On August 18th, Google announced the roll-out of a major algorithm change called the “helpful content update.” It has the potential to be a big one and affects whole sites rather than individual pages. 

Some search engine optimization (SEO) experts have suggested that it might impact rankings as significantly as the Panda update of 2011. Everything we know so far is included in this roundup. 

In other news, there have been several minor changes in Google Search Console along with some additions to Search Central documentation that SEOs should be aware of. YouTube has also launched a dedicated podcasts homepage.

With all that in mind, here’s your roundup of all the latest developments and stories from the world of search. 

SEO News at a Glance

• Google begins rolling out its “helpful content” update, which will target low-quality content that is not created for humans.
• The “Validate Fix” button has been reinstated in Google Search Console. 
• Content guidelines regarding educational Q&As updated in Google Search Central.
• YouTube tests videos in comments and launches podcasts homepage.
• Google experiments with “quick read” labels in some search results. 

SEO News and Updates

Google to Release “Helpful Content” Update

On August 25th, Google began rolling out a “helpful content” update that devalues low-quality content. The algorithm update targets various factors—content that is designed for search engines instead of humans, that relies on excessive automation, or regurgitates what already exists on the web will find itself in the firing line. 

Moreover, if you thought that Google was finished with product reviews after its last update, think again. A fifth algorithm change, part of the “helpful content update,” will make it “even easier to find high-quality, original reviews.”

In a blog post on the topic, Google said the following: 

“Next week, we'll launch the “helpful content update” to tackle content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people.”

Google has published extensive documentation on Search Central, so ensure you meet all the criteria listed. Keep in mind that this isn’t a core update. But it is potentially very significant. Some commentators have even spoken about a paradigm shift akin to that brought about by the likes of Panda and Penguin. 

It’s also worth keeping in mind that this is a site-wide update, not a page-specific one. If Google sees your site as a producer of high-quality content, you should see ranking increases across the board. 

Google Reinstates “Validate Fix” Button in Search Console

The “validate fix” button, which displays on page indexing reports in Search Console (accessible from the “Pages” tab), has been reinstated.

It was taken down while Google simplified the URL groupings on the main indexing report (from “valid,” “warning,” and “invalid” to “valid” and “invalid.”) You can now check that changes to unindexed pages have worked correctly. This is useful for webmasters that want more control over crawlability and is similar to how other search engines use IndexNow. 

Google Expands Content Guidelines for Education Q&A Structured Data

Google has expanded its documentation covering structured data for education-related questions and answers. 

You can read the new guidance at Google Search Central. Essentially, they stipulate that education Q&A pages must adhere to the same guidelines as generic Q&A pages, that your page must be made up of education-related content, and that you have a responsibility for maintaining accurate content. 

If you work in the education space, adding the correct structured data could increase your exposure in the search results. Failure to comply with the guidelines may result in a penalty or manual action.

Google also updated the list of supported academic levels for the educationalLevel value for Learning videos. 

Video Indexing Report Live in Search Console

The video indexing report is live for all users. Access it from “Video pages” under the “Pages” section in Search Console. You’ll only see the report if you have videos on your website. 

It’s a useful feature for sites that publish videos as it allows web admins to see which videos are showing in search results. This, in turn, makes it easier to remedy any indexing issues. 

Google to Remove International Targeting Report From Search Console

Google has deprecated the international targeting report in Search Console and will remove it shortly. The report, which was launched in 2014, enables web admins to monitor hreflang errors and set a country for priority targeting.

Google hasn’t changed its guidance about how to deal with multi-language sites and hreflang attributes are still supported. If you use Console to monitor hreflang you’ll need to find an alternative method of identifying errors. 

YouTube Tests Videos in Comments and Launches Podcasts

YouTube is testing out a feature on iOS that allows creators to reply with a video. It’s likely that the company got the idea for video responses from TikTok. 

While this feature is still in a test phase, it’s worth staying up to date with any changes if you have a strong YouTube presence. Replying to comments on your videos could boost your viewer engagement. 

YouTube has also launched a dedicated podcast explore page. This points toward YouTube’s commitment to the medium, and you may see an increase in listeners if you publish a regular podcast. If you don’t, it may be something to try out. 

