Search Engine Results Pages (also known as “SERPs” or “SERPs”) are Google’s response to a user’s search query. SERPs tend to include organic search results, paid Google Ads results, Featured Snippets, Knowledge Graphs, and video results.
Quick Overview of the Google Helpful Content Update :
Google rolled out helpful content update starting August 25th, 2022, in a process that would last around two weeks. As with any major update to its search algorithm, Google’s Helpful Content Update caused quite a stir and its fair share of confusion.
Targeted Content/Websites
The only major update to Google’s search algorithm in 2022, the Helpful Content Update, is designed to “better reward” content that meets a user’s expectations. In other words, if your content answers the question that led a user to it – it was helpful – then it’s likely to perform better in Google’s SERPs.
In Google’s own words:
“People-first content creators focus first on creating satisfying content, while also utilizing SEO best practices to bring searchers additional value.”
Applicable area
The helpful content system is a crucial part of Google’s automated ranking systems, designed to ensure that people see original, high-quality content in search results.
By doing so, the system encourages the creation of content written by people, for people, rather than content primarily designed to attract clicks.
The upcoming update, as per Google’s announcement, is set to enhance the system’s understanding of content created from a personal or expert point of view.
This implies a more sophisticated ability to evaluate the expertise and authenticity of content, which will allow it to rank more of this useful information on Search.
Language
This latest Google algorithm update will – for the moment – only impact English language content, but it will most likely be expanded into other languages in the future.
Sitewide
It uses a site-wide signal to evaluate content, distinguishing between content that offers a satisfying experience to visitors and content that falls short of users’ expectations.
By doing so, the system encourages the creation of content written by people, for people, rather than content primarily designed to attract clicks.Importantly, the helpful content update is a sitewide change that could impact the performance of your entire website.So, for example, If you have a site with 500 blog posts and 50 of them are considered “unhelpful”, it could negatively impact the performance of your entire website.
Refreshes
Use the Refresh Outdated Content tool to have Google update search results for pages or images that no longer exist, or pages that have deleted important (sensitive or critical) content.
Use this tool if…
- you do not own the web page pointed to by Google. (If you own the page, you can ask Google to recrawl the page or hide the page.) AND
- the page or image no longer exists or is significantly different from the current version of the page or image.
Feedback
Google addresses reports that the helpful content update has a minimal impact on search results, reminding everyone it’s still rolling out.
After one week into the launch of the helpful content update, there’s a growing consensus that it’s not producing any major changes.
What SEO Experts says about Google Helpful Content Update
Here are 5 sites that appear to be affected by the Helpful Content Update IDK what makes the lyrics/grammar sites that much less helpful than their top-ranking counterparts; the content is virtually the same. Perhaps more aggressive ads/more affiliate links/worse UX?
Who will impacted by Google help ful update content
Updates to Google’s helpful content system updates have significant implications for publishers.
To avoid negative impact, sites are advised to remove unhelpful content and focus on creating helpful, reliable, and people-first content.
Google’s classifier, which identifies unhelpful content, runs continuously, monitoring newly-launched and existing sites.
The announcement from Google states:
“In addition to making it easier to find authentic perspectives, we’re also improving how we rank results in Search overall, with a greater focus on content with unique expertise and experience.
Helpful information can often live in unexpected or hard-to-find places: a comment in a forum thread, a post on a little-known blog, or an article with unique expertise on a topic.”
Why does Google content update is Quiet on Impact
The impact of Google’s helpful content update may appear minimal because the intent is to refine the signal over time.
Sullivan explains:
“Update isn’t done. It’s also part of a continuing effort, as we’ve explained. We’ll keep refining how it works. Directionally, the guidance we’ve given is what SEOs and creators should be considering.”
How to monitor the impact on your Website Result during the helpful Update Roll Out
Massive movements in search results occur regularly, and they are nothing but signs of a possible change in Google’s search engine algorithm. Since SEO requires continuous effort, you should keep track of these Google search updates to evaluate if your site has performed well or declined after each update.
1 – Continuously monitoring ranking of your Website
2 – Continuously analyzing traffic of your Website Statistacally
Does the helpful content update algorithm updates have any Penalty
This update itself will work as a penalty.
Google has not mentioned any penalty but if you get hit by this google helpful update then, it is itself a penalty for you.
The penalty can be in the form of:
- Your site ranking will be dropped
- Your site pages will be penalized.
- If your page has copyright content and they have reported your content, then your page will be penalized. Along with it, the backlinks which have been attached to the other pages will also be banned/penalized.
Google Helpful Content Update Guidelines: Inves in Future
Focus on people-first content
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.
Improve Content Quality And Creadibility With First-Hand Expertise
When it comes to creating helpful content, it’s important to have first-hand expertise.
In other words, don’t just regurgitate information you’ve read elsewhere. Instead, share your own experiences and insights.
Ensure proper content Presentation & Accessibility
Although the number of words in an article is important to avoid offering poor content, there is no exact rule that says how many words an article has to have to rank in Google.
It is more important to satisfy that search by creating useful and complete content for the user than to obsess over the number of words. The most important thing for a long time has been to focus on writing for your audience, something that Google will like and could help to improve rankings.
Improve the Reading Experience
1. Large font
Larger font is easier to read than small font. The font size should be at least 14px, or even 16px.
2. Line height
Line height is the distance between two adjacent lines of text. If there’s more space between the lines, it’s easier to read. The optimal line height is 24px.
3. Contrast between the text and background color
It’s easiest to read black text on white background as the contrast is very stark.
5. Use sub-headlines
Add a sub-headline after every 2 paragraphs or so.
Conclusion
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. Good Content help in ranking on serp when you get seo services.