In the last decade, we have seen some of the most significant changes to the SEO landscape. One of the most notable changes has been Google’s shift towards prioritizing “helpful content” in its search algorithm.
This change was first announced in 2015, but it has taken a few years for the full effects to be felt. In the past, SEO was all about gaming the system and trying to trick Google into giving your content a higher ranking.
However, that is no longer the case. These days, the focus is on creating content that is helpful and useful to people. You will naturally rank higher in Google’s search results if you can do that.
The Definition of ‘Helpful Content
So, what exactly is “helpful content”? To put it simply, it is content that provides value to the reader. It answers their questions, solves their problems, and helps them to understand complicated concepts. In the past, a lot of SEO-focused content was nothing more than fluff. It was designed to keyword stuff and to fill up space rather than to be helpful. However, times have changed. These days, Google is much more sophisticated and can tell the difference between helpful and unhelpful content. As a result, they are now ranking the applicable content much higher in their search results.
‘Helpful Content’ as a Ranking Factor
So, how exactly does helpful content help your ranking? Well, as we mentioned, Google prioritizes optimozed it in its search algorithm. This means that all other things being equal, a page with helpful content is more likely to rank higher than a page without it. However, it is essential to note that valuable content is not the only ranking factor. There are still other things that you need to do to rank highly. For example, you must ensure that your website is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to use. It would help if you also had high-quality backlinks from other websites. However, if you can create helpful content, you will be well on ranking highly in Google’s search results.
How to Assess ‘Helpful Content’? How to Assess ‘Helpful Content’?
Now that we know what helpful content/Google SEO Content is and how it can help your ranking, the next question is, how do you assess whether your content is valuable? Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself:
- Does your content answer the reader’s question?
- Does it solve the reader’s problem?
- Is it easy to understand?
- Is it well-researched?
- Does it provide value to the reader?
If you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, you can be confident that you are creating helpful content on par with the required Google SEO Content guidelines.
Reasons to Produce ‘Helpful Content
Of course, SEO is not the only reason to create helpful content. Even if you are not concerned with ranking highly in Google’s search results, there are still plenty of other good reasons to do it. For example, helpful content is more likely to be shared and to go viral. It is also more likely to build trust and a good relationship with the reader. In the end, whether you are focused on SEO or not, creating helpful content is always a good idea.
Other Factors in Google’s ‘Helpful Content’ Update
There are other factors in Google’s algorithm update besides helpful Google SEO Content ; Google is also looking for other factors when ranking a website.
These include:
- Website design
As we’ve mentioned before, website design is essential for several reasons. Not only does it influence how user-friendly your site is, but it can also affect your search engine ranking. This is because Google considers things like your site’s layout, navigation, and overall look when determining where to rank it in search results.
- Mobile-friendliness
Mobile-friendly websites can be challenging to use on a smartphone or tablet. They may have pages that are too small to read or tap or require users to zoom in and out to see the content. This can be frustrating for users and may cause them to leave your website and turn to a competitor’s site that is easier to use.
- Website speed
Website speed has always been a factor in Google’s search algorithm, but this update is expected to play an even more significant role. Google wants to ensure that users can find the information they are looking for as quickly as possible, so websites that load quickly and are easy to navigate will be favored over those that don’t.
- Ease of use
Ease of use is how easy it is for someone to consume and understand your content. Google looks at factors like the length of your content, the formatting, and whether or not you use images or other multimedia. If your content is easy to read and understand, it’s more likely to be considered helpful by Google and surface in search results.
- Quality backlinks
Quality backlinks are links from other websites that point to your content. Google uses backlinks as a signal of the quality of your content. If your content has a lot of high-quality backlinks, it is more likely to rank higher in the search results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Google’s focus on helpful content has been the most significant Google SEO content change in a decade. This change has meant that businesses must focus on creating content that is helpful to their customers rather than simply keyword-rich. At Simulas, we can help you create content that is both helpful and optimized for search engines. Contact us at (408) 715-3635 today to find out more.