Google Tests New Labels in Search Results

Google is testing new “labels” in search results, which appear in a similar way to rich snippets. There are currently two labels: “Quick Read” and “< 5 Min Read.” 

While these features are far from a full roll-out, they could potentially change the appearance of search results in a significant way. 

We advise keeping an eye on them as they hold the potential for increased traffic if Google decides on a full implementation. And there’s no harm in being first out of the gates. 

And that’s it for this month. We’ll be back in September with an analysis of all the developments regarding the helpful content update. 

To finish off, here's a little joke for you. Why did the search query get sent to prison? It didn’t commit a crime, but the jury thought it had strong intent. 

 

 

To be in lockstep with Google’s algorithms, SEOs are now working with other teams to accomplish their goals, whether it’s user experience (UX), development, media or something else. This process is what’s referred to as “SEO democratization.”

With the increased emphasis that Google and other search engines are placing on high-quality user experience when ranking sites, it’s essential to realize the scales are leaning more towards UX.

Correctly implemented, democratization can transform the effectiveness of an organization’s SEO and growth marketing strategies. Democratization lowers costs, streamlines workflows, and achieves measurable, definite outcomes in ways that aren’t possible with “legacy” approaches. 

If you’re wondering what SEO democratization means and how it might be useful for your company, this post covers all the essential points. We define the term “SEO democratization,” answer why it’s important, and outline practical tips for democratizing your SEO department. 

What Is SEO Democratization?

SEO Democratization refers to the transformation of SEO into a company-wide and department-spanning discipline. This is in comparison to the traditional role of SEO as a discrete activity that had little relation to other operations within a business. 

In the past, an organization’s SEO team was usually self-contained and largely concerned with making technical changes to a website. Even disciplines with overlap were usually handled within the confines of the SEO department (such as link-building that required marketing outreach or content creation). 

In the modern day, however, SEO needs input from other departments. This is because search engines are increasingly taking a holistic approach to evaluating the quality and relevance of a website. For example, Google has clearly stated that it takes a variety of factors into account—content quality, user experience, brand mentions, technical on-page structure, and more—as exemplified in web admin tools like Page Experience and Core Web Vitals reports.

Why Is SEO Democratization Important?

Democratization is important because modern SEO needs to leverage multiple and distinct skill sets to be effective. Specifically, the inputs of numerous departments are required to create high-quality content, delivered in the context of a rewarding customer experience, that fulfills extensive on-page technical criteria (yep, it’s a mouthful). 

Let’s take a relatively straightforward example of content creation. What does it take to publish a video on a company blog? 

Developers ensure the video software is in place, content creators brainstorm and execute original content, branding experts check that the tone aligns with the company’s mission, and sales and marketing create calls to action and guide viewers through the appropriate funnel. Finally, SEOs ensure all on-page and off-page considerations are taken into account. 

It is impossible for one department to handle all of these tasks; collaboration is essential in a world that demands a multidisciplinary approach. 

It’s also worth clarifying that technical SEO is still vital. Canonical tags need setting. 404s need fixing. Keywords need to be included in content. But SEO as a field has grown in its scope. As a result, many SEO professionals see themselves as more akin to growth marketers. 

How to Successfully Democratize Your SEO Activities

Follow the five steps below to create an integrated, democratized SEO strategy that leverages the multitude of abilities and skill sets in your company:

1. Create Clear Scopes of Responsibilities, Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

If SEO processes are to be distributed effectively, tasks must be clearly defined on a department-by-department basis. 

It’s crucial to recognize that the SEO department is responsible for implementing an overarching infrastructure to ensure performance is tracked, waste is limited, and best practices are maintained. In addition, its critical teams are aligned on the bigger goals for the projects.  For example, with Brightedge, a common broad metric is Share of Voice against a specific type of search.  Teams can measure progress against this metric to gauge whether or not their efforts are helping them achieve visibility for a specific mindset. 

All-in-one enterprise SEO platforms like BrightEdge are instrumental in this regard. They provide a central and accessible platform where SEO-specific workflows and data can be shared and delegated.

In addition, project management tools are essential for creating a collaborative space that is available on a daily basis. If your organization uses software such as Zendesk, Jira, Wrike, Trello, Asana and Monday, BrightEdge provides a shortcut for assigning SEO tasks. As long as email-based task creation is supported, you can send assignments from the BrightEdge platform to your internal project management system.

