Since late 2015, Google has been putting increased importance on the quality, authoritativeness and trustworthiness of content on websites and blog posts. (Not that it hasn't been one of the cornerstones of their algorithms for years.) How do Google's algorithms know what's quality, authoritative and trustworthy content? Artificial intelligence built into their algorithms, based on real people, doing hands-on web searches, who log in their experiences through a Google-designed program.

Want to spend time reading the boring specifics? You can download Google's 160-page Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines .pdf here.

Google says they make 500 to 600 algorithm updates a year, which is why its so hard to keep track of them. But for today's post, we're going to focus on one item specifically.

To summarize one important piece:

It is in Google's best interest to deliver the most accurate search results to its users. If it doesn't, we use another search engine. And that's bad for Google's business, which makes $60 billion a year. That's about $164,000,000 a day, 95% of it from Google ads.

Google has teams of people whose job it is to determine the credibility of websites from major corporations to yours. One of the items these researchers base their ranking on is the quality, authoritativeness and trustworthiness of the content and how it relates to the topic being promoted on the website.

While this is relevant for all content on a website, the content that gets updated the most are blog posts. And NEW content is what helps your website get re-indexed by search engines. And GOOD content is what get rewarded, not only by Google's researches and algorithms, but by the people who mean the most to you: your audience.

So who should write the content for your website?

Probably not who you think:

Sales people?

Probably not, because their interests are likely too self-serving. No one wants to read sales messages on websites: they want to be educated and informed. The saying "No one wants to be sold, they want to be educated." has been around for a long time for a reason.

the president of the company?

Maybe.. .if they have a marketing background. If their expertise is in something else, then probably not. Besides, are they also in charge of new business? If not, then their message might be too focus on the features of what the company does, and not the benefits. And really, all your prospects want to know is how what you do, or make, will help them. If the President can't answer the main questions your audience want to know "What's in it for me?" then don't have the President write the copy for the website.

the marketing department?

Definitely the best choice if they have both the time, and inclination, to do it regularly. If they don't have both, then the responsibility of writing for the website, and more importantly, the blog posts, it won't get done. Those with a marketing background should know that what helps someone decide on your product or service is telling someone how what you do will make their lives better or easier. If must be educational and focused on what is most important to your prospect, which is most likely different than what's important to you.

which brings us to outsourcing

This may be the best choice if you can swing it. A professional copywriter will be able to understand your product or service and translate it into how it makes your prospect work, play or function better. They also can keep a consistent voice to the blogs, as well as keep them going up regularly (because they're getting paid to write them).

It's all about "content marketing."

If you're not familiar with content marketing, it's been around a while, it is commonly seen, in the SEO-world, as the best way to promote your website with search engines and prospects.

You can read about it on The Content Marketing Institute's website here.

Briefly, people have been overloaded with traditional marketing. When was the last time you actually watched TV is real time? Who doesn't DVR to skip television advertising? (This is why "native advertising" has become so popular, and  integral part of NASCAR world with logo emblazoned on every square inch of the car and driver! Other examples are cars in your favorite CSI show, or the types of computers used in movies.) 

So content marketing is educational marketing. It gives prospects a reason to share your information with others, or come back to your website to learn more. Or most importantly, gives them a reason to contact you, because they see you as an expert in your industry.

Keeping up your website is content marketing

So keep your website up-to-date, and keep posting helpful topics so should a prospect come across your website, they'll see you're an expert at what you do.

The other benefit of posting regular blogs is there's a better chance a prospect will come across your website, especially if they don't know you by name. Because that's what SEO is all about: helping people find you by what you do, not who you are. If they know your name they can easily Google it to find you.

But most people will search by what someone does (their service or product). And THAT is how you get prospects to find you instead of you finding them.

When that happens, it makes your sales efforts, just a little more effortless.