“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”
Leo Burnett (Advertising Executive)
Google’s Helpful Content Update has finally rolled out, and our content creators couldn’t be more excited about it. Is it a game changer? Even though it is not considered a core update, it may significantly impact existing website content, the way they rank in SERPs (search engine results pages), and, most importantly – how content would need to be created from now on. The Internet is overflowing with information about this update. And there are few very important things we would like to point out about it in this article.
Google announced its helpful content algorithm update last week but made it official on August 25, 2022. The announcement states that it would take about two weeks for the update to settle in. And although it is for Google Search and in English only, it is possible to transfer to Google Discover and other Google surfaces, as well as for other languages.
In the spirit of this “people-first” algorithm update, here we will provide additional information for our precious readers and include our opinion on what this means and what could come next. After all, this update is all about providing helpful, original content, knowledge through individual first-hand experience with products and services, personal opinions, thoughts, and suggestions that would be of value to searchers.
This new change will not diminish working SEO content creation strategies and solutions but upgrade them and make content more human-focused, providing searchers value through information. At Canesta, we work tirelessly to implement creative and long-term successful SEO strategies, so that websites offer their visitors information crafted with the primary focus on first-hand expertise. Our goal is to attract our clients’ website visitors, who are looking for this type of information already. With Google’s new update, our unique creative content will become even more valuable. Now, let’s see what this update means for the industry.
What Does This Update Include?
It seems that the new Google Helpful Content Update will be people-first, which means that content creation will have to focus primarily on giving valuable information to people, as opposed to adjusting and “regurgitating” existing information. From now on, content creators would include original ideas and opinions with a human-first approach, even though they would still focus on SEO tactics and techniques. The content will rank well on the SERPs if it targets humans and offers them helpful information. The update is primarily focused on tutorials, art, and technical content, but it is not limited only to those topics.
Although there’s no mention of a penalty for websites that don’t match the new criteria for this update, it is important to note that the new algorithm will have a sitewide influence. And for site owners, it would mean that the whole website would be affected by the change.
If a website is “hit” by this update, it could take a few months to recover after refreshing and adjusting the content on the site according to the new algorithm and gaining its validity.
What Does This Update Represent?
When commenting on the new Helpful Content Update, Google stated that this change is “an ongoing effort to reduce low-quality content and make it easier to find content that feels authentic and useful in Search.” That means that content creation will now have to focus on people first. Before, when content creators aimed at gaining website traffic, they had to focus a lot on the content, being Search engine-friendly.
Now, the quality of the content will have to step up and provide that “extra” people are seeking.
Before this update, content that had been search-engine-first would rank well, but when visitors would open it, they would see that they just read content created to rank higher in the SERPs and get frustrated. They often didn’t find the information helpful or saw it was the same as something else, without any additional value.
Now, Google is asking content creators to stick to their expertise and publish articles with a human-first approach. It’s asking them to provide originality, new points of view, summary, understanding, and personal experience. Written content would require in-depth knowledge, focus, attention, creativity, and extensive research to offer the visitors something new, different, and exciting and add that little extra with a personal touch.
What do Our Content Creators Think about This Update?
This algorithm doesn’t aim to downgrade SEO content. On the contrary, it would make websites provide helpful content, with useful information, designed for humans, above search engines. Our content creators already know that value is a priority. We create content that matters, and we write with passion. We know that customers look for products that make them feel a certain way, and we know that “Great brands sell emotions, not products.”
At Canesta, we aim to create SEO-friendly content, which is deemed helpful to searchers. We combine creativity, passion, ideas, and in-depth knowledge to produce great copy.
That’s why we anticipate Google’s Helpful Content Update, as the inspiration and creativity we have been working with all along will only boost our solid presence. We provide the same value to our clients when crafting their SEO content strategies and solutions.
In the film “The Field of Dreams,” Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) hears the phrase: “If you build it, they will come.” As content creators, we have the same approach. We craft and build websites from the ground up with valuable content and know that quote by heart because “when we build it, visitors come.” By putting our hearts into what we do, we generate more creativity and draw more inspiration. And there is nothing more rewarding for a passionate creator than seeing their hard work paying off and making a difference in the world.
