Google's Helpful Content Update – 3 Things You Need to Know

Include Real-Life Situations and First Hand Knowledge 

We’ve all seen articles with product reviews that are peppered with affiliate links. They’re everywhere these days. And you’ve probably asked yourself, “Did this person really try 13 different brands of shampoo/motor oil/beef jerky?” or whatever it is they’re reviewing. The answer is, probably not. 

In most cases, the people writing these articles (best case scenario) did some cursory online research about the products they’re reviewing or (worst case scenario) they’re just making it up as they go along. In either case, the information they’re providing isn’t helpful. It’s there simply to get you to click on the affiliate links. 

This kind of content is completely opposite to the content Google wants for its users. 

Google is looking for content with true life experiences, first-hand knowledge, personal anecdotes, and authenticity that’s helpful and engaging. Websites with this kind of “real” content will be favored by Google’s bots and will ultimately rank higher in searches. 

But wait a minute, I don’t write my own website copy. I pay someone to do that for me. 

That’s okay. The point is not that you are personally creating all the content. The idea is that your expert knowledge and experience is imparted in the content.  

You don’t have to write all your content yourself, but you do need to share plenty of valuable, real-world information with the person who is writing it. 

Stay on Topic 

Another key feature of the helpful content update is a focus on content subject matter. 

Your content should always focus on your area of expertise—your company’s niche. Straying too far from your niche is harmful in two ways. First, it’s probably not helpful for your audience. Second, Google’s algorithm may assume your content was created simply to rank in any kind of search, and that’s a no-no. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t create content around all the services your company provides, it simply means you should focus on what’s relevant to your business. If you’re a kitchen and bath remodeler, it makes sense to create content that’s all about kitchen and bath remodeling and everything that entails. It doesn't make a lot of sense to include content about repaving driveways, landscaping services, or replacement garage doors, even if some of your customers might also be interested in those services. 

Google’s new update will put even more weight behind content that’s on topic, devaluing content that’s all over the place. 

Focus on User Experience 

You’ll find many references to user experience throughout our blog. That’s because—current Google update notwithstanding—it's extremely important. Google has always favored websites with a user-friendly layout and easy navigation.  

In this case, however, it’s not just about the visual design of your site and how easy it is to find the menu. The helpful content update means Google’s bots will start looking closer at how your content flows on the page, if there are an appropriate number of relevant images accompanying the content, and if the content is laid out in a logical way. 

If your webpage contains an 800-word block of text with no images, the reader is not going to find that very appealing and neither will Google.

The same rules apply as before this new update: Websites with helpful content and a great user experience will rank higher than less user-friendly sites.