In late August, Google released new guidelines for website creators and owners. This is an update to Google Helpful Content, which has the simple goal of making creators work harder to create good content.
And this update basically says that content creators should focus on people first and avoid creating content focused only on what search engines expect. But what does that mean? In this text, we will delve deeper into this subject, so keep reading to understand better.
SEO: People First
With these guidelines, Google is prioritizing content written by people and for people, rather than just publishing articles for search engines. Have you ever thought “how can I get this article on the first page of Google” instead of “how can I answer my readers and customers’ questions”?. That’s what we’re talking about. Content that prioritizes people is all about answering questions and satisfying your reader.
Google Helpful Content also says to avoid unoriginal content that just summarizes what is being said by other producers without really adding value or anything new. Some SEO professionals may be familiar with this strategy: the content producer identifies a keyword that he wants to reach the top of search positions. It then takes the content from the top three sites and “blends” them all into unoriginal text as a sort of rewrite, designed only to catch the attention of Google’s algorithm – often without adding any new value to the reader.
This is a strategy that Google wants to avoid, in order to offer good content to search engines. So, to create better content for their readers, Google advises producers to ask themselves the following questions:
* Would your audience find this content useful?
* Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand experience and in-depth knowledge?
* Does your website have a main purpose or focus?
* After reading your content, will someone leave your website feeling they’ve learned enough about that particular topic?
* Will those who read your content leave with the feeling of having had a satisfying experience?
In theory, all content on websites should always be written for their users. So anyone who has this in mind even before Google Helpful Content is in the right place.
How Do I Plan My Content From Now On?
Shall we get our hands dirty? Below, we will list some tips to help you improve the quality of your content, always with the user as a priority.
1. Back to Basics
Any Marketing strategy needs a deep analysis of your target audience. This is something that will never change. Researching personas is a common task in our workflow. Google Helpful Content is very useful if we are clear about our buyer persona.
So, if you haven’t already, read this text and try to understand if your content is really meeting your persona’s needs right now.
2. Avoid Relying Too Much on Artificial Intelligence
Generating content with AI is a whole new practice to publish a large volume of texts in less time. However, you should re-evaluate whether an AI can write the content for you. If the tactic is really necessary to optimize your content, then human editing is key to making a difference.
When creating content, try to rely on other tools, such as real data, your competitors, or social listening. You can also use tools such as Answer The Public or Google Trends that show common queries and needs on any topic.
3. Add Unique Information
When people access your website or blog, they want to know what you (or your brand) have to say about a particular topic. There is a lot of information on the same subject online. How will your website stand out from the rest? Write about your experience, what you know and what you have studied (that is, your text must be a sum of your expertise with real data).
For example: do you work with buying and selling real estate? You can write about your own experience in the search for a property and thus give tips to those who are going through the same process.
4. Avoid Generic Content
Always choose to publish content that best satisfies and brings important answers and insights to your reader. This takes time to do and needs planning. Before looking for the keyword positions you would like to achieve in the search engine results page, ask yourself: how can I add value to this topic? This will certainly help you to avoid the temptation to produce a large volume of low-quality, unplanned, generic content.
What Google is telling us is “Ignore me; satisfy your readers”. So every time we write a piece, let’s not forget that there is another human reading us. And Google Helpful Content is meant to remind us of our main goal: to help our audience through our content.
Also, if you already have a good article on a specific topic, you don’t need to write another 10 on the same subject – update the first one often, add new information. Google loves this kind of thing!
SEO in Vancouver
And if you need help to think about content production strategies for your brand or how to produce this material, please talk to us. We can help you position your brand in the online market and thus get new customers.