Google’s search ranking algorithm is a constantly changing mass of code, sometimes making it difficult for website owners to keep up. What Google deems important for one update can soon be superseded by another factor just a few months later. Similar to how last year’s core update focused more on load speed, the newest algorithm update (August 2022) is shifting focus to content and what users will be reading on your website. In this month’s Vortex Marketing blog, we’ll go over the major changes and how to get your content ready!
What Exactly is This Update?
According to Google, to better help people connect with helpful information, they have dubbed this version the “Helpful Content Update”. It is part of a larger effort to push more original, helpful content written by actual people, not AI, towards the top of the search results and in front of users.
For most website owners, this sounds like a no brainer, but for those not in the know, there has been a recent surge of AI-powered programs writing masses of content to try and game the system. This is Google’s response to that, pushing content written by humans for humans to the forefront.
How Should This Change How You Write Your Content?
Google claims that “the helpful content update aims to better reward content where visitors feel they’ve had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn’t meet a visitor’s expectations won’t perform as well.”
This reinforces the age old adage that you should create content for people, not for search engines. While you should include relevant keywords and links, the main goal is to present satisfying content for your end-user. As you are writing content, ask yourself these questions:
- Would your target audience find this information useful?
- Does your content clearly demonstrate first hand expertise and knowledge in your field?
- Is your content unique from other websites in your industry?
- Does your content have a primary focus?
- After reading the content, will your user feel like they’ve learned enough about the topic to achieve their goal?
For most website owners, this update should not significantly affect how you approach content writing. It essentially reinforces Google’s established guidelines on writing useful content that users will want to see.
Join us in next month’s Vortex Marketing Blog, where we will cover pitfalls to avoid getting negatively impacted by the new Helpful Content Update!
Need assistance writing effective content for your website? Want to rank higher in your industry? Visit VortexBusinessSolutions.com today or call 319.621.0191.
