Member Blog: Focus On "Helpful Content" So Customers and Google Love Your Brand

Author
Michelle Symonds
SEO Consultant | Ditto Digital
30th December 2024

Google’s search algorithm aims to combat what it considers “low-quality content” and reward “helpful content” in the search listings. This aim underscores Google’s shift towards a future that values more user-centric and insightful content. (Let’s park the thought of Google’s AI-generated overviews, for another time).

If you want your business to succeed in online search, then user focus, quality and adaptability are what your website, content strategy and digital marketing approach need. If your business does not yet  have a content strategy focused on people-first, genuinely useful content then now is the time to learn a valuable lesson to improve your site and create new opportunities for growth.

In this article we look at some of the things that you should be considering in order to focus on helpful content that will ensure your customers love your brand, but that Google does too.

Helpful questions for better content

Google has in fact developed a set of guidelines that have been designed to assist companies in assessing the quality and relevance of their website content. Here they are:

Does your content offer original information, research, reporting or analysis?

Assess whether the content you post offers unique viewpoints and new insights or contains comprehensive research that adds additional value beyond what can be found elsewhere online. If you don’t provide originality then there is no reason for Google to recognise value in your content over and above competitors’ content. So make sure your content stands out from the crowd and is clearly not AI-generated.

Does your content offer a complete, substantial or comprehensive description of the topic?

Consider whether your content covers the topic thoroughly, and whether it comprehensively addresses any questions the audience may have and any related areas of interest. Try and cover this within the main content rather than just list a series of frequently asked questions.

Has your content been written by an expert or enthusiast who has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the topic?

Think about whether the person writing the content has the relevant experience and expertise in the topic. This will be evident in the accuracy and depth of the writing. Alternatively, the content could be written by an enthusiast or a beginner in a particular field. For instance, content about a novice’s experience can still be considered useful by others completely new to a topic but would need to contain personal insights or anecdotes that demonstrate real experience, albeit at a beginner’s level.

Is there a clear goal or purpose to the content that it fulfils successfully?

You need to identify the primary objective of the content. Does it inform, entertain, or persuade the audience, and does it achieve this goal effectively? As opposed to just content that fills a content calendar with no real purpose.

Would your audience feel like they have learnt enough from your topic to help them?

Consider whether the reader will have a solution, actionable knowledge, or even a deeper understanding of the topic once they have read your content. Obviously this is less relevant for e-commerce products but for B2B services it is an important part of the customer journey.

Does the content offer information that the audience will trust? Is there clear sourcing? Is there evidence of the author's expertise? Are facts error-free?

You should verify the credibility and reliability of the content using accurate sourcing/citation and showcasing the qualifications or experience of the author in order to ensure that it is factually correct where data is mentioned; or for opinion pieces, that there is evidence for why the writer is entitled to express an expert opinion.

Has the content been checked for spelling and stylistic issues?

Content should be presented in a professional manner with no spelling errors, no grammatical errors and attention to style so it is enjoyable to read. Also consider accessibility for people with disabilities such as sight impairment. Google provides free tools to check for accessibility issues such as Page Speed Insights.

Would you be comfortable trusting the content for YMYL issues?

When content has an impact on significant life decisions, health, finance, etc. does it meet the appropriate standards for trustworthiness and accuracy. Google, reassuringly, places more stringent quality checks on YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content.

Has the content been put together to meet the needs of a real audience and not to appeal to search engines?

Content should always be created that serves the interests of the human audience rather than attempting to appeal to search engines. The idea of “SEO content” is now out-dated and content that is people-focused will be better rewarded with higher rankings in online search.

Does the site have a primary focus or purpose, and does the content support this?

Make sure that any content you post is aligned with and supportive of your business aims or mission in order to provide a user experience that is cohesive. Try not to focus too much on industry news that has little appeal to your customers.

Summary of content best practices

It is always important to work continuously to improve a business website – it is potentially your window on the world. Be proactive and look ahead to what might be coming along in your own industry and write about that. Also consider the future direction of your customers needs or their businesses requirements.

You should always be reviewing and improving your content. No matter how good your content is there is always room for improvement. Ensure that it is relevant, accurate and remains valuable to your audience. This may mean checking figures and updating them periodically so that they are always up-to-date. You should also ensure that you are refreshing any outdated references, adding new information when it comes to light, and even checking any links that you have used in case they are no longer valid. If you have any user feedback you can also use this to improve your content by, for example, adding customer reviews or testimonials. These can contribute to building trust and credibility with your audience.

Finally, address your technical issues (there will always be some)

No matter how well-written and well-researched your content is, if there are technical problems with the website then people will simply not hang around to read it. So, check the user experience on both desktop and mobile devices. These are some issues to look out for:  

  • Page loading speed: a positive user experience is created from the outset with fast-loading pages. Identify and improve any issues that reduce load times.
  • Navigation and site structure: a site that is well organised allows users and search engines to find content in a more efficient manner. Take a good look at the structure of your site, paying attention to logical hierarchies and ease of navigation.
  • Experience on mobile devices: Websites are usually designed on large screens and then adapted responsively for small mobile screens. This is not a perfect science so look for and correct any usability issues.

 

 

 

 

 

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