The latest Helpful Content update from Google reinforces the key idea that Google has always endorsed, which is creating content for people over Google bots. The primary aim of Google is to help people find information-rich content that satisfies their search intent and queries in the best possible way. And the recent Helpful Content update goes a major step ahead in ensuring that. After this update, brands/creators need to think about how deeply and extensively they can explore the topics they're creating content on. It's not about increasing the word count or favoring certain keywords over others, but rather making sure that a topic is discussed as comprehensively as possible from all relevant angles. Instead of thinking along the lines of creating Google-friendly content, it's time to consider creating people-friendly content in the truest sense. Content that's favored by the people will be favored by Google too. It calls for a major change in the content creation perspective.
Google's latest content update has added an extra 'E' to their famous EAT acronym, making it EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust). And what does that extra 'E' stand for? It represents the importance of real-life experiences when evaluating online content. Let's say you're searching for tips on filing your taxes. You'd want advice from a true accounting specialist. Google understands this and aims to connect you with content created by experts who have firsthand knowledge and practical experience. But wait, there's more! If you're looking for personal testimonials about tax preparation software, Google suggests exploring community forums where people share their own experiences. Sometimes the best insights come from those who have been in the same boat as you. With the EEAT update, Google is your trusty companion, guiding you to content that combines expertise, authority, and real-world experience.
Google's Helpful Content update will likely act as a double edged sword. We don't know exactly when it will be fully deployed, but we can anticipate that it will reward content that provides site visitors with a satisfying experience, meanwhile not penalizing, but not rewarding content that poorly matches visitors expectation with decreased ranking and visibility. I do not believe these changes will be isolated to AI or human created content, but rather tweaking how Google rewards the quality and relevancy of the content. E-E-A-T will likely become a larger ranking factor as well. The fun part is, we won't see it coming, until it is already deployed, so you should start implementing best SEO and content creation practices yesterday.
The helpful content update was a review based update. Some people are confused on this. Let me clarify what we see this as at MRB specifically talking about e-commerce sites. This was a direct shot over the bow from google for people who created content for search engines. They are NOT looking for copy and pasted product descriptions, or the same thing rewritten different, and gadzooks don't use chat gpt. During the update they claim they didn't demote anyone just raised the weight of good content. This is what they want: - A unique description written from an enthusiasts/experts point of view - Talk about the pros and cons of an item - What do those mean for the user - How do those translate to the user - Are there competitor products that are a better use in certain situations - They don't want editorial pieces or copied descriptions, they want a real review What we think works: Heading Subheading Intro paragraph Advantages Drawbacks Competitors Use Warranty Conclusion
Google's Helpful Content update is all about rewarding websites that offer clear, useful, and direct answers to user queries. It's a call to action for website owners to focus on creating content that truly helps the reader. This means going beyond just keywords and SEO tricks, and really thinking about what information the user is seeking. The more your content can solve a user's problem or answer their question, the more favorably Google will view your site. It's a shift towards user-centric content, putting the needs of the user first in your content strategy.
The update has significantly changed how Google evaluates content, focusing less on keyword optimization and more on demonstrating first-hand expertise and knowledge around a given topic. Specifically, Google wants to reward writers who are able to effectively explain complex concepts in layman's terms, provide accurate references to back up their claims, and offer valuable advice or solutions to readers' questions and problems. Furthermore, the update encourages authors to create unique content directly to the user's query rather than using generic or outdated material from other sources.
It affects your entire website—not just pages that are deemed "unhelpful." Imagine you have a website for 100 pages and a high amount (let's say 40%) does not answer user questions, are clearly written by someone who wasn't an expert on the topic, or any of the markers of unhelpful content. Google will classify your entire website as unhelpful and make it harder for your website to show up on the SERP. And since it will take months before the classifier is removed (Google says they're looking for the unhelpful content to not return in the long-term), it's best to act as fast as possible in auditing your content, removing the unhelpful pages, and following Google's guidelines on creating actual helpful content for the pages you want to keep.
Hi there Jason Ball, founder of B2B marketing agency Considered Content, says: "If Google’s update is successful, it should make it more difficult for SEOs to try to achieve rankings by brute force, volume-led approaches. It should also begin to address the challenge of dealing with cookie-cutter AI-generated content. “Google is looking for distinctive, experienced content and will penalise content that fundamentally says nothing new. Brands will need to demonstrate ‘experience’ in a number of ways, such as by using bylined authors with an author bio link outlining why that person is an expert in practical terms and including references to how thought leadership can be applied or has been applied in the real world. Remember, it’s not just expertise, it's experience that makes a difference. “Ultimately, this is good news for brands that are genuine thought leaders and have the capabilities to walk the talk.” ENDS
Google's Helpful Content algorithm is a factor in search rankings, but - and hear me out - content creators and website owners would benefit from not focusing on it. The whole premise of this algorithm update is to reduce low-quality content and enhance the user experience by making it easier for searchers to discover valuable and relevant information (https://searchengineland.com/google-to-update-the-helpful-content-system-algorithm-in-the-coming-months-416440#:~:text=Google's%20helpful%20content%20algorithm%20aims,authentic%20and%20useful%20in%20search.%E2%80%9D). For conscientious writers, business owners, and websites, creating helpful content should already be the fundamental goal. Instead of worrying about the algorithm, keep your eyes on the opportunity to provide your readers with the highest quality content possible. Be helpful, address their problems, and deliver valuable solutions. You'll do what you need to to meet Google's Helpful Content update with ease.
