How to Recover from a Google Helpful Content Update
Google‘s Helpful Content Update (HCU) has been a hot topic in the SEO world since its initial rollout in 2022. This automated system is designed to identify and prioritize high-quality, valuable content in search results while penalizing websites with unhelpful or low-quality content. As of 2023, Google has released five Helpful Content Updates, each refining and improving the classifier.
For many websites, being hit by a Helpful Content Update can be a daunting experience, leading to significant drops in traffic and search rankings. However, recovery is possible with the right strategy and a focus on creating genuinely helpful content for your audience.
In this article, we‘ll dive into a inspiring case study of a travel website that successfully recovered from the September 2023 Helpful Content Update. Through their experience, we‘ll provide you with eight actionable tips to help you create better content and regain your search rankings after an update. We‘ll also answer some frequently asked questions about the Helpful Content Update and the recovery process.
The Travel Website Case Study
Our case study revolves around a popular travel website that saw a significant drop in traffic and search rankings following the September 2023 Helpful Content Update. After analyzing their content and making strategic improvements, they managed to recover and even surpass their previous performance.
By comparing the website‘s pages before and after the update using web archive history, we identified eight key areas where they made improvements:
1. Enhancing Titles for Specificity and Relevance
One of the first changes the travel website made was to optimize their article titles. For example, a post titled "Best Day Trips" was updated to "21 Best Day Trips in Mexico for 2023". By including a specific number, location, and year, the title becomes more engaging, informative, and relevant to the target audience.
When crafting your own titles, consider using numbers to provide specificity, include relevant locations to target geographic searches, and add the current or upcoming year to showcase the timeliness of your content. These small changes can significantly improve your click-through rates and SEO performance.
2. Personalizing Introductions to Showcase Expertise
The travel website added personal introductions to their articles, allowing authors to share their background and expertise. This helps to build trust and credibility with readers, demonstrating that the content is written by knowledgeable individuals with first-hand experience.
In your own content, consider sharing your relevant background information, highlighting your expertise in the topic, and using a friendly, engaging tone to connect with your audience. This personal touch can go a long way in establishing your content‘s EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), a key factor in Google‘s ranking algorithms.
3. Optimizing Header Images for User Experience
The travel website previously had large, dark header images that pushed the main content below the fold. By removing these distracting images and prioritizing content visibility, they improved the user experience and made it easier for readers to engage with the article.
When selecting header images for your content, choose relevant, high-quality visuals that complement your text without overwhelming it. Avoid large, distracting images that push your main content below the fold, as this can negatively impact user engagement and SEO performance.
4. Minimizing Social Media Icons to Reduce Distractions
Prior to the update, the travel website had prominent social media sharing icons that distracted from the main content. By removing these large icons and keeping the focus on the article, they improved the reading experience and reduced the likelihood of users bouncing from the page.
When incorporating social media icons on your own website, be strategic about their placement and size. While social sharing is important, your primary goal should be to keep users engaged with your content. Avoid using large, distracting icons that draw attention away from your main message.
5. Showcasing Author Expertise with Personal Bios and Images
To further establish EAT, the travel website added personal author bios and authentic travel images to their articles. This allows readers to connect with the authors on a more personal level, increasing credibility and trust in the content.
Consider including professional author photos and brief bios in your own content to showcase your expertise and build a stronger connection with your audience. By highlighting the real people behind your content, you can increase user engagement and demonstrate the authenticity of your information.
6. Improving Navigation with a Table of Contents
The travel website added a table of contents with jump-to-links to their articles, making it easier for users to navigate the content and find the information they need. This improves the user experience and can help to keep readers engaged on the page for longer.
When creating longer articles or guides, consider including a table of contents with links to each main section. This not only enhances navigation but also provides a clear overview of your content‘s structure. Be sure to update the table of contents as your content evolves to maintain accuracy.
7. Expanding Content for Topical Depth and Relevance
To improve the comprehensiveness of their content, the travel website added ten more day trip suggestions to their article. By providing a wider range of options and covering related subtopics, they increased the content‘s relevance and value to their target audience.
When developing your own content, aim to cover your main topic in-depth, addressing related subtopics and providing comprehensive information. Regularly update and expand your content to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and useful to your readers.
8. Highlighting Top Picks to Assist User Decision-Making
Finally, the travel website added a "Top 3 Picks" section to their article, helping users quickly identify the best day trip options based on the author‘s expertise. This not only improves the user experience but also demonstrates the author‘s knowledge and authority on the subject.
In your own content, consider highlighting your top recommendations or key takeaways to provide added value to your readers. This can be particularly useful for product reviews, service comparisons, or travel guides where users may be looking for expert opinions to inform their decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Recovering from a Helpful Content Update
1. What is a Helpful Content Update, and why is it important?
Google‘s Helpful Content Update is an automated system that uses machine learning to identify and prioritize high-quality, valuable content in search results. It assigns a site-wide signal that is used as a ranking factor, aiming to promote content that demonstrates EAT and provides a satisfying user experience.
