Google helpful content update

Google made updates in September 2023:

1. Improved content classifier rollout takes about two weeks.
2. New guidance for hosting third-party content and handling helpful content system updates.
3. Added advice on removing content and changing dates.
4. Changed wording from “written by people” to “helpful content created for people in search results.”

This indicates a growing acceptance of AI-generated content if it serves the purpose of being helpful.

Helpful content, as defined by Google, is content that is created primarily for people, not just to satisfy search engine algorithms. It should be informative, comprehensive, and genuinely useful to the audience. Additionally, it should be original, authentic, and ideally crafted by experts in the respective field.

• Understand your audience. Who are you writing for? What are their needs and interests? Once you understand your audience, you can tailor your content to meet their specific needs.
• Be informative and comprehensive.  When you’re delving into a topic, it’s important to give people all the information they need. To do this, we need to keep things accurate, up-to-date, and organized. Using simple and straightforward language, and avoiding fancy jargon, is important to ensure that everyone can understand it. And hey, don’t forget those real-life examples and illustrations – they help make things crystal clear and relevant.
• Be useful. Your content can add value by solving problems, offering new knowledge, or aiding in decision-making for your audience. For instance, it can solve issues like a leaky faucet, educate about topics like the history of the internet, or help make choices, as in product reviews. Your content is a versatile tool, tailored to the specific needs of your audience.
• Be original and authentic. Write in your own voice and share your unique perspective. Don’t copy or rehash information from other sources.
• Be credible. Make sure your content is accurate and up-to-date. Cite your sources and provide evidence to support your claims.
• Use clear and concise language. Avoid writing difficult words because it may cause problems for the user to understand the sentences which affects the reliability of your user. Therefore, we should use simple words so that it is easy to understand.
• Break up your text into paragraphs and headings. When you’re crafting your content, there are a few tricks that can really make it shine. First off, use paragraphs to group similar ideas together. This helps keep things organized and clear. And don’t forget to throw in some headings – they’re like signposts for your readers, giving them a heads-up about what’s coming in each section. If your content gets pretty detailed, subheadings can break it down even further and help folks navigate easily.
  Lastly, make sure there’s some space around your text, like margins and line spacing, to make it easy on the eyes and more visually appealing. It’s all about keeping your audience engaged and making the content easy to digest.
• Use images, videos, and other multimedia elements to break up your text and make your content more visually appealing.
  Enhancing content with high-quality, relevant images and videos is essential for professionalism and engagement. Distribute them strategically throughout your content, add captions and alt text for accessibility, and utilize each format purposefully – images to illustrate steps, videos for demonstrations, infographics for simplifying complex data, and slideshows for sequences of visuals
  
• Proofread your content carefully before publishing it.  Avoid grammar mistakes because the meaning of the sentence you want to say may change, which will affect the user because they will not be able to understand the point you want to say.
• Make a table of contents: We should always create a table of contents on every page so that the user can know what information he can get on this page. If you do not create a table of contents then he will read only your starting section and go away. Due to this, the user will not be able to get complete information.