7 Steps to Recover from Google’s recent Helpful Content Update

From SMX Advanced 2024, Lily Ray, Vice President, SEO Strategy & Research of Amsiv, shares key SEO Adjustments in her presentation on future-proofing your site.  We’ve summarized the top 7 actionable recommendations for you here.

Here’s 7 key HCU-recovery Actions:

1. Eliminate Low-Quality or Redundant Content

• Audit your site for redundant, duplicate, or overly similar articles that were created solely for SEO purposes.
• Noindex or remove underperforming content that adds little value to users.
• Consolidate similar articles into more comprehensive, valuable pages to reduce content fragmentation.

2. Focus on User-Centered Content

• Ensure your content is genuinely helpful and adds value to your audience—avoid writing just for search engines.
• Incorporate first-hand experience and expertise to make your articles unique and credible.
• Avoid over-optimized content or rigid SEO patterns that are frequently penalized.

3. Improve User Experience (UX)

• Reduce aggressive ads that disrupt the user experience and frustrate visitors.
• Ensure your website layout is user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and easy to navigate.
• Provide a fast, seamless experience with clear and concise information delivery.

4. Enhance E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

• Showcase your expertise and authority with real author bios and credentials, especially for affiliate and product review content.
• Provide evidence of expertise through personal stories, insights, or unique opinions beyond basic affiliate content.
• Build trust with your audience by improving content transparency and reliability.

5. Avoid Writing on Unrelated Topics

• Stick to your site’s core focus rather than covering unrelated topics purely for SEO. Specializing will enhance your credibility and authority in your niche.
• Maintain a natural publishing frequency aligned with audience demand, rather than creating content just for visibility.

6. Enhance Website Structure and Architecture

• Improve website navigation and internal linking to guide users toward valuable content.
• Optimize your site’s taxonomy to improve accessibility and search engine crawlability.

7. Reduce Over-Reliance on Stock Photography

• Use more authentic, original images that directly relate to your content. Avoid generic stock photos that don’t add value to the user experience.