I have written several articles about bloggers losing month-on-month traffic consistently since the helpful content update. But this trend is set to continue until Google realizes its goal of wiping about 40% of “unhelpful” websites from the Search Engine Results Page.
According to Google quality raters, these sites are considered “untrustworthy” and do not meet the E-E-A-T standard.
The E-E-A-T standard, which measures a web page’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness determines whether a website is credible on SERP.
While this may be true for other spammy sites, several web pages that follow the E-E-A-T standard but have a lower Domain Authority have also been severely impacted.
For example, bloggers who shared original ideas on particular topics are losing traffic because of this update.
That brings us to my question; is Google now rewarding known brands at the expense of bloggers on SERP(Search Engine Results Page)?
The short answer is a YES.
In this article, we will be looking at how to approach blogging in 2024 after the helpful content update.
1. First things first: How was Search working Pre-Helpful Content Update?
Before the helpful content update, bloggers will compete with brands for clicks on the SERP effortlessly.
For example, the top spots on the SERP were given to all content creators who invest time and effort into creating content loved by both the user and the search engines.
–Life(Search) was sooo easyyyy–
As far as you produce the content Google and its readers love, Google will reward you with the best position on Search.
For example, a lifestyle blogger does in-depth research about a product from Brand A. They share experiences, add videos, and images, and make profound recommendations; on the SERP, Google will reward the blogger ahead of brand A, provided the blogger shows an understanding of the topic.
2. How is Search working now, Post-Helpful Content Update?
Search has changed a lot since the helpful content update. Google Bots/ Crawlers are using advanced models and signals to index who they think are “worthy” for the topmost positions in the SERP.
A known brand is by default “worthy” for its keywords.
For example, before the helpful content update, any blogger writing about the topic “Netflix pricing in Ghana” with a well-detailed content structure will rank ahead of the brand Netflix.
However, after the helpful content update, Netflix will rank ahead of any content creator on a topic about Netflix.
3. Findings:
1. Blogging about solutions for big brands is dead
The good old days of sharing content on big brands and their products are far behind us.
Upon our investigation, we found that all keywords belonging to a brand are highly represented by the brand’s pages in the topmost part of the results.
For example, a query like “How to tip on Twitter” was represented by Hindutimes, Indian Express, and other tech blogs in the topmost results.
Now, the same keyword has about 5 pages about the brand “Twitter” in the top 5 results before any tech blog. Be mindful that, the blog may have all the right content(images/videos) but lose the competition brands are now ranking for their keywords.
Another example is a query like “Franko Samsung Phones” which was dominated by individual tech blogs that shared resources about the various Samsung phones at Franko Trading Enterprise. , Now, Franko phones is winning the top 8 search results for this query.
2. High information gain
When writing information-based articles, we may be in a hurry to compile a list like Top 5, Best 10, etc. However after the recent update on Search, Listicles need to be high and rich in value before they can be considered for the ranking, otherwise, they will not rank at all.
Meanwhile, brands are set to benefit from publishing listicles as compared to bloggers. These brands satisfy the intent requirement and topical authority in their niche. For example, a query like “top 5 email marketing platforms” should have email marketing tools competing for clicks in the search results.
3. Recommendations: How to approach blogging in 2024
1. Get known as a brand:
Becoming a brand in your industry increases your chances of ranking high on the SERP. To become a brand you have to approach your blogging as a business, rather than just a medium to gain traffic.
It involves getting known on and off Search as a reputable organization, rather than a faceless institution. Faceless institutions on Search won’t rank well.
You have to ensure all your necessary social media channels are linked to your website, provide a great reader experience, a publishing calendar, images and videos are on point and most importantly, you are creating original content, rather than copying other people’s work.
3. Blog as much as you can as a known brand:
Recent findings have shown Google rewarding businesses on the SERP for their own keywords.
Hence, brands should prioritize and exhaust all keywords related to their business. You can do this by building your knowledge base with solutions related to how customers can conveniently use your service.
4. Specialize in a niche:
If there is one lesson we’ve taken from the helpful content update, it is about “killing one bird with one stone”. As you make plans to start your blogging business in 2024, you should ask yourself, what do you want to be known for?
The more you keep expanding your scope on topics, the more Google becomes confused about what exactly you are trying to achieve with your blog.
For example, a music review blog with articles about fixing pipes will be difficult to rank, as Google does not see your expertise when it comes to fixing pipes.
3. Utilize the Experience in the E-E-A-T:
The first E in the E-E-A-T is experience. It is all about providing firsthand experience to customers when they have a query.
First-hand experience means referencing to personal experiences in the said topic when reviewing it. For example, a movie review blog should be run by movie enthusiasts, rather than leaving it open to any other writer.
Conclusion
The helpful content update makes use of the E-E-A-T standard, which is all about using a web page’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness to determine where it appears on the SERP.
As the name suggests, the helpful content update is all about providing value for your readers on search. Helpful content is a well-researched topic, with the right amount of answers in videos, text, and image form.
Read Next:
