Have you experienced a recent decrease in your blog traffic? Then, you might want to learn about Google's Helpful Content Update.
On September 14 2023, Google launched its Helpful Content Update. It penalized several websites with a search-engine-first approach, causing a significant drop in their organic traffic.
So, what should these websites do to reestablish their lost rankings? And how do you write content that aligns with Google's helpful content update?
Let's find out.
What does Google's helpful content update do?
Google's helpful content update aims to enhance the quality and relevance of SERP results. It does so by penalizing search-engine-first content and rewarding people-first content.
This algorithm update is not the first of its kind. It is a follow-up to Google's August 2022 Helpful Content Update. Yet, that did not have as significant an impact as this one.
How does Google identify helpful content?
Google did not specify any parameters they use to identify helpful content. They use a variety of signals and systems for this purpose.
No one knows what these signals are. Yet, Google stated questions to self-assess whether your content meets their helpful content guidelines.
I went through these questions and tried to interpret the attributes of people-first content. Here is my interpretation:
Stick to your expertise:
Talk about topics that you have an adequate knowledge of. More specifically, the problems you have solved for yourself in the past, for example. Adam Enfroy built his blogging business before teaching people how to do the same through his course, Blog Growth Engine.
Since you have faced the problem, you can help your audience solve it better than anyone else.
Avoid generic content:
Helpful content update requires you to provide information beyond what is already written and published. It should be something you come up with on your own and think will add value to your readers. For example, An original survey, your opinions or findings.
Think about what new you bring to the table.
Avoid Click-bait titles:
Avoid misleading titles that trick readers into clicking through them. Instead, use titles that provide context to the contents of your blogs.
I would recommend crafting titles once you finish writing an article. This way, you can devise better headline ideas.
Further, don't focus on writing one perfect title. Instead, create at least ten titles and send them to your contacts for feedback. Ask them which one they like the best and why.
Use Good Grammar:
Avoid spelling mistakes, wrong word choices, and sloppy sentences. They weigh down your content's excellence.
Proofread your content a day after you finish writing. You'll be surprised at the amount of stuff that serves no purpose. Cut all the sentences, phrases, and clauses that dull your content.
Yet, if you find difficulty proofreading your content, consider hiring a professional.
Stay niche-specific:
Initially, the Helpful Content Update hit websites that were too broad in their content development approach. They failed to establish topical authority and didn't make sense to the algorithm.
These websites would benefit from a careful site audit. They must find out the central problem they solve and narrow their content base accordingly. It may mean deleting out-of-context posts and replacing them with more topic-specific ones.
The more depth you can bring to your content, the better it is for your site's rankings. The key is to stick to one central topic and find cluster content ideas that bring depth to it.
Focus on readability:
Readability implies the ease with which your readers can understand your content. Factors like buzzwords, jargon, and a rhythmless content flow hinder the readability of your piece.
Hemingway Editor is my favourite and one of the best tools for improving content's readability. It highlights hard-to-read sentences and phrases with simpler alternatives.
Further, you would also benefit from reading your content at least twice before publishing. It helps you identify and eliminate words, clauses, and sentences that hinder the rhythm of your text.
Use External Links:
External Links can help you increase the helpfulness of your content. They show Google that your goal is to provide visitors with the best information, even if it requires sending them to another website.
Yet, you must carefully choose the web pages you link to. Make sure that they are trustworthy and have low spam scores. Further, they must expand on the topic of your article and provide added value to your readers.
Finally, if you are worried about the external links increasing your bounce rates, don't. Sending your audience to an authoritative source makes them trust you even more. Contrary to common opinion, external links increase user engagement and on-page time.
Use Internal Links:
Strategic interlinking helps convey topical authority to search engine bots. It helps them navigate from one page to another and identify their relevance to each other. Further, it simplifies navigation for website visitors as well.
Interlinking is vital to a clustered website structure that Google loves so much. The usual norm is to create a pillar page covering a broad topic and interlink it to its cluster pages covering its sub-topics.
Avoid Keyword Cannibalization:
Keyword cannibalization is when you have two articles trying to rank for similar keywords. It makes you look like a search-engine-first website and hinders your SEO score.
One of the best ways to counter this issue is to merge similar pages into one detailed content piece. Further, naturally include your primary keyword and LSI keywords throughout the article. This way, you can significantly improve your website's SEO and avoid any Helpful Content Update penalties.
Avoid Too Many Transactional Keywords:
Transactional keywords are the ones that convey a buying intent. These are the ones that generate sales and make the most of the affiliate income. Yet, their overuse can severely damage user experience and may make your website look unhelpful.
To avoid penalization due to transactional keywords, balance them with informational ones. Maintain a 3:1 ratio and target at least three informational keywords for one transactional. This way, you can come up as helpful and expect a better response from the Helpful Content Update.
Final Words:
The Helpful Content Update is Google's counter to a scattered content development approach. It is prioritizing topical authority over anything else.
So, instead of being attracted to high-volume keywords, focus on bringing depth into your content inventory. Find keywords that help develop a topical authority and provide value to your target audience.
Further, always look for something original to add to your content. Something exclusive to your blog. It can be an expert interview, a thesis, research, your personal opinions or analysis. In other words, extend the limits beyond what is already written and published.
Ayush is a marketing copywriter with over five years of experience and an editor at Excelatwriting. He excels in crafting compelling narratives and helping business grow their organic traffic. When he is not writing, you can find him dabbling at chess
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