If you are familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and you have considered diving deeper to improve your website performance, there are likely two topics that immediately come to mind – content and keywords.

In the earlier days of SEO, the goal was often to provide as much content as possible filled with as many keywords as possible to attract search engine algorithms. The debate was often – How much content is enough? How many keywords are enough?

The landscape of SEO has changed, and the truth is that word length and number of keywords are not what’s important when it comes to ranking high in search results. In fact, focusing on those two factors can hurt your website’s ranking rather than help it. Search engine algorithms have advanced and are now programmed to favor valuable content that focuses on quality rather than quantity of keywords.

A good rule of thumb in trying to provide high-quality content is to always consider its purpose. While promoting sales of your trailer inventory is the primary goal of your dealership website, it shouldn’t always be the primary goal of the content you share. A better approach, which will help you achieve the quality content that search engines favor, is to focus on helping your customers and website visitors.

For example, a prospect or customer who has never owned an enclosed trailer before probably doesn’t know the proper way to clean it. A maintenance guide that covers this topic would be both educational and useful for customers, and it would simultaneously help your website earn SEO. In an article like this one, you would naturally use many keywords that attract search engines. Algorithms have advanced enough to differ between keywords planted in content for the sake of repetition and keywords that are used authentically, and a long-form piece of content like this maintenance guide would fit the bill for earning organic SEO.

Many dealers find that blogging is a great method for enhancing SEO on their website while also serving value to customers. Regular blog posts covering helpful topics provide fresh, up-to-date content that search engines favor and website visitors enjoy. While maintaining a blog does require some time, creativity, and a good writer on staff, it could become a huge asset to your dealership’s online presence.

Gone are the days of keyword stuffing and long-form content just for the sake of it. The new guidelines for building SEO create a win-win situation for everyone – customers get access to useful and interesting information, while businesses earn SEO credibility and higher rankings in search.