SEO strategies after Google helpful content update

Google regularly updates its algorithms to improve the user experience and provide truly relevant content. The latest major change is the Google "helpful content" update for September 2023.

SEO strategies going forward

Digital marketing, and SEO in particular, is an ever-changing field. Every Google update brings new challenges and opportunities to stay visible. The Google "helpful content" update focuses more and more on the quality and relevance of content, which has a direct impact on SEO.

So how does Google assess 'useful content'?

"Useful content" for Google is content that responds to a user's search and provides valuable and unique information. Google does not disclose its exact metrics, but it does emphasise the importance of quality, relevance and uniqueness. Quality content is detailed, timely and well written. Relevance means that the content answers users' questions or needs. Unique content is content that has not been copied from elsewhere on the web, including rewriting existing text.

Changes in search engine optimisation after Google update

With the Google "helpful content" update, the focus of SEO has shifted more towards high-quality content. Instead of overusing keywords, SEO should focus on creating well-written, informative and relevant content. As a result, many traditional SEO tactics may not work as effectively as they used to.

Optimise your content according to Google's new guidelines

Optimising your content in line with Google's new guidelines requires the creation of high-quality, relevant and unique content. It's also important to ensure that your site is technically sound. This means, for example, that your site loads quickly, is mobile-friendly and has clear and functional navigation paths. From Google's point of view, the most important thing is to provide answers to customer searches. Measuring this requires both user data and link profile optimisation.

Search engine optimisation best practices after a helpful content update

With the Google "helpful content" update, best practices in search engine optimisation have changed. Until a few years ago, SEO could be a quick win with the amount of content. Today, instead of mass content creation, the focus is on high-quality content and a good user experience. It is important to invest in producing quality content, using keywords naturally in texts and paying attention to the technical SEO of the site. In addition, building links from trusted and relevant sites will help to improve your ranking in search results even more effectively.

At the time of writing in October 2023, it is not yet clear whether the update will be active in Finnish, or whether it will only apply to English content.

However, the same principles should be taken into account now, as the update will be central to all language areas.

AI content and Google's guidance

In its most recent, more official release, Google does not directly deny the use of AI. However, it stresses that content must add value for the reader. Google's John Mueller stated in X that "There's also spam, and useless AI-generated stuff. " So it's essential to ensure that content, whether it's originally AI or human-generated, is always of the highest quality possible. Dashboalla strongly recommends using AI to enhance content production, but the publisher is always ultimately responsible for the quality of their content. Therefore, AI should be considered as an enabler, but not a replacement for human expertise, especially in light of current and future updates.