Internet users only want to find information that actually addresses their questions when they conduct a Google search. But up until this point, the accuracy of this information was frequently questioned.
In a qualitative approach, in order to prioritize relevant and original content to the detriment of pages created solely to obtain good results in search engines, the Mountain View firm has updated Helpful Content.
In this sense, website owners and managers who want to strengthen or improve their positioning should work to increase the quality of their pages by fixing any issues identified by Google's recently updated algorithm.
Good to know :
Customers and web users who perceived the content they used as relevant were:
- Almost 3 times more likely to report achieving their goals than users who felt the content was only somewhat relevant;
- More than 8 times more likely to report achieving their goals than users who felt the content was not relevant.
(Source : https://review.content-science.com/content-relevance-and-usefulness-why-you-need-it-and-4-ways-to-achieve-it/)
What is Helpful Content's role?
Helpful Content is an algorithm that favors "human-centered content," i.e., content that is relevant and useful, while devaluing content produced solely for SEO. It makes it easier to find content quickly:
- Created for a specific audience;
- Which highlight the author's expertise;
- Trustworthy and credible;
- Which meet the desires or needs of Internet users..
Since its update, more than just the contents have been sorted. The entire website that offers them is of interest to Helpful Content as well. Therefore, the algorithm impacts every page.
Focus on Helpful Content update
Danny Sullivan, Google's user spokesperson sums it up, "This ranking update will ensure that unoriginal and low-quality content does not rank well in search, and our testing has shown that it will particularly improve results related to online education, as well as arts and entertainment, shopping and technology-related content."
The Google Search Central blog reports that this update introduces a (additional) site-wide page ranking signal, regardless of whether the site has just been launched or has been around for a while.
The objective is to automatically identify, and therefore degrade the referencing of several types of content:
- The ones that are not very interesting;
- Low value added ;
- Which are not particularly useful for Internet users looking for information.
A challenge for websites where published information fluctuates between relevance and valuelessness.
How to know the Google ranking of a website?
Website managers and owners can check their website's Google ranking using a number of tools:
Google Search Console
The Performance tab allows you to sort the ranking information by period and displays the results in a graph.
SEMrush
The "Organic Search" module of this paid tool not only allows you to analyze the positioning of a website, but also to know its main competitors, in order to be inspired by their contents or their content and gain in quality.
Ahrefs
Its "Organic keywords" module allows you to quickly see the number of backlinks, outbound links, paid searches, etc.
SERPWatcher
The SERP Checker feature of the SEO Tools tool allows users to check a website's Google ranking.
RankWatch
The Resources & Free tools allow you to check the basic parameters of a site.
SearchMetrics
This tool has a few free modules that allow you to know the SEO rank, the PPC rank, the main organic keywords, the competitors, as well as the linked pages of a website.
Improve the SEO of a degraded site by Helpful Content
How to improve the performance of a site whose SEO has been degraded following this Helpful Content update? The signal that the algorithm emits is applicable for several months, explains Google, so the owners of sites caught in default have enough time to improve the situation by :
- Analyzing the website's SEO data using Google Console;
- Monitoring the competition;
- Studying the questions asked by Internet users;
- Using social media.
For :
- Delete unnecessary content;
- Focus on human-centered content that provides a positive experience for users;
- Avoid publishing content specially created to please search engine standards.
An update of Helpful Content in several steps
The algorithm for determining helpful content is updated in stages, starting with the English-speaking countries. Regarding the Francophone community, no precise date or time has been announced.
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