We’ve seen not just one, but two Google algorithm updates in the space of two weeks. So, what do you need to know about the “Helpful Content Update” and “September 2022” core algorithm update?
On 25th August 2022, Google began rolling out their ‘Helpful Content Update’. Shortly after, on 12th September 2022, an additional Google Broad Core Update was announced. In contrast to the former, the latter has already created quite a stir. Search Engine Journal reports that some webmasters have seen 20-60% drops in traffic since the rollout.
Danny Sullivan, Google’s Public Liaison for Search, has elaborated on how both updates impact each other, saying: Helpful Content is weighted, so sites on the edge might not see issues. But if they also have Core Update issues, the combo might be more significant.
Shaken to the core?
Core updates often cause a commotion, with businesses seeing major shifts in overall organic SEO performance. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, one thing to remember is that the Helpful Content Update and Core Update are not linked and run on different scoring systems - so isolate where your issues are before starting to make changes. However, if it’s more that neither one is having a major effect but the combined impact of the two has affected your SEO rankings, it’s time for a systematic review of your content.
A typical core update reaches far and wide, creating impact quickly and for many websites. This one impacts Google discover, snippets and much more. If you’ve been hit by it, we’d recommend reading Google's core update advice.
There are limited findings or guidelines regarding the September Core Update just yet, so we’ve focused the rest of this article on the ‘Helpful Content Update’. Watch this space for more on the September Core Update.
Helpful guidance on the helpful update
For B2B businesses, organic Google search creates an important flow of traffic to website content, helping to raise brand awareness and generate leads.
So what do you need to know about the new Helpful Content Update - and should you be rethinking your content strategy to maximise on the opportunity it creates?
What is the Helpful Content Update?
The Helpful Content Update is an algorithm update which introduces a new ranking signal (more on that later). The aim is to devalue content written primarily for search engines not users, and allow genuinely helpful content to rank more highly in searches.
Is the Helpful Content Update a good thing?
Yes. Put simply, the new algorithm takes a people first approach that aims to satisfy a user’s search purpose and provide genuinely valuable information. It means that Google users will get to the information they need more quickly, without having to sift through pages of ‘click bait’ and that brands creating genuinely useful content on their specialist topic stand a better chance of rising up in the Google Rankings. If you’re providing high quality, engaging content that demonstrates a subject-matter expertise, you have nothing to fear.
How will the new ranking signal work?
The new algorithm being introduced by the Helpful Content Update will assess a website’s content quality as a whole. For example, if a website has a relatively high amount of unhelpful, low quality content, or covers topics that deviate from the core expertise areas, it risks lowered rankings. On the flip side, if your website is packed full of well written and well organised content, you should be able to achieve better visibility in relevant Google searches.
It’s time to assess how helpful your content is
For B2B businesses, now is the ideal time to conduct a content audit; to assess how ‘helpful’ your content is and how well it is likely to perform on Google once the update is fully rolled out. To help with this, Google has released a set of diagnostic questions. Key among them are:
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The most important tip Google provides on what not to do is: Are you mainly summarising what others have to say without adding much value?
What we can conclude from this is that Google is moving towards more strict implementation of their already existing EAT methodology: the requirement for websites to demonstrate Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
For B2B businesses with a wealth of industry expertise at their fingertips, adding value on specialist topics should be a relatively easy thing to achieve. Work closely with copywriters and content specialists, they can help you turn expert opinion into helpful, highly readable and shareable content.
The new algorithm update means that excellent website ‘hygiene’ is going to become critical, as is ongoing production of up to date, relevant and informative content. The practice of packing a website with keywords without thinking about the reader’s needs - in an effort to secure higher rankings and click through rates - is thankfully being relegated to the history books (or history blogs).
How can B2B businesses benefit from the Helpful Content Update?
If you would like to give your business a chance to benefit from the Helpful Content Update, our advice is to start taking action now. Auditing your website content can be time consuming and for B2B businesses, getting a refreshed content strategy in place may require time from multiple stakeholders. It won’t be long before we all start to feel the effect of the new Helpful Content Update and when it kicks into action, businesses providing excellent content that demonstrates a specialist knowledge in their field will be well placed to benefit from the new algorithm update. To get better Google SEO results, you’ll need to:
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focus on creating content that puts your target audience first
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avoid creating content solely for search engines
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avoid talking about topics that you don’t have expertise in
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avoid prescribing a number of keywords that must be included; focus on fulfilling the purpose of the search instead.
Is keyword research dead?
No. We don’t believe keyword research is now redundant. The primary purpose of conducting this research is to establish market demand and search trends; it helps us to assess the competitive environment and shape an effective content marketing strategy. It also acts as a thought-provoking alignment exercise between digital and content teams. For some businesses, the difference will come with how the research is used, but if you’re already using it to guide the creation of genuinely helpful content, the value of keyword research will remain the same.
Need to rethink your content and SEO strategy? We can help. Contact the Pod’s B2B specialist marketing team today and let’s talk through your ideas.
