Google’s “helpful” Content Update – What does it mean for content creators?

Google’s helpful content update was rolled out on 25^th August 2022.

What does that mean for content creators?

Well, for starters, Google will now reward “People-first” content rather than content that is written solely for SEO.

Let’s break it down further to understand what this really means!

Google’s helpful content update – Dos and Donts

1. No more swaying away from the Niche

When creating content solely for the purpose of SEO, content creators would often deflect from the main topic simply because they want to bank on a high-volume keyword.

Let’s say you have a content marketing business, and you bump into an opportunity to capitalize on a high-volume keyword related to website design and development.

While writing about something like that may be helpful to a few, your existing audience that comes to your website expecting something relevant to content marketing is unlikely to find it useful.

Hence, questions to ask yourself before you publish content going forward are:

1. Is my content out there simply because it’s trending, or is it something relevant to my audience?
2. Is the content really relevant to my business and expertise and not just to attract traffic?

2. Write from a place of personal experience or expertise

This gets a little more tricky because Google now wants you to write and publish content from first-hand experience.

The logic is simple.

When you write something you don’t know about or don’t have experience in, the content is not likely to be helpful to anyone.

And if you do write about stuff you know about, then back it up with photos and videos, wherever possible.

So, you might want to ask yourself – Am I adding any value to the content or simply summarizing what others have already written about?

3. Answer the searcher’s questions

What Google means by this is your content should aim to teach or educate your audience.

It should resolve a problem, answer a question, or address a need.

When you write only for search engines, you tend to say a lot without adding any particular value. Google doesn’t want that anymore.

So, Google wants to ensure that you ask yourself –

1. Does my content leave readers to look for more information from other sources?
2. Am I limiting my content to a certain word count because Google prefers it that way? (btw, Google doesn’t have a preferred word count)

4. Stick to facts

Steer clear of writing about things that are unconfirmed or rumored.

With this update, Google is not only cautioning against websites that make claims without substantial facts and evidence, but this is also good advice for establishing trust and confidence with your readers.

Wrapping Up

If you notice some visible ranking changes on Google’s SERP in the next couple of weeks (or months), you know that that’s because of this content update.

In a nutshell, there are three things to consider before you publish your next content.

1. It should be for your audience and relevant to your niche.
2. It should draw from your experience of the product or service
3. It should resolve a problem or address a need.