As we head into September and begin to prepare for quarter four, it’s important to look at how the digital marketing landscape continues to change and how that can have an impact on the way we work. One big change we have seen recently is Google’s new ‘Helpful Content Update’ which is set to reward websites with more user-focused content.
Google’s ‘Helpful Content Update’
The most highly anticipated change that has come about recently is Google’s helpful content update.
Released at the end of August, Google’s new algorithm update is set to focus on rewarding user-focused content that aims to help the user, rather than content solely written for search engines.
What Will The Helpful Content Update Aim To Do?
Google published a breakdown of what the update will likely mean for existing and future content going forward, but we’ve put together a condensed version of the information here.
In simple terms, people-first content will mean:
- Creating a website that has a primary purpose and focus.
- Creating content that is genuinely useful for your users and is relevant to them and your brand.
- Demonstrating in-depth expertise to the user and showing them that you know what you’re talking about.
- Making sure your users leave your site feeling they have learnt something about your chosen topic and feel like they’ve had a valuable experience.
How Will This Update Affect My Work?
This might leave you thinking ‘what does this mean for my existing content?’. Google has also addressed what kind of content will also be penalised. This includes:
- Content that is explicitly written for search engines.
- Articles and content that are written about different, unrelated topics to your brand, in an attempt to rank for anything on Google.
- Content that doesn’t give the reader any value and is only produced because it is trending, not because it is relevant to your brand.
- If you reader is leaving your site feeling unfulfilled with the information they have received and feel like they need to Google their questions again.
- Content that tricks a reader into thinking they will get an answer, but in reality, they don’t.
Based on the information Google has provided, it seems that they just want to ensure that users are actually accessing the information that they want, and are trying to improve user satisfaction by giving them helpful and relevant site links.
To figure out how this update really affects clients, we will have to wait some weeks to see if there are any major changes in client performance. Until then, it is simply a case of making sure client content is focused with its customers in mind.
Get In Touch!
If you’d like to speak to us about Google’s new update, or any other digital marketing services we offer here at Blue Digital, get in touch with us!