Google, the popular search engine, is making changes to how it handles helpful content. This new Helpful Content Update is set to roll out over the next two weeks, starting from September 2023. This is the first significant update to the helpful content system since December 2022.
What’s the Update About?
Google is enhancing its system that identifies and promotes helpful content. This update aims to make the system better at understanding content from a personal or expert perspective. Google wants to emphasize content with unique expertise and experience, giving it a higher ranking in search results.
Key Changes and Details
Google is providing clearer guidance on hosting third-party content and what to do after a helpful content system update. They’ve also included information on removing content or modifying publication dates to ensure content remains helpful and reliable for users.
One interesting change is that Google is no longer specifying content as “written by people.” Instead, they emphasize content being created for people, suggesting that AI-generated content is acceptable if it’s genuinely helpful.
Digging Deeper Helpful Content Update
Google had hinted at this update in May, mentioning that it would enable the system to better understand content created from a personal or expert perspective. They also mentioned a focus on ranking results with unique expertise and experience.
However, Google clarified that this update is not the culmination of all their improvements in this area; more enhancements are on the horizon.
Responding to the Update
If this update affects your content’s visibility or ranking, Google provides a set of questions to help you evaluate if your content aligns with the update’s criteria. Adapting to this update may take some time, but making the necessary changes to your content is essential.
The Purpose of the Helpful Content Update
Google’s objective is to reduce the prevalence of content created solely to rank well in search engines. They want to reward high-quality, useful content written for people, not just to please search algorithms. This aligns with their ongoing effort to enhance content quality and authenticity in search results.
Why is This Important?
If you’re a website owner, any significant changes in your Google search ranking or visibility in the coming weeks might be due to this update. Understanding the update’s implications and making appropriate adjustments to your content could lead to improved rankings and visibility over time.
Stay updated with Google’s advice and implement changes as needed, with the hope of seeing a positive trend in your search ranking and visibility following this update. Stay informed and keep improving your content to benefit from these updates.
Read more SEO articles here
