Google’s search algorithm is constantly updated–it’s essentially a living being, always being refined by developers and learning from the content it consumes. But you know this already. What you need to know today is that Google is currently rolling out a larger update meant to have a noticeable shift in how content is cataloged and ranked by Google Search.
Called the “Helpful Content Update,” this algorithm update started rolling out in late August and finished in mid-September and is aimed at pushing web pages to start offering content that is more appealing to the human beings that use Google Search as opposed to the algorithm itself. If that sounds odd, we get it–after all, what does a search algorithm possibly do if not reward and validate content that best matches its algorithmic standards?
What is Google’s Helpful Content Update?
The truth is, there’s more to it than that. Google has always been trying to refine Search into a tool that gives the most useful information to the real-life humans that visit these pages, and SEO experts have always followed closely behind, optimizing web pages in order to rank highly in Search queries. As technology has advanced and the algorithm has grown more capable of nuance, Google has been able to constantly mold Search to reward the websites that provide content that people genuinely want to see or find useful while deprioritizing web pages that try to “trick” or “game” the algorithm into ranking them highly without providing any type of useful service or information to actual Search users.
To that end, the Helpful Content Update is just another step in that perpetual quest, albeit a larger step than usual. SEO experts have known for a long time now the power of “content marketing,” or writing informative articles/blog posts that serve to draw in clicks to a company’s website in the hopes that visitors will see the author as a trusted source and use that company’s products or services in the future.
But content marketing can also lead to a lot of garbage search results–everything from clickbait articles that contain zero information to blog posts that just regurgitate information better shared elsewhere or that is completely unrelated to the company that posted it. The Helpful Content Update refines the Search algorithm to deprioritize those sorts of spammy search results that offer little in the way of useful info, and rank higher the web pages that offer genuinely helpful and informative resources.
Why should I care about Google’s Helpful Content Update?
As a Google Search user, it means you should find better results in your searches. Fewer clickbait-y headlines, fewer listicles that serve no purpose other than to cash in on search trends, fewer “information” articles that feel like they were written by robots (because they actually were written by automated algorithms themselves). Hopefully, an altogether more pleasant and useful search experience!
As a business owner or operator, you should care about Google’s Helpful Content Update because it may affect how you write content for your website. Whereas before you could crank out pages and articles that were, well… just alright, but if they had the right keywords or were focused on a popular search topic, you could rank pretty well. But now, you’ll want to double-down on making sure that everything on your website is helpful to your site visitors in some way. Whether that be more in-depth write-ups of topics related to your business, or interesting blog posts that give information your customers (and potential customers) are searching for, you need to make sure your site content is more relevant, written more naturally, and more genuinely useful than ever before.
Google’s Search On 22 event can help you learn more about the Helpful Content Update
Want to learn more about how Google’s Search platform is changing and evolving, especially with such major updates rolling out this year? Look no further than Search On 2022, an annual virtual event taking place on September 28th, 2022 that will help Search users and business operators learn everything they can about the ways Search is updating and how to best approach these new changes.
The goal is to introduce you to and inform you about the updates in a way that will help your business navigate the changes successfully, or help you as a Search user better utilize the platform to your advantage. To make sure you don’t forget about #SearchOn 2022, learn more and add the event to your calendar here.
How to navigate Google’s algorithm changes
Like we said at the top of the page, Google’s Search algorithm is constantly changing and updating. It isn’t just with rollouts like the Helpful Content Update; the algorithm shifts and changes subtly every single day. While many SEO practices continue to be helpful, the truth is that most people simply don’t have the time and energy to keep up with all the best practices.
This is a shame because strong SEO can provide one of the best returns on investment for any small or local business owner. Having not only an attractive and informative website, but one that is optimized to be found by your target audience can make the difference between scraping together next month’s payroll and expanding your business to heights you hadn’t yet imagined.
If you’re not the master of SEO (no shame; it’s almost certainly not the subject that attracted you to entrepreneurship), it can be beneficial to bring in those that live and breathe Google to help your business make the most of this powerful and ever-present platform. Whether you just learned the term SEO or are looking to bring your business to the next level, Skol Marketing’s team is here to help. For one-on-one guidance or to discuss how we can help your company find your audience on Google, please don’t hesitate to contact the local SEO experts at Skol Marketing.
