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Update from the future: Two weeks after it started rolling out, the Helpful Content Update is still not showing big ranking changes. Danny Sullivan said the update might get stronger with the next core update. Read more about that here.
More than a week ago, Google announced its biggest drop of the decade – an algorithm update so important no one was ready for. Glenn Gabe shared about this on Twitter, and Barry Schwartz reported on this on Search Engine Land.
Google Helpful Content update is now rolling out and should almost be over.
But, you never know with Google. Just because the update should be rolled out and done in cca two weeks, the impacts of it and fluctuations can be seen weeks after.
It’s always a good idea to monitor your Google visibility, traffic and ranking and act accordingly. But, sometimes, especially while the updates are in the process of rolling out, it’s better to wait.
Google’s helpful content update is live and can take up to two weeks to rollout https://t.co/LRkpoQTg9E pic.twitter.com/r54mzCWdnd — Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) August 25, 2022
What Is Google Helpful Content update?
A sitewide signal that targets websites with high amounts of low-quality content. When I say low quality, I mean not helpful content. What Google means by the same term is: content written for search engines instead of humans.
So, if your content was not directed to humans first and is not helpful to them, but you hit all the right points for Google to rank it well, this update will probably make your website plummet.
The rollout of this update started on August 25th and Google will let us know when it’s finished rolling out.
What If your Website Is affected by this update?
There is a list of questions you can ask yourself about the content on your website. Google shared that a while ago. Some of them are:
Do you have an audience that will find your content useful?
Does your content show first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge?
Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?
Will a person leave your website feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic you wrote about?
Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they’ve had a satisfying experience?
Are you keeping in mind our guidance for core updates and for product reviews?
Think about these questions. If you answered “yes” to them, chances are – you’re good. If not – you will likely be hit and it will take some time to recover. But, you still have to make changes to your content.
So Far, the Rollout Is Pretty Slow
Given that the update is pretty big and important, everyone thought the hit will be fast and brutal. But at the moment, everything seems kind of calm. For now, most of the chatter in the SEO community doesn’t seem concerning. Is this just the calm before the storm?
Google helpful content update has been weak and slow to roll out, maybe it will pick up soon? https://t.co/vNj3Lh6zeM pic.twitter.com/ilBhK3vaYh — Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) August 29, 2022
Update from the future: The Google Helpful Content Updatefinsihed rolling out on September 9th! Even though not a lot of people reported seeing major fluctuations, the update is still valuable and very important. Read more about it here and find out what to do if you were hit!
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