What Is Google’s New Helpful Content Algorithm, Its Target, and How Can Content Creators Comply?
Introduction
Are you creating website content that is appropriate for your audience? Google is currently leveraging its hyper-accurate algorithms to determine whether or not your content is trustworthy and credible. Google’s Helpful Content update is designed to provide readers with accurate and reliable information, at a time when society is becoming more and more focused on truth. The update targets content designed solely to rank well in search engines but fail to offer adequate information to viewers. Google rolled out the update on 25th August 2022, initially, targeting English-language content.
What is Google’s Helpful Content Update?
Google’s Helpful Content Update targets content specifically designed to rank well in search engines, but which does not offer adequate information to viewers. Internet users have shown immense frustration due to the nature of search results, where the top-ranked and recommended content does not offer adequate assistance for the query they present. Most of the web pages recommended to them have solely been ranked high, but do not help the reader at all. With the Helpful Content Update, Google’s algorithm seeks to downgrade search engine optimized first content, seeking to promote websites designed for human consumption.
The helpful content update will specifically identify whether the content is: created for a specific audience, is trustworthy and credible, satisfies the needs of the searcher, and demonstrates expertise in the field. All content must satisfy these parameters for Google to determine that it is helpful for consumers.
When does it launch?
Google’s Helpful Content update rollout started on 25th August 2022, with the full rollout taking place within two weeks. The rollout got completed on 9th September 2022. At the moment, the Helpful Content Update targets English-language searches globally, with plans to expand to other languages in the future. Additionally, the update only targets Google search, with additional products, like Google Discover, slated for coverage in the coming months.
What type of content does it impact?
Google’s helpful content update is a site-wide algorithm, meaning that a website’s content will get affected if the algorithm identifies a high amount of unhelpful content on your site. Unlike previous updates that targeted specific pages, the helpful content update could impact the whole site, if a high percentage of unhelpful content is identified in it. While the new update does not target a specific niche, Google points out that content focusing on arts and entertainment, shopping, technology, and online education materials, will bear the brunt of the changes. This is because Google notes that the majority of the content written in these fields has primarily been written to rank well in search results over being educative to humans.
However, Google adds that the new algorithm does not invalidate SEO best practices. Rather, it seeks to eliminate any content that ranks well due to SEO but does not contain helpful content for consumers.
From a content creator’s perspective, the trouble with Google’s Helpful Content Update is that it could penalize your page for not providing enough information and content. Is there a way to conform to Google’s expectations and keep your website ranking high on search engines?
Google’s Advice for Content Creators
1. Create people-centric content
The helpful content update seeks to promote satisfying content for visitors, such that any audience consuming the content feels satisfied afterward. Usually, content creators will focus on getting search engine optimized content, usually compromising on the quality of information conveyed. The helpful content update seeks to promote quality in addition to optimization, recommending content that meets the audience’s needs. Additionally, you need to create content that is suitable to your existing audience, or intended target audience, such that they do not require supplementary research to satisfy their needs.
2. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of content material
Your content should demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, under the new guidelines, if it is to get recommended first to audiences. Currently, content creators often seek to maximize the amount of content produced, choosing quantity over quality. Usually, by posting often, the content creator will maximize the probability of their content getting viewed by potential audiences. However, the content will often be low quality, due to the low amount of research conducted prior to publishing. In these instances, the content creator will inevitably give inaccurate or incomplete data to their audiences. The helpful content update seeks to solve this issue by prioritizing content from content creators demonstrating a high level of competence. Content creators get expected to show high levels of knowledge regarding their subject, and this will get judged by reviewing the levels of accuracy demonstrated in the content.
3. Focus on specific topics
Most content creators are a “Jack of all trades, master of none.” As content creators seek to increase their reach, they will often seek to write about a variety of topics from various fields, seeking to gather an audience interested in those subjects. However, in an attempt to appeal to all audiences, they often miss out on the opportunity to develop a loyal audience. Audiences will not take any content creator who does not demonstrate acute expertise in one field, seriously, since they feel that they do not demonstrate enough confidence to post about a single subject. Additionally, as content creators write about multiple subjects, they will often not conduct adequate research on each topic or subject, usually leaving their audiences dissatisfied with the quality of their work. The helpful content update seeks to improve audience satisfaction by recommending content from creators demonstrating expertise in their craft. One way creators can demonstrate expertise is by sticking to one subject, providing as much information as they can about the subject, and effectively answering their audience’s questions. As such, Google’s algorithms will determine this as helpful content and prioritize it in search results and recommendations.
4. Have a purpose
Audiences resonate better with creators who have a clear sense of purpose with their content. The content could be for entertainment, education, or leisure, but the audiences will show a greater response to content from creators who know what they are doing. Having a purpose accompanies sticking to a specific topic, where the content creator can demonstrate their prowess regarding the subject. When a reader encounters articles from a writer who consistently demonstrates a firm grasp of the field, they are more likely to view any subsequently published content. Further, the audience will develop loyalty toward a content creator who can demonstrate a specific long-term plan. Many audiences will view content regarding a specific topic either to satisfy their curiosity or to learn from the content creator regarding the topic. Therefore, a content creator should organize their content in a manner that provides cumulative satisfaction to their audiences. The helpful content update will prioritize content with the potential to provide existing and new audiences with appropriate knowledge regarding the topic.
Conclusion
Content creators should use Google’s Helpful Content Update to their advantage and create content that helps them rank more efficiently in search engines and exceed customer expectations. If you have questions about how to generate quality content that is appropriate for your audience, which satisfies their needs, and demonstrates expertise in a certain field, contact a professional SEO company like Agetake Kreatives today at info@agetakekreatives.co.ke.