Content is not only king, it could likely get drunk on its own power.

You’ve heard it many times—so many times, in fact, that I hesitate to say it again here, but I’m compelled to because it is more true now than ever.

Content is not only king, it is overlord, chief, emperor, ruler, and conquering hero. Too far? According to the most recent Google algorithm changes, I may not have taken it far enough.

Remember how SEO was once a mysterious and elusive process that involved shady back-links and under-the-table practices? Well, today it is quite clear: Want to be ranked high in the search engines? Create content that your audience wants to read and share.

Whew. That is so much easier than guessing what would anger or please the fickle and complicated algorithm gods. All you need to do is create content that resonates with your audience— and who knows your target audience better than you do?

This fact is accentuated by the recent change in Google’s ranking advice. Instead of improving the rank of your site by “increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to [your] pages,” you can now improve the rank of your site by “creating high-quality sites that users will want to use and share.” That doesn’t mean quality links mean nothing, but it does mean that focusing too much energy on it could be your SEO downfall.

Authenticity is key, and according to a recent article from Hubspot, that not only includes quality content, but branding as well. Translation? Looking your best and keeping your target audience as your focus will be your ultimate reward.

So, want to be master of your domain? Ruler of the roost? Emperor of the web?  It’s not complicated—just bow down to the king. All hail the content king!