Staying on top of Google's frequent algorithm updates can feel like an endless game of catch up. But the latest Helpful Content Update makes their priorities clear.

As we’ve discussed before, to provide the best user experience Google needs to meet the searcher’s intent with content that offers true value. Low-quality pages that are optimised for search engines but don’t provide the information users need leads to a poor experience.

We all know how frustrating it is to click on a promising result, only to land on a page that doesn’t answer our question. And with Google playing catch up on AI-powered search and AI chatbots shaking up how people find information, the search giant cannot afford to frustrate its users.

While this update may initially seem like yet another content creation curveball, the name tells us what we need to know. Google wants to surface high-quality, useful, people-first content. This guide will help you do that. Learn what's covered, who's impacted, and most importantly - how to adapt your content strategy.

Breaking Down Google’s Helpful Content Update

Google’s core updates focus on improving the relevance, accuracy, and recency of search results.

Google took steps toward prioritising people-first content in 2013 with its original Search Quality Rating guidelines. In 2014, they introduced two core principles: EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), and YMYL (Your Money or Your Life). These principles stood for eight years before Google tweaked them in December 2022, adding another E (Experience) to EAT.

The Helpful Content Update reinforces these standards. It contributes to Google Search rankings by using machine learning to flags content with little or no value to users - otherwise known as "search engine-first content" or “SEO content.”

Key indicators of search engine-first content pages include:

Regurgitating information from other sources without adding any new analysis or insight.
Purporting to answer questions that don’t actually have an answer. For example, suggesting a release date for a movie or TV show when the creators haven’t made an announcement.
Republishing pages to make them seem more current without making any significant alterations to the content.
Removing older content from a site to make it appear more “fresh”.
Creating pages to chase trends or niche topics that the author does not demonstrate expertise on.

With an understanding of the key aspects of the update, we can start looking at ways to ensure your content strategy is aligned with Google's helpfulness standards.

Understanding the Update’s Impact

For readers wondering whether the update will affect their search rankings, allow us to clear things up with a firm “maybe.” Sadly, there is no SEO crystal ball to help us anticipate how individual sites will fare as the update’s effects settle in over the coming months.

If you’ve been producing content primarily geared toward gaming search engine rankings - or if the algorithm thinks that’s what you’re doing - you will likely see a decline in your site's performance.

However, given you’re reading a B2B marketing article where we regularly advise you to put customers at the center of all you do, it’s a safe bet you’re already making good choices around your content.

For those who have been consistently creating high-quality content for their target audience, this update could be good news. Your content could have a better chance of ranking, as Google's Helpful Content Update aims to spotlight valuable sites that their algorithms might have previously overlooked.

But why leave things to chance? Even if you feel like you’re on a glide-path to success with this update, it’s worth reviewing Google’s helpful guidance to ensure your content aligns with their updated standards.

And if your site’s traffic has been impacted by the update, it’s time to get serious about helpful content.

Review Your Content

Start with a content audit to scrutinise the quality and relevance of your existing material. On its Helpful Content Guidelines page, Google lists several handy questions you can ask yourself as part of a self-audit. Key questions to ask yourself include:

Is there an existing or intended audience for your content?
Is there a primary focus or theme for your site?
Does your content showcase authentic expertise and in-depth understanding, such as firsthand experience?
Will your content leave readers feeling they’ve learned enough about the topic to accomplish what they set out to do?
Will a reader feel a sense of satisfaction after engaging with your content?

Be honest in your assessment: is your content up to the mark in terms of quality and relevance? If not, revise it or remove it.

If the idea of auditing and refreshing your content makes you want to throw your hands up, don’t fret. AI can help you tackle the challenge.

For those of you concerned about a digital hand-slap from Google for using AI, don’t be. The Helpful Content Update makes it clear that using AI to create content won’t be penalised. In its updated guidelines, Google replaced the words “written by people, for people” with “helpful content created for people” when describing ideal search results.

This shift offers a green light for publishing content that leverages AI capabilities smartly. So, put it to work spotting gaps in your content, providing suggestions on how to fill it, and assembling outlines. From there, flex your human experience and expertise to turn that bland AI output into high-quality content that will hook your readers.

