Google Helpful Content Update: 5 Things to Know

Earning high search engine rankings is the most sought-after digital marketing practice. It is considered more reliable than paid promotions because search engines generate these results organically. However, Google ranks those websites on the first page of its search results that offer trustworthy, expert and authoritative content. Over the years, the tech giant has reiterated that it prefers valuable content for users.

Therefore, it has introduced the helpful content update that provides high ranking to websites, offering users a satisfying experience. It was rolled out first in 2022 and again in September 2023 with an improved classifier. It has created a stir among SEO professionals in Gold Coast because of the variations in rankings. Let us understand Google’s latest helpful content update to stay on top of search results. It is necessary to abide by the tech company’s update to maintain online visibility and reputation.

1. Google Changes Stance on AI-Generated Content

In the previous helpful content update, Google mentioned that the automated ranking system prefers content written by and for people. However, the latest update removed this part and mentioned that helpful content must be created for people in search results. So, the tech company will rank content that is not meant to gain a higher ranking but is created to help people with valuable information.

Also, Google wants the content written and reviewed by experts to make it high-quality. However, it should not have jargon and must be written straightforwardly. According to SEO experts Gold Coast, removing or adding content if the ranking has been hit is not the right move. Make the content people-centric, original and authoritative to stay in the top results.

2. Focus on User Experience

The content on the website should offer a seamless reading experience to visitors. If the site has ads, it needs to create a balance between text, images and advertisements. The pages must load quickly and should be optimised for mobile phones. The ads should also load quickly and should not affect content visibility. The pages should not have too many ads that disturb reading and must avoid interstitials and dialogs. The pages must have good Core Web Vitals for a better user experience.

Blogs and long articles should have jump links or a table of contents at the beginning of the page to help the visitors find information quickly. In addition, SEO experts in Gold Coast insist on using succinct posts. An extensive word count is not a ranking factor, and unnecessary information will be considered irrelevant by Google. It is better to focus on providing knowledgeable content that adds value rather than writing lengthy blogs to gain traction.

3. Google Update on Third-Party Content

Websites hosting third-party content on their sites or subdomains must ensure that it is blocked from getting indexed by Google if it is not related to the business. It helps the search engine to know that the content is not a part of the main site. Also, it is better to remove it because the tech company suggests hosting business-related information on the website.

This amendment in the latest update will stop businesses from renting out their subdomains and subdirectories to third parties that showcase low-quality content. These third parties are micro-sites with unworthy and dubious content that wish to get ranked on Google.

4. Create High-Quality Content

To rank high on the search engine results page, look at the analytics and identify the demographics and psychographics of the target audience. The content posted on the site should be created for these users and must have the keywords they often use for searching for information online. Instead of providing the same information available on other sites in a different language, content writers must showcase their expertise.

They need to offer first-hand experiences and insights that they identified from their rich experience. It helps to write original and specialised content that the users need. Also, focus on your area of expertise. Do not delve into a variety of topics to generate rankings. Stay true to the purpose of the website and use the latest information. The old content must be updated as well to make it useful for the readers.

5. Do Not Fake Freshness

Websites that the update has impacted are removing old content and adding new content to rank higher. However, Google suggests against random changes. It has recommended self-assessment of the existing content to identify irrelevant and outdated information that needs to be removed.

The focus should be on creating reliable and helpful content for the target audience. In addition, effective content marketing can help build brand authority and become thought leaders in the industry. The information should satisfy the needs of the visitors by providing educative and informative content that is interesting to read. It must be factually correct and current. It should answer all their questions and must be to the point.

Wrapping Up

Google’s helpful content update will affect businesses utilising SEO in Gold Coast to stay on the top of search results. However, they can retain their positions by following the guidelines and providing their audience with usable, immersive, high-quality, authoritative, original and valuable content.