Latest Helpful Content Update Exposes Irritating High-Ranking Sites
Google’s Helpful Content is meant to enhance user experience. This is done by prioritising websites that provide valuable, relevant and insightful content. In an age where information overload is common, Google’s algorithm now discerns websites offering genuine help.
Generally, the Helpful Content update (HCU) often means users can expect more accurate, trustworthy and actionable content when they search. The focus is quality over quantity, ensuring that search engine users find websites relevant to their search queries. It’s a step towards a more user-friendly internet, guiding users towards helpful resources while rewarding websites that add value.
The much-anticipated September 2023 Google Helpful Content Update marked a significant shift in how online content is ranked. It commenced its rollout on September 14, 2023, and successfully concluded its deployment on September 28, 2023.
Spanning 14 days, this update marked several changes to the algorithm, including a new content classifier. While Google officially confirmed the completion on September 28, this update’s impact continues reverberating across the web. Many websites are still adapting to the new content guidelines, underlining the lasting influence of this transformative update.
While data from the HCU is still coming through, and we continue to monitor the situation across all our clients’ websites, it is worth understanding why this is one of the most significant updates in the past 24 months.
Targets Content Written To Rank!
Google’s Helpful Content update (September 2023) marks a significant shift in how online content is evaluated and ranked. According to Google, the update broadly targets content created primarily for search engine ranking rather than user benefit; this update is Google’s response to the frustration experienced by searchers landing on unhelpful pages solely optimised for search engines. Dubbed “search engine-first content” or “SEO content,” these pages often lack real value for users.
Google aims to elevate the importance of content created for humans, not algorithms. The focus is on genuine, helpful and informative content that enhances user experience. By downgrading websites focused solely on search engine ranking and promoting those designed for humans, Google seeks to reduce low-quality content cluttering search results.
This ongoing effort aligns with Google’s commitment to enhancing authenticity and usefulness in search, ensuring that users find high-quality, genuinely helpful content that addresses their needs and queries effectively.
What To Do If Your Website Was Hit?
If your website suffered a blow from the September 2023 Helpful Content Update, there are strategic steps to take for recovery. However, Google doesn’t provide much detail on what those steps are or how to implement them. That’s why it is something that dedicated SEO services understand better than individual website owners.
Self-Assess Your Content
Begin by critically evaluating your website’s content. Identify pages that may lack depth, relevance or user-centric information. Look for keyword-stuffed, low-value or duplicate content that might have triggered the downgrade. You will want to find pages that have seen a decline in traffic, and this can be done by checking Google Search Console. The decline in traffic to that page may hint that Google no longer finds the content helpful for users.
Seek Expert Review
Enlist the expertise of content professionals or SEO specialists. Their insights can provide a fresh perspective on your content, offering valuable suggestions for improvement. Experienced eyes can pinpoint areas needing enhancement. However, if you are in a YMYL or Your Money Your Life niche, you’d also want to have a seasoned industry expert evaluate the content to find holes, dated information and other issues that can be addressed to reclaim rankings.
Preserve Content Integrity
Avoid altering content publishing dates without substantial updates. Changing dates without meaningful content revisions can mislead users and search engines, potentially harming your site’s credibility. Maintain transparency and integrity in your content updates. The post’s date should only be updated if the content was updated with new information.
Strategic Changes, Not Blind Adjustments
Don’t blindly add or remove content in response to the update. Instead, focus on strategic adjustments. Remove duplicate or irrelevant content and add value by incorporating comprehensive, accurate and engaging information that addresses user needs. Think in terms of what would help potential users. Create a series of personas that reflect the type of people searching for content like yours to tailor your content accordingly.
Identify Content Gaps
Re-evaluate your content strategy to identify gaps. Understand what your audience seeks and provide in-depth, authoritative information. Addressing these gaps improves user experience and enhances your site’s credibility and relevance. However, as it turns out, finding content gaps is easier said than done. It takes an unbiased approach and knowledge of the subject to find all the gaps that can be covered and linked to existing content.
Conclusion
It is widely known that SEO experts, with their experience and understanding of how search engines work, can and often have ranked websites by manipulating search engine algorithms. While Google has worked hard for the past twelve years, with each significant update, to make it harder, if not impossible, there have been and still are many high-risk and downright spammy sites ranking remarkably well.
The fact is that Google’s algorithm will never be perfect, and there will always be holes in it through which SEOs will find a way to rank sites for themselves and their clients. The latest HCU may have improved the quality of some types of searches, but many millions remain unchanged. However, ensuring that you have good content on your website is still essential.
Having good content helps build credibility, retain visitors and improve conversions. Thus, the effort put into it is worth it. Not to mention that a big part of ranking a website today is on-page content. That’s why the HCU has devastated so many websites.
