Google's Helpful Content Update
On 18th August 2022, Google came out with an update on Search Central regarding their upcoming “Helpful Content Update “ set to roll out in the following two weeks. Google stated that this update will be part of their broader effort to ensure that people on their search engine are receiving more original , helpful content written by people and for people.
Google has always emphasized a user-first approach in their core updates in the recent years and this is clear as day and night with the mobile-first indexing approach that launched in 2019. This was as a result of more people using their mobile devices to search the web compared to other devices.
Focus on People-first Content
Google’s Helpful Content Update seeks to rewards content where site visitors have had a satisfying experience and penalising/not promoting content that doesn’t meet this set criteria. This will be possible since Google will be relying on site-wide signals that also include other SEO best practices such as Core Web Vitals e.t.c.
This means that you should focus on creating content that not only appeals to people but also utilizes SEO best practices. Google also provides a list of questions to figure out whether you are creating content tailored towards user satisfaction or search engines.
- Do you have an existing or intended audience that would find your content useful ?
- Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and depth of knowledge ?
- Is the content on your website primarily to attract traffic from the search engines or is it tailored for humans ?
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