2. Create an Integrated Tech Stack to Streamline SEO

An accessible and integrated tech stack means that non-SEOs can interact with, and share data between, platforms without the need for technical SEO knowledge.

For example, content marketers will benefit from a content management system (CMS) like WordPress that is pre-configured with the correct technical on-page SEO. Similarly, user experience developers can leverage conversion data from an SEO tracking platform. 

The role of all-in-one SEO platforms is worth restating. For example, BrightEdge offers a suite of tools that empower multiple departments with different proficiencies to participate in the company's SEO efforts. Moreover, this often occurs in granular and highly specialized ways. Content creators leverage intent signals, technical teams track Content IQ to manage site health, marketers implement data-based insights, and executives and managers monitor dashboards to see how work is progressing across the company. 

3. Ensure Centralized Governance and Appoint Multi-Disciplinary Project Managers

SEO managers that understand different specialties and departmental processes should be responsible for coordinating professionals. Management should occur within the context of clearly defined processes, areas of delegation, and targets (as explained in step one). 

Establishing oversight and governance is a balancing act between micromanaging independent teams and allowing for complete creative freedom. Both extremes should be avoided. 

Regular meetings are essential for maintaining shared goals and keeping people on track when pursuing department-spanning objectives and KPIs. 

To ensure SEO is effectively democratized, many successful programs leverage scorecards with top level KPIs as guides. All-in-one solutions such as Brightedge enable teams to tailor dashboards to support these meetings. This minimizes manual work and creates a single source of information for teams to operate from. 

4. Provide Basic SEO Training to All Departments

Ensuring that different departments are versed in basic SEO can be instrumental in avoiding confusion and surmounting easily avoidable technical obstacles. Individuals in non-SEO departments don’t require expert-level know-how, but they should understand how their work fits into a broader SEO picture. 

In a similar vein, SEOs should also adopt a multidisciplinary approach, understanding core ideas in marketing, sales, web development, project management, and workplace psychology. In addition, they should pay special attention to how these areas relate to overall company goals.

Employees have finite time, but a basic understanding will make communication and collaboration possible and foster a mutual respect for the talents and skills of colleagues. In the long-term, this is a far more cost and time-effective approach. 

Many are surprised to learn that an enterprise SEO platform can fulfill this objective. For example, Brightedge provides a professional certification program that scales across an organization and ensures teams have the necessary skills to interpret insights and make optimizations where necessary.

5. Use a Well-Structured Core SEO Strategy

A well-structured SEO strategy that accounts for different domains of expertise and disciplines acts as a unifying framework for collaborative efforts. 

An organization’s high-level SEO plan still comes from the SEO department. This almost sounds obvious, but it needs to be stressed. And many tasks should remain as the sole responsibility of SEOs. Don’t imagine that you’ll be explaining hreflang tags or schema markup to eagerly listening content creators anytime soon. 

A flexible, detailed and measurable SEO program that clearly indicates where collaboration is required acts as the crux of an inter-departmental, democratized approach. 

Conclusion

SEO democratization represents a broader trend in the corporate space. Departments no longer operate as islands—it’s inefficient and detracts from the overall customer experience. 

Successfully democratizing your SEO activities will give you a competitive edge and allow you to respond more quickly to evolving algorithms and shifting customer behaviors and needs. 

An inclusive platform like BrightEdge enables you to coordinate the various aspects of a democratized SEO strategy. We provide tools for performance tracking beyond traditional SEO metrics, a content management platform, integrations with other apps, and more. Get in touch to arrange a demo. 

More Resources

• How Influencer Marketing Can Improve Your SEO
• BrightEdge eBook: SEO Pro Tips for Success
• In-House SEO vs. Agency Outsourcing

What is it?  

On August 18th, Google announced that it would launch an update to its search algorithm called the "Helpful Content Update." According to Google, this is part of a broader effort to help searchers see more original content written for humans, instead of search engines. This update is rolling out now.  

Unlike some algorithm updates, which may target a single page, this update will be sitewide. It leverages a new machine learning algorithm to determine if a high amount of content on your site is deemed not helpful. 

