Google has announced a new update to their algorithm which could change the way that your website appears in search results. We’ve been finding out what the change means for businesses, and how to make sure Google keeps promoting your organisation.
What is the ‘helpful content update’?
The ‘helpful content update’ launched at the end of August, and is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to combat click bait; by which we mean, web pages which use a lot of key search terms to get to the top of Google’s search results. Click bait can take many forms; whether it’s articles written by bots, web pages compiling information that has already been published, content which uses the same word over and over again or even incendiary titles and headlines.
This kind of content has historically performed well on Google, as the algorithm looks for websites and web pages that fit the search from the user. For example, a user that searches something containing the word ‘coffee’ might get some websites that also have the word ‘coffee’ written a lot of times. However, this has resulted in a lot of content which works for the algorithm, but not for the user.
Google states that the ‘helpful content update’ will, ‘tackle content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people. This ranking update will help make sure that unoriginal, low quality content doesn’t rank highly in Search’.
What does this mean for businesses?
If your organisation publishes content on your website, or anywhere on the internet, this update could mean that you’re less likely to appear early in search results. This is particularly important for businesses who have previously attempted to adhere to Google’s algorithm; if your content is written by bots, features a lot of buzz words, or copies content written by other businesses, you might notice visits to your website start to drop.
What can businesses do?
As well as continuing all previous good practices, businesses who want to keep appearing early in Google results have a couple of options moving forward; you can create more original content or pay for ads on Google.
Posting articles on your website is a tried and tested way of appearing on Google’s search results. Although their algorithm has not overtly been disclosed by Google, we do know that the algorithm values websites that continue to update, and post new content. As such, posting articles, updates or blog posts is still an effective way of making sure your website gets to users - you might just need to change how you do it.
When creating blog posts, articles and updates, think about what people are looking for when they’re searching for your business. Now, instead of attempting to guess their search terms and packing your post full of buzzwords, write something that is helpful and useful to the user, not the algorithm. Google tells users that with this update, ‘you’ll see more results with unique, authentic information, so you’re more likely to read something you haven't seen before.’ That’s the kind of content businesses need to be aiming for - unique, authentic information.
If writing original content isn’t for you, the other way that you’ll continue to appear early in search results is by paying Google to put you there. Google Ads is really easy to use, even for people brand new to posting ads. One thing to bear in mind is that users are more likely to look past ads and search for the websites that haven’t paid to be promoted; so in this case, paying for ads in search results might not necessarily mean more clicks.
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