Following pretty much every update for the last 4 years, Google has been famously and frustratingly tight-lipped about what exactly is in their search algorithm.

If your content isn't ranking well, they advise you to try making "better" content. Unfortunately, they don't say exactly what "better" means.

Marketers don't like abstract thoughts. They like finite formulas and numbers that fit into a spreadsheet. But "better" is subjective and does not compute. Does "better" mean longer or shorter blogs? More keywords or fewer keywords?

Unfortunately, there is no clear definition of what "better" or "quality" mean in the eyes of Google. But, proven SEO data has shown that 3 things are absolute must-haves in quality content. 

If your content is missing any of these items, adding them will instantly make your content "better," while helping you improve your site traffic and site authority.

1. An Engaging Headline

A bad headline is an invitation to ignore your content. You're pretty much double-daring people to scroll past it.

A lot of the hard-core SEO people out there will tell you that a good title has to include your keyword. And that's true, but keyword usage is only half the battle. Your headline also needs to earn human attention.

No matter what frustrated marketers tell you, it is possible to create a headline that is both engaging to human readers, yet still optimized for search engines. It can be done! It takes time and creativity. You may have to write this part last and take a number of stabs at it, which is why a lot of people don't do it

Say you're a financial firm and your keyword is "consumer proposals." Pretty dry and boring stuff, right? Wrong.

Consumer proposals are boring to most people. But they're very appealing to someone that is drowning and debt and afraid to answer their phone because collection agencies keep calling.

Most people would use a headline like, "Consumer Proposals Can Help You Get Out of Debt." That's OK, but uninspired and un-engaging. Go after the would-be readers' pain points with something like, "How Consumer Proposals Will Stop the Collection Agencies From Calling."

Don't ask for their attention. Grab it. Show your audience that you understand their pain points, and your company is the solution they're looking for.

2. Quality Internal and External Links

A beautifully crafted piece of content with no links is such a waste.

First of all, you need to add internal links to your blogs by hyperlinking words and terms to the appropriate page(s) on your own site. For example, hyperlink the word consumer proposal in your blog to that service page on your site. This encourages both readers and Google to take a deeper dive into your site. Without these links, the journey ends there. But like keywords, don't add too many links.

You also need to add quality external links. The key word there is "quality." Make sure you're linking to relevant and respected sites. This means that if you hyperlink to a statistic or quote, find the biggest and most respected site it appears on. Link to CNN.com, not reallycoolnewsforyou.net.

3. Real Value

This one is incredibly hard to quantify, but probably the most important part of "better" content. The simplest way to answer this is by asking:

• Is your blog on this topic better than the competition's blog on this topic?

• Why would someone choose this blog over your competition, or vice versa?

If your blog is just a recycled version of another blog, you're going to have a harder time getting it to rank. Re-spinning content is fine and literally everyone does it, but you need to bring something new to the table.

This may include:

• Unique stats or insights that nobody has seen before

• A more engaging headline

• More interesting or funny writing

• A more concise summary of the topic. Infographics do this really well

Your content needs to be superior in some way, or you're just publishing for the sake of publishing.

Yes, good writing is subjective. Some people like to be swept away by long paragraphs, while others prefer short and punchy paragraphs. But "better" content is less subjective because it is not just about the writing.

If you're using flat headlines, bad links, or recycled material, you can do better. And it will take far less effort than you think.