When you search a query in Google, you want the search results to be related to your quest. So, when you look up “What makes a good cup of coffee?” you don’t get results that are not useful or helpful to you.
Google recently made changes to connect people to relevant search results. The new update, “Google helpful content update,” is the beginning of a more significant endeavor. First, Google wants original content written for the reader.
Our founder, Richard Valenta, has always preached about writing content for your audience first and SEO second, so this update is good news.
Helpful Content Update Focuses on Visitors Having a Pleasurable Experience
Okay, how does the new Google update make content lose search value? The answer is easy. Businesses have been focusing on monetization or products, writing for Google rather than for the reader. Google’s helpful content update wants search visitors to have a pleasurable experience.
When your website or blog does not meet the visitor’s needs, your chance of losing a potential customer increases. You want to convert a search visitor into a customer, so you must write content by people for the people.
How To Make Written Content More Useful
By this point, you are likely wondering how you can write content following the new Google changes. Google wants businesses to read up on its long-standing advice and guidelines. All your content must put the reader (person) first.
For many businesses, your WordPress website or blog requires people-oriented content. Here are some useful tips to follow Google’s new update:
- Useful Content
- FAQs made into blog articles
- First-hand experts
- Write with a Primary focus.
- Will your audience learn anything?
- Staying Up-to-date
- Sharing Product Reviews
What To Avoid With Googles Helpful Content Update
Now is the time to freshen up your website and blog content. Here are some content writing changes you need to make to avoid penalties from Google:
- Do not write for search engines.
- SEO-driven only content
- Stop content automation
- Writing to reach a specific word count (Google does not have a particular word count.)
- Niche writing without expertise
- Not answering questions promised.
Google has introduced a new site-wide signal and other indications for ranking web pages. The system in place has Google searching and finding content that offers little to no value.
Any content that proves less valuable will not perform well in search. It is time to review your existing content too. There is a penalty when you find content that does not follow the newly updated search rules, and Google suggests you remove it from the site. When reviewing your current content, Google means removing unuseful content to help your search rankings better.
Orange Coast Websites Is Here To Help!
Our team at Orange Coast Websites is happy to help further explain the Google helpful content update. We can review your current content, provide suggestions, and help with your content strategy based on the new Google changes. Yoast SEO also has a good article that provides additional information on this update.