Google Helpful Content – What is it?
Google Updates
Although the main Helpful Content Updates (HCU) were rolled out in 2022, content has been the greatest focus for 2023 and early 2024, the quality of content remains central to many of the Google Core updates and the E-E-A-T principles which are Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness.
Your commitment to content
Essentially, providing helpful content is a commitment to providing user-centric content, content that is clearly laid out on the web page, provides useful intent relevant copy and is unique and offering the opportunity to delve beneath the surface of the initial topic whilst drawing reference and demonstrating expertise.
The structure of your site is also an absolutely vital component to achieving HCU principles – are the sites staff/contributors identified and do they have experience – demonstrated by bios and other online profiles. Are there quality online directories and associations attached to the site displaying correct information and how is the majority of the content created. Is it providing something unique and further more is it structured in a way that allows the logical and intuitive exploration of topic related information, features and bookings or products. Is the product/service supported by reviews and recommendations and does it convey real-life experience, thought or opinion. Is that opinion shared by others and how is it demonstrated are there a mix of content types or is it reams of unstructured text?
Taking the opportunity to reach out and seek peer-to-peer content – perhaps from your suppliers or technicians, your retailers or even specialist logistics partners, will all serve as useful to your overall content quality score. Not sure how to do that? Identifying and recruiting freelance copywriters that specialise in a specific niche or using platforms such as build-links.club are all going to help you expand the content credibility and evolve the structure and depth of your existing topics.
Get User first content
The best way to achieve this type of content is to really put yourself in the customers shoes. I tend to approach topic and keyword research from the following:
Is there interest in a topic – if so, what are the main queries within that topic and variations.
How do we structure a group of pages so that there is a logical landing page for our main focus topics and do we have existing content that can provide logical exploration into a related topic or should we simply update the existing content?
What is the main purpose of the browser doing the search – what is it they are trying to achieve – an information source, a person to speak to, a quick sense check or obtain a download or bookmark for regular visits and updates? Are they looking to buy direct from that query or are they likely just starting out in their purchase journey – if so how long is the lead time and have we covered all elements of their researching phase clearly and transparently?
Consult Googles best practice: Google guide on Helpful Content.
Auditing your site pages
I would advise, that if you haven’t fully evaluated your content in the past 2-4 years, which you should have! It has never been a more vital time to do so and to schedule in the evaluation of your content on at least a 12 month basis equally important. It will to some degree, depend upon the volatility of your sector and how changeable the information is, for example technology and AI related subjects are evolving rapidly and to structure the updates rather than delete is highly advisable, allowing the user to be able to check back on facts and points in a certain timeframe.
This approach also serves to further strengthen the Experience and Expertise factors involved in content creation.
A content audit can take make many forms, I personally would recommend you look at ordering an SEO Colour Wheel. This method highly effective at identifying weak or duplicated content as well as areas of intent. It also serves as a project management tool and I can provide interactive data visualisation to help with board level discussion and strategic content planning.
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