If this happens, you might see performance changes to your organic search channel, and it won’t appear in Google Search Console as a manual action/penalty.  

Background and Context  

For over a decade, Google has made continuous refinements to improve the quality of content served in its results.  This focus predominately started with the introduction of Panda in 2011.  

In 2014, Google shared its E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines to encourage marketers further to tailor on and off-page search and content strategies. The goal was to provide users with an experience containing the most relevant content from sources they could trust.  

In 2015, the release of Micro-Moment Methodology furthered marketers' approach to understanding the customer journey and aligning content strategies with intent.   

Today, the Helpful Content Update continues this trajectory by ensuring search users aren’t subject to automated content or content created primarily to rank in search engines.  SEO practitioners who have been following Google’s guidelines for how to create quality content should not be surprised by any of the guidelines.  

Who Will This Impact? 

Google has indicated that this update will be implemented across all searches. However, they've also noted that some industries may feel more impact than others. According to Google, the sectors that will feel the most effects of this update include:    

• Online-Educational Materials 
• Entertainment  
• Shopping 
• Tech Related Content  

Google did not elaborate on why they believe these specific segments may be impacted more than others. However, at BrightEdge, in conjunction with our partners at OnCrawl, we have noted some industries' search results feature more repetitive content in their listings than others. 

This could be an issue that Helpful Content aims to reduce.   

What Can Companies and Brands Do? 

SEOs and digital marketers can ensure their content is aligned to what the Helpful Content update is designed to reward. In the announcement for the update, Google suggested some questions marketers or copywriters should ask about their content to determine if the Helpful Content update could potentially impact it. 

From these guidelines, there are some inferences that marketers can make about how they approach writing content on their website, to continually adhere to the guidelines provided by Google. 

Ensure  

• Your content is aligned to your specific audiences 
• Your author has (and can show) knowledge of the subject matter 
• Your website content clearly shows your primary purpose 
• Every reader learns something from your content 
• You follow the guidelines for core updates and product reviews 
• You don't over-optimize your content – it might work against you 
• You are unique and write high-quality content. Follow Google E-A-T guidelines as they will grow in importance regarding what expertise and trustworthiness will be rewarded. 

Conversely, we can infer from the questions that there are some things marketers should not do: 

Avoid  

• AI Generated Content Technologies that automate creating content around keywords 
• Targeting keywords outside your sites' core competencies because they are trending 
• Repeating content from other websites or manufacturers' descriptions, where able 
• Over-optimize keywords on pages, so stop thinking about keyword density! 
• Clickbait titles that do not align with what the page offers, do not mislead 
• Pages that would require the user to go back and do another search to get more detail 
• Repeating or summarizing content that is available elsewhere 

These questions posted to marketers are all aligned with what Google has been saying for decades. If your SEO strategies are designed around these guidelines, this should be good news for the impact of this update. Helpful content should connect you with your visitors better and get more engagement out of your organic channel. 

Key Takeaways:  

• If you are following Google's guidelines for content creation, this update should be to your benefit 
• Avoid content automation and excessive AI-driven content generation technologies 
• Focus on making content that is unique and valuable to your user  
• More than ever, SEOs need to help their organizations create content that aligns with audiences' intents, organize it in a structurally sound way, and strike a balance between what's good for humans and for being found in search engines. 

Helpful content is good for marketers, especially those developing content to engage their audience and follow Google's SEO best practices.  

Not only does it remove poor quality content from your customer's journey, but it should also improve their overall experience learning about your brand and exploring your content. 

This all leads to a better conversion experience for your visitors. Helpful Content reinforces why it is critical to understand your audience's intent and needs as essential inputs into your content strategy.  

Ultimately, this update is the latest in a long history of serving the most helpful content for users. Google continues to update its technology to remove poor quality content (there were three spam updates last year alone) and reward people approaching content on their site the right way – which is content that speaks to their visitors.    

Leveraging BrightEdge for Helpful Content 

BrightEdge can help you ensure your content and site align with Google’s helpful content algorithm update. The BrightEdge platform enables users to define helpful content ideas, measure rankings, quantify the impact of the algorithm update and more. 

A well-executed search engine optimization (SEO) strategy helps you spread your brand message, promote your products, and speak directly to the needs of your audience.