The update also includes a page experience element. Google’s guidelines suggest that if your website is stuffed with ads, pop ups, and auto playing videos, you have some work to do. Optimise for usability. Content needs to display well and offer a satisfying user experience on all devices.

Once you’ve completed your audit, commit to creating a people-first content experience. Pivot your content marketing strategies to align with Google's guidelines and refocus on delivering value at every touchpoint.

Craft Content that Delivers Value

When planning your content, put yourself in your customer’s shoes. What’s the first thing you do when you find a page chock full of great information?

Ask yourself if your content passes that test. Would you save it for future reference because it has taught you something new or given you a fresh perspective? Would you share it on LinkedIn or forward it on to a colleague?

Take time to research your customer and understand what they want. Keep your content fresh by regularly analysing industry news and trends. Use these insights to help readers understand what’s new and stay informed. And don’t forget to make sure your content always has a clear point of view or some analysis to add to the discussion. Google has little tolerance for noise.

Remember that your target is a busy human being, not a search engine. Respect their time and attention and avoid superfluous content. Yes, you can get more keywords in if you add a few extra paragraphs, but do those paragraphs add materially to the article and help your reader?

Make people-first content an extension of your brand promise. Show your target audience they’re valued and the search results will follow.

Assess Helpfulness Through the Lens of Intent

A strategic approach to content marketing must be shaped by users’ search intent.

As you fill out your content calendar, think about the queries your prospective customers might have when making a purchase decision. Then leverage comprehensive, human-centric, and purposeful content to meet readers at every stage of the customer journey.

Loading up the top of your funnel with informational blog posts and thinking your job is done is a recipe for disaster. Your content needs to span the research phase and through the decision-making process to educate new customers, or risk attrition as people sense your content thinning.

Not sure how to divine your users’ intent? Thanks to the sheer volume of web searches going on at any given time (Google alone processes an astounding 40,000 search queries every second), search engines can now consider how people are searching to help discern what they’re trying to find.

Google understands that people searching for “sourdough starter” most likely want baking instructions rather than a blog post detailing the history of sourdough bread. Google also uses search intent to determine whether a query for “mercury” should yield information about the planet or the chemical element.

Search intent falls into four major categories: informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial investigation.

Informational intent: Searchers who want to know more about a topic or get an answer to a specific query (although they won’t always formulate their search as a question).
Navigational intent: Searchers who want to visit a specific website or location but either don’t know the exact URL or simply find it easier to search the site’s name than to type the address into their browser.
Transactional intent: Searchers who already know what they want to buy and are just looking for a specific product or landing page to complete their purchase.
Commercial intent: Searchers doing research ahead of a future transaction are typically still weighing options. They’re most likely looking for reviews, case studies, or comparisons.

As a B2B marketer, sharpening your content around those last two is vital. AI is able to answer your customers’ informational requirements in an engaging and conversational format. However, they will still need to find people to supply products and services to address their problems. To win their attention, you’ll need to appear when they’re searching with the intention to buy.

Focus on answering the questions weighing on their minds. How will your organisation help them meet their business goals? What differentiates your product or service from the competition? What technical information do they need to make a decision?

If you’re having trouble answering these questions, consider turning to an AI tool like ChatGPT to build interviewable buyer personas. Engaging in roleplay with an AI creation offers an innovative way to brainstorm and build customer-centric content throughout the customer journey using efficient, relatively inexpensive tools.

Future-Proofing Your Content Strategy

Google's Helpful Content Update might feel like a seismic shift, but in reality, not much has changed. By aligning with Google's focus on what we'd all consider great content, you’ll meet the algorithm's criteria and offer a superior user experience that can help differentiate you in a crowded playing field.

Embrace this update as an opportunity to reevaluate and refine your content marketing strategies. This forward-thinking approach lets you get ahead of competitors stuck in the past.

Need help building a comprehensive people-first content strategy? Let’s have a chat about how aligning your content goals with this new update can put you on the path to SERP success.

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