Even after removing unhelpful content, classifier constantly keeps an eye on both new and existing websites, making sure unhelpful content doesn't persist in the long run. Then significant improvements have been made to check how the classifier detects unhelpful content, and shared on Google Search ranking updates page as "helpful content update". Once the update is fully implemented, if the refined classifier observes that the content has improved, the previous unhelpful classification may no longer be applicable.
It's an ongoing development to ensure the quality of websites, without offering an objective view on content you will fall behind the cracks of people wanting to get quick answers for content. Having said that... serving people with different types of content such as the product reviews update, user generated content, FAQs, comparisons, recent news, continual updates, professional authors. It really depends on your industry which can also determine the requirements including YMYL (Your Money Your Life content).
Google's Helpful Content update is a new algorithm update that is designed to reward websites that produce high-quality content written for people. This update was announced in August 2022 and is currently rolling out. Here's one thing to know about Google's Helpful Content update: It targets content that is written for people, not for search engines. Google wants to reward websites that produce content that is helpful and informative, not content that is simply designed to rank well in search engines.
Google's Helpful Content update places increased emphasis on local relevance and contextualization. It aims to provide users with search results that are tailored to their specific location and preferences. Here's what you need to know about this aspect of the update. Google recognizes the importance of delivering location-specific information to users. With the Helpful Content update, search results are more likely to be influenced by a user's geographical location. For instance, if someone searches for "best pizza restaurants," Google will prioritize displaying results that are relevant to the user's specific location, ensuring that they receive recommendations that are nearby and convenient.
People first! All content should be made with a satisfying experience in mind for the end-user as the top priority. To achieve this, you should ideate content that fulfils a specific ask or need for someone searching around a specific topic, using your expertise to provide value that the user won’t be able to get elsewhere. They need to be satisfied that their query has been answered and that they’ve learnt something new; this should always be the aim when making new content. Content made primarily for search engines,with the purpose of driving organic traffic to the site, is exactly what Google is penalising with this update. So, stay away from content that is too far outside your niche, puffing out word counts with filler text, and jumping on trending topics as a strategy. Overall, the takeaway should be to make people-first, user benefit-driven content, supplement it with SEO best practice, and let Google do the rest.
Businesses have a bad habit of outsourcing content creation entirely. This has negatively impacted search results, frustrating users as they can't find real, helpful guidance to solve their problems. With AI-generated content, this problem will only get worse. Searchers want advice for real challenges they face. Businesses that want to stand out need to bring content creation in-house and share their insights to help solve business problems. Your goal for each piece of content you publish should be to provide real, helpful advice based on your business's experience helping customers. It should be accurate, actionable, relevant, and comprehensive. Go beyond relying on text. Instead, add visuals, embed video, add quotes and expert insights, add audio if you have it. Think thorough, not longer.
If you’re trying to attract new customers, the quality of your content is more important than ever. Google’s Helpful Content update is designed to reward high-quality content and remove low-quality content from search results. Your website’s content must be useful to visitors if you want to rank well. You can’t just add keywords to your content and hope for the best. Instead, focus on creating useful and engaging content that answers your audience’s questions and helps them achieve their goals. Then, create a searchable index of your content so that it’s easy for Google to find. Your audience will appreciate your effort, and Google will reward you with higher search rankings.
I think one important aspect to know about Google's Helpful Content update is its focus on user satisfaction and value. With this update, Google aims to prioritize content that genuinely helps and satisfies users, rather than content that is solely optimized for search engine rankings. This means that creating high-quality, informative, and user-centric content has become even more crucial in order to maintain visibility and provide value to our readers. With these updates in mind, we will continue to prioritize the creation of helpful and engaging content that genuinely serves our audience's needs. Our team will focus on delivering original and informative articles, guides, and resources that provide valuable insights, actionable advice, and a satisfying user experience.
Write for people if you want to be genuine. Technically, this is how you optimize content for search engines because search engines can tell when information is written for humans. Google employs latent semantic indexing (LSI) to determine a page's context based on keywords and phrases relevant to the main topic. High-quality content will organically refer to related topics a certain amount of times, which Google considers when determining how those sites rank for specific queries. So keywords are vital, but I suggest you avoid writing to rank them unless they are relevant to your audience's interests.
Google emphasizes that material that puts people first is rewarded with high ranks. I believe this means that you should prioritize delivering informative, user-friendly content to guarantee that your postings are seen as useful. To create a great visitor experience, show firsthand experience and stay on subject.
Google's Helpful Content update aims to prioritize high-quality and informative content in search results. This means that websites providing valuable and relevant information to users will have a better chance of ranking higher. It's crucial to focus on creating content that genuinely helps and educates your audience. By doing so, you can improve your visibility and provide users with the information they need to make informed decisions. Remember, being helpful and authoritative in your content can significantly benefit your website's performance in Google's search results.