Over the last several years, a growing number of businesses have sought to “algorithm proof” their optimization methods. Instead of asking, “What specific changes will help me rank better?” SEOs are instead posing the question, “What are the values and long-term goals of search engines and how can I incorporate these into my strategy?” 

If the idea of an “algorithm-proofed” SEO strategy sounds like a valuable asset for your organization, you’re in the right place. This post shows you exactly how to build an evergreen and sustainable approach to optimization that has a high chance of withstanding the inevitable changes that the future will bring. 

What Is Algorithm Proofing?

Algorithm proofing your SEO strategy is about understanding the principles that guide Google and other search engines rather than specific technical ranking factors. Invariably, this means producing high-quality content and ensuring a positive user experience.

Technical on-page and off-page SEO is important, and often complements the creation of engaging, useful content. But the fundamentals of authoritativeness and quality should always come first, as seen with Google’s E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) guidelines. 

One recent example that illustrates the move towards content quality as the core ranking criteria is Google’s “helpful content” update, which began rolling out in late August. Among other factors, the algorithm change devalues content that regurgitates what already exists on the web, automated (AI) content creation, and excessive word counts. 

1. Prioritize the Experience of Site Visitors

Prioritizing the experience of your site visitors is the most fundamental aspect of creating an evergreen SEO strategy. Your primary focus should be on optimizing for web traffic, not an analysis of search engine ranking factors.

It’s also worth noting that the phrase “user experience” is too narrow in this context. It typically refers to how a site visitor interacts with the structural elements of a site’s design (navigation, responsiveness, page speed, etc.) and not overall experience, which encompasses your content and how precisely it meets a searcher’s informational, commercial or entertainment needs. 

User experience in the technical sense is important. But SEOs should take a holistic view of site experience. If you are guided by two questions—“What do my visitors want?” and “What is the best way to give it to them?”—you will naturally meet search engines’ algorithm criteria.

All the signs show that Google and other search engines are moving towards a model that prioritizes the needs of searchers, not content that fulfills an arbitrary set of technical criteria. So don’t go chasin’ algorithms. Instead, focus on sustainable tactics rooted in a deep knowledge of what your customers want. 

2. Implement a Smart Technical SEO Strategy

Technical SEO isn’t to be avoided. In fact, it’s crucial to ensure your content is accessible and machine-readable. Canonical tags and hreflang attributes aren’t going anywhere. It’s simply that they don’t constitute the whole picture. 

The bulk of your technical strategy should flow naturally from a nuanced understanding of your users and an awareness of what makes up a superlative customer experience. You should start with how your content is crawled on a website and move through to visitor conversions (in terms of your key digital goals).

HTML5, fast-loading pages, well-structured articles with clear headings, schema markup, HTTPS—search engines value all these things because they ultimately provide a better experience for the visitor.

It’s also worth noting that while user experience should be prioritized, optimizing for specific rank factors unrelated to user experience is still important. For example, building backlinks is still a beneficial SEO activity and demonstrates trust. Other tasks that are separate from the experience of visitors, such as the publication of a sitemap, also help search engines index your site more quickly. 

3. Create Informative, Authoritative Content

The tenets of good content have remained largely the same since William Caxton first invented the printing press, and probably existed even further back. 

E-A-T guidelines (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) encapsulate Google’s view of what makes up high-quality content. And this is likely mirrored by other search engines. 

Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, which give a useful insight into the general philosophy of Google, stipulate the following points: 

The amount of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) is very important. Please consider:  

• The expertise of the creator of the MC [Main Content].  
• The authoritativeness of the creator of the MC, the MC itself, and the website.  
• The trustworthiness of the creator of the MC, the MC itself, and the website. 

Recent algorithm updates affecting product reviews are an excellent example of how the algorithm penalizes and rewards authoritative content. 

4. Optimize Content for Position Zero and Featured Snippets

Content creation processes should be based on a combination of tested SEO principles and an understanding of searcher intent. This approach provides the best possible chance of ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs), particularly for position zero results and featured snippets. 

