The new Helpful Content update introduced by Google is being referred to by many in the SEO industry as one of the biggest developments seen in search engines in a decade. Many websites previously generating significant levels of traffic are likely to suffer from the update. In this blog, we’ll tell you if your website is one of them.
The goal of this update, according to Google, is to make the search engine experience easier for the user. Google has changed the way its algorithm works and interacts with websites posting articles, blogs and other pages to answer common search queries, all with the goal of creating the most user-friendly experience when surfing the web.
Primarily, websites posting unnecessary long-winded articles to answer fairly rudimentary questions will be targeted by the Helpful Content update. Gone are the days of searching on Google for something like “What time does the FA Cup final start?” and being bombarded with a page full of feature-length articles with tons of useless words, with the necessary information “The FA Cup final is set to kick off at 3pm” being like a needle in a SEO haystack. If your website produces unnecessarily long articles to answer a short question, it might be affected by the Helpful Content update.
Another important feature of the Helpful Content update is the importance of subject matter experts. Google would like to give precedence to authority figures within a niche. This goes for both your website and your authors. If your website is for your solicitor business, Google is unlikely to favour any content you produce unless it is written from the perspective of a solicitor. Furthermore, Google is now able to identify authority figures within the authors of a website. If you are publishing articles under your name as the owner of your business, Google is likely to favour your pages in search rankings.
A fundamental tip to remember when posting content online is to keep the general search engine user in mind. If you’re unsure whether a Google user will find your content helpful, it might not be worth putting it online.
Here at Engage Web, our content and SEO experts are always on the ball when it comes to the latest developments in search engines, especially Google. If you’re looking for engaging, helpful and successful online content, speak to our professionals today.
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