If content is king, unique content is the supreme master of the universe. It is important to have relevant content for both search engine optimization and visitors, but having unique, well-written content is crucial to the overall success of the online venture.

What is Unique Content?

Unique content, in its simplest form, is material on a website that is completely different from content anywhere else on the internet. It is unique. The term usually refers to written words on the page, but can apply to other areas, such as charts or graphics, as well.

Unique Content and SEO

As they have changed, search engines are growing much more concerned with unique content. Although nobody knows the exact algorithm for the major search engines, it has become very clear that unique content is rewarded by increased page rank, and duplicate content is punished – sometimes quite severely. Duplicate content is content that is identical to material found on another website.

Some websites that pull feeds from other websites or news services might seem to skirt around the unique content issue, but there is always more to a site than RSS feeds. The more original content on a page, the more highly it is regarded by search engines. If any portion of a website contains materials that are seen elsewhere, the owner can expect the subsequent penalty.

Unique Content and Traffic

While traffic is a component of SEO, it is the aspect most heavily affected by quality content. A website is much like any other retail business. If a patron visits, but can’t find what they are looking for or simply doesn’t like what the store is offering, they won’t buy and they probably won’t return.

For this reason, it is imperative that your site offer visitors what they are seeking. Excellent content that is updated on a regular basis will not only appeal to patrons, but it will keep them coming back for more. Traffic is the driving force of the internet. The more targeted traffic you have, the more effective your site will be.

Creating Unique Content

There are many ways to create unique content for a website. The most obvious solution is to write it yourself. This seems simple enough, but many struggle with finding the words or topics needed to fill pages of text. A common solution to this problem is to outsource the content to professional writers.

Another common solution is to find well-written articles on applicable topics and rewrite them. To avoid the duplicate content filters and penalties, at least 30% of the rewritten content should be unique. Of course, the higher the unique percentage, the better off the material will be.

However your unique content is created, it is crucial that you obtain it. An otherwise excellent website will flounder if content is not appealing to visitors or search engines. It seems after all these years, the pen remains mightier than the sword.