How Google’s ‘helpful content update’ is going to (possibly) affect your search engine results
Google has a habit of keeping companies on their toes, and its latest update from end of August 2022 is no exception. A surprisingly short update but one that will have massive affect across results in search engines. Ultimately, the goal of the new update is to provide ‘a better web’, where your content serves a purpose and any visitor goes away nourished and fulfilled, and where filler, falsely-sensationalist and off-topic content for search purposes only will be penalised and you could find yourself ranking lower than you did before.
Above: Google’s chief developer putting the final touches live to the new Google Helpful Content Update - we’re just disappointed that there’s no cakes left!
In all honesty, we’re welcoming the update - ‘people-powered’, real content seems to finally be important to Google, and who would have guessed that this would now be taking centre stage rather than filling the web with out of date listicles, clickbait and spuriously churned AI filler content?
So, what did Google say and what does this mean…. let’s look at each thing in turn. Oh, and if you’re interested, you can read their full update over at the Google blog.
Above: a ‘person’, poised to make some real content! (we hope)
Focus on people-first content
Word from the Google stable - ‘make content for humans, not search engines’.
Google wants people to get the information they need from your website without having to still go elsewhere - here’s the information direct from Google’s site:
Do you have an existing or intended audience for your business or site that would find the content useful if they came directly to you?
Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge (for example, expertise that comes from having actually used a product or service, or visiting a place)?
Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?
After reading your content, will someone leave feeling they've learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal?
Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they've had a satisfying experience?
Are you keeping in mind our guidance for core updates and for product reviews?
Above: YES, make sure your content is optimised for SEO, but, NO, don’t make content purely for SEO (it also reads as though a thesaurus of business-buzzword-acronyms has spewed all over the page).
Avoid creating content for search engines first
It’s time to review your efforts across your website if you are answering yes to any of the following:
Is the content primarily to attract people from search engines, rather than made for humans?
Are you producing lots of content on different topics in hopes that some of it might perform well in search results?
Are you using extensive automation to produce content on many topics?
Are you mainly summarizing what others have to say without adding much value?
Are you writing about things simply because they seem trending and not because you'd write about them otherwise for your existing audience?
Does your content leave readers feeling like they need to search again to get better information from other sources?
Are you writing to a particular word count because you've heard or read that Google has a preferred word count? (No, we don't).
Did you decide to enter some niche topic area without any real expertise, but instead mainly because you thought you'd get search traffic?
Does your content promise to answer a question that actually has no answer, such as suggesting there's a release date for a product, movie, or TV show when one isn't confirmed?
Above: a businesswoman holding a box jam-packed with juicy nuggets of gold about what she needs to consider before publishing her next company’s blog post. Seriously, we checked with her and that is exactly what is in the box.
So what can businesses creating content take away from this update?
This is ultimately relevant for content that you want to be ranked by Google in search. This isn’t always the case, nor a requirement for some businesses.
Business basics - have a clear focus and audience. Basically, write for people who use your product or service. Keep it niche and targeted.
Create unique content with a personal/business angle - offer something unique, don’t just paraphrase what is out there on the internet or from other sources - this is THE opportunity to create something with real value, and apparently you will be rewarded.
Make good content. Make better content - make sure your content is good and someone will leave knowing more and even enlightened. Does this mean more word length, maybe. Does this mean use video, possibly. But what it does mean, is that ‘older' out-of-date content from older sources that may have been written purely for search purposes may no longer be deemed ‘as good’. Or, alternatively - it’s an opportunity to do better than what is out there with a real chance of out-performing results from these more mature websites. Possibly.
Avoid automation / summarising… essentially tread carefully with AI content. Hmmm, we anticipate Google is going to downplay automated, AI generated content. In short, AI content ‘takes what is out there’ and paraphrases and regurgitates it back for you. Sure, it can be great at making filler content, but it’s not unique. It is nothing new and apparently Google will probably know this. This could also mean listicles may now be at a disadvantage too.
Keep up with good SEO practices. This should go without saying, but don’t forget your metas, keep your heading hierarchy, alt text your images, link your content - it’s not a time to be sloppy.
Above: 6 points for plan, 10 points for make - suspiciously accurate in weighting for your content efforts.
So, how do we use this amongst our content marketing efforts? Are there any advantages to this content that businesses can, err, take advantage of? We believe so…
We like to think of Google as fighting the good fight. Cleaning up the town of dirty content rats one doorway at a time. Whatever their motives, this update is a good thing and provides an opportunity for businesses to create real, authentic content and potentially outrank competitors. But how can this update provide an opportunity to outrank a competitor?
The problem, and a very real business problem I may add - you search for a term during your content research, and your competitor’s website comes up with some un-inspiring, long-ish bit of text. Hardly any images and on maybe a website that hasn’t been updated in a number of years. How did it get so high? Well, there are lots of reasons - but if the recent update is anything to go by, if you produce something with ‘more value’ to the visitor, then you could potentially ‘take the spot’ so to speak. Now we’re not saying to do things just for the placement, that’s kind of besides the point.
But if you do want that placement and it probably should be if you are even contemplating a strong SEO / content campaign, you need to work to get it. This means producing something better, longer, more dynamic, more engaging than the alternatives. In some industries this could be quite easy.
So go forth and make new content - but whatever you make, just make sure it’s good (and real)!