Incorporate the following guidelines into your workflow to create highly rankable content:

• Frame headers as questions and write succinct answers that are suitable for inclusion in the SERPs as featured snippets. 
• Use keywords to guide the structure of your article, but avoid “stuffing.” Research new keywords—most topics are evolving entities—and incorporate new sections into existing content.
• Create content that mirrors modern reading habits. Implement a clear headline structure to enable scanning, use short paragraphs, make abundant use of bullet points and lists, and avoid obfuscation and ambiguous language.

It’s also essential to keep in mind that the principles of E-A-T apply at every stage of content creation and work in concert with structural considerations. 

5. Build an Effective Tech Stack

All-in-one platforms have largely replaced SEO point solutions. This is mainly due to the fact that putting together a comprehensive picture of SEO performance that incorporates more than half a dozen data sources is a time-consuming and unwieldy task, even for the best marketer in the world. 

The BrightEdge app provides an example of how integrated platforms generate insights into the nature of content performance in an efficient and integrated way. BrightEdge tools are used (among other things) to identify areas for improving page experience (Content IQ), find opportunities to satisfy unmet needs (Market Insights and Opportunity Forecasting), and use data to determine which content is successful (Data Cube).

6. Create Different Types of Content

A multimedia approach is usually best for site visitors. A varied content mix appeals to a variety of audience segments and accounts for different ways of learning. 

Certain individuals like bullet points, others respond better to infographics and charts, and some swear by video. All content choices should, of course, be informed by research into what mediums resonate best with your users. 

Variations of written content like case studies, white papers, infographics, and so on also have applications beyond search optimization. Often they can be utilized across departments for the purposes of sales, marketing, and customer onboarding. 

Finally, publishing well-crafted videos will likely increase exposure in search engines by allowing you to rank for terms with strong visual intent.

7. Adopt a Data-Driven SEO and Content Strategy 

Ah, good old data. The term “data-driven” has become a well-worn cliche over the last several years. It’s one of the buzziest marketing buzzwords out there. And it’s often misunderstood in an SEO context. 

Data lets you see which content performs well, identify the reasons for its popularity, and apply insights to future strategies.

Data also enables you to build detailed profiles, understand personas, clarify intent, and cultivate empathy with searchers’ needs. Qualitative data, in the form of feedback (sentiment analysis), is also important and can often be processed with automated tools. 

Comprehensive SEO platforms like BrightEdge will typically provide analytics tools. For example, Market Signal generates data observations about under-performing content along with guidance about how it can be improved. In addition, Page Reporting is a tracking platform for establishing page-level metrics like conversion and social media shares. 

8. Follow Ranking Algorithms and Adjust Your Strategy Accordingly 

Algorithm changes provide insights into which aspects of your SEO strategy are not functioning as well as they might. 

The most recent major update rolled out in July and applied to product reviews. This update provided an opportunity for SEOs to work with guidelines outlined in Google Search Central to identify problematic areas in their content strategy. 

Pay close attention to your SEO performance after both minor and major (core) algorithm changes and audit your site based on ranking fluctuations. This is one of the most effective ways to make positive modifications, especially when undertaken in conjunction with industry analysis from other web admins. 

Keep in mind that Google publishes information about core and other significant updates. 

9. Drive a Democratized, Department-Spanning SEO Strategy

SEO is increasingly moving beyond the walls—virtual and physical—of the SEO department.

High-quality content and user experience require the input of various departments, including marketing, web development, data management, and more.

As such, it is essential to foster cross-department collaboration within your organization. This ensures that everyone is moving together in concert to achieve your website goals.

Conclusion

Travel back a decade and the search engine landscape was wildly different from the present day. It was possible to rank for high-volume terms with keyword-stuffed pages and a handful of links from a forum. 

However, search engines have always aimed to provide searchers with the content they need. This hasn’t changed since Archie, the world’s first search engine, was released in 1990. The methods have evolved. But the aim has always remained the same. 

Algorithms are constantly moving closer to the underlying principles—informative content and excellent customer experience—that they first sought to manifest. And understanding and implementing these principles is the best way to bullet-proof your SEO strategy.

More Resources

• Google Algorithm Updates: A Running Timeline of Major Changes
• Mobile SEO: Why It’s Important and How to Optimize Your Site in 2022
• How to Optimize for Featured Snippets and Position Zero
• Optimizing for Search Amid the Data Revolution