The Helpful Content Update is important because it directly affects how your website performs in search results. If Google determines that your site contains a significant amount of unhelpful content, your rankings and traffic can suffer. By understanding and adapting to these updates, you can ensure that your content remains competitive and visible to your target audience.
2. How can I determine if my content is considered helpful or unhelpful?
Helpful content is characterized by its ability to satisfy user intent, provide value, and demonstrate expertise on a given topic. It should be original, well-researched, and offer insights or information that goes beyond what is commonly available online.
Unhelpful content, on the other hand, tends to be thin, poorly written, or lacking in unique value. It may be heavily optimized for search engines at the expense of user experience, or it may cover topics without any real depth or expertise.
To determine whether your content is helpful or unhelpful, consider the following questions:
- Does your content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
- Does it demonstrate a depth of knowledge and expertise on the topic?
- Does it satisfy user intent and answer the questions that people are asking?
- Is it written for humans rather than search engines?
- Does it provide a satisfying reading experience, with clear organization and valuable insights?
If you can answer "yes" to most of these questions, your content is likely to be considered helpful by both users and search engines.
3. What should I do if I have unhelpful content on my website?
If you‘ve identified unhelpful content on your website, you have two main options: improve it or remove it.
To improve unhelpful content, consider the following strategies:
- Add original research, analysis, or insights to provide unique value
- Demonstrate your expertise by going in-depth on the topic and providing actionable advice
- Restructure the content to better satisfy user intent and answer common questions
- Update the content to ensure accuracy and relevance
- Align the content with your website‘s overall focus and target audience
If the content is of extremely low quality or not relevant to your website‘s purpose, it may be best to remove it entirely. This can help to improve your overall content quality and avoid potential penalties from Google‘s Helpful Content Update.
4. How can I create helpful content going forward?
To create genuinely helpful content, focus on the following key principles:
- Identify your target audience and understand their needs, interests, and pain points
- Conduct thorough research and provide original insights or analysis
- Demonstrate your expertise by going in-depth on your chosen topics
- Structure your content for clarity and ease of reading, using headings, bullet points, and visuals
- Optimize for user intent, answering the questions that people are asking about your topic
- Prioritize user experience over search engine optimization, writing for humans first
- Regularly update and improve your content to maintain accuracy and relevance
- Incorporate user feedback and engage with your audience to better understand their needs
By consistently applying these principles to your content creation process, you can develop a library of genuinely helpful content that both users and search engines will value.
5. Should I work with a content marketing agency to recover from a Helpful Content Update?
Working with a reputable content marketing agency can be a valuable investment when recovering from a Helpful Content Update. These agencies have the expertise and experience to help you:
- Audit your existing content and identify areas for improvement
- Develop a content strategy that aligns with your business goals and target audience
- Create high-quality, helpful content that demonstrates expertise and provides unique value
- Optimize your content for search engines without compromising user experience
- Monitor your content‘s performance and make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement
While it‘s possible to recover from a Helpful Content Update on your own, partnering with an agency can provide you with the resources, knowledge, and support needed to accelerate your recovery and achieve long-term success with your content marketing efforts.
The Path to Recovery: Focus on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT)
Throughout this article, we‘ve emphasized the importance of creating genuinely helpful content that demonstrates expertise, provides original value, and prioritizes user experience. These principles align closely with Google‘s concept of EAT, which plays a crucial role in how the search engine evaluates and ranks content.
By focusing on improving your content‘s EAT, you can not only recover from a Helpful Content Update but also build a strong foundation for long-term SEO success. This involves:
- Showcasing your expertise through in-depth, well-researched content
- Demonstrating your authoritativeness by providing original insights and analysis
- Building trust with your audience through transparency, accuracy, and a user-centric approach
Remember, Google‘s ultimate goal is to provide users with the most relevant, valuable, and trustworthy content for their search queries. By aligning your content strategy with this goal and consistently producing high-quality, helpful content, you can improve your search rankings, attract more qualified traffic, and establish your website as an authoritative resource in your industry.
Conclusion
Recovering from a Google Helpful Content Update can be a challenging process, but it‘s not impossible. By learning from the success of others, like the travel website in our case study, and implementing proven strategies for creating genuinely helpful content, you can regain your search rankings and build a stronger, more resilient online presence.
The key to recovery lies in prioritizing your audience‘s needs, demonstrating your expertise, and providing original, valuable content that satisfies user intent. By focusing on these principles and continuously refining your approach based on data and user feedback, you can not only recover from a Helpful Content Update but also thrive in the ever-evolving world of SEO.
