into ensuring your content is of the highest quality and therefore more likely to be shown to the user.

Speak to idhl for quality content

SGE has the potential to send shockwaves through the world of search, but having best-in-class content can make the transition far smoother for you. Our team of editors has vast experience in digital marketing, journalism and print publishing – 40 years cumulatively, in fact. So, you can be confident that only content of the highest standards will reach you. To get started, drop us a message.