Okay. Google is now officially finished with the Helpful Content Update.

So, this is where we stand for a while.

I’ve been reading a lot of what others are saying and talked to some of my content friends, and I do have some thoughts.

First, we knew this was coming in some form.

While most of us expected to see these types of drops when Google’s SGE hit, I’m not surprised that this HCU has had such an impact.

I’m still digging into the data on our portfolio of sites. We’ve seen some massive hits, but did have some sites that improved. Overall, I would say we’ve taken a pretty decent-sized hit across the portfolio this time.

While I would love to say that I’m surprised at what is ranking instead. I really can’t.

It takes time to do all the things you want to do. Building a solid digital resource takes resources, energy, and real-deal experts.

And good enough isn’t good enough anymore.

Those in our world doing all the right things, for the most part, are seeing the best results. There are still winners in content sites.

It’s not easy and is getting harder, but somehow, after the dust settles around this HCU, I’m inspired.

So, let’s get into some of my thoughts on the HCU and what I’m doing about it!

User Experience Matters

Many generic WordPress sites are not designed with the end user in mind. Add a ton of content, then ads, auto-playing videos, pop-ups for email capture, and recommended reads — it can become overwhelming for an actual reader.

Most of our readers find us on their phones.

We’ve been investing in redesigns for many of our sites. But some fresh branding and basic web dev themes will probably not cut it.

I think of the fantastic Black and White Zebra team as a great example of why building solid user experience and branding matters. From the start, they invest in custom design and unique graphics and have a creative direction that rivals many.

That inspires me.

Spenser Haws from Niche Pursuits (one of the sites that grew during this update) recommends investing in custom website dev to improve the user experience on a site. I feel like this is something we often overlook in website building, and after the HCU, I think it’s key to really look at your site with fresh eyes.

Is your homepage just a blog roll?

Do you have a clear mission statement and purpose for the site? Is that clear?

Is navigating, searching, and finding relevant content on your site easy?

I met with our new lead for one of our beauty sites this week. She had much to say about our current site’s navigation, structure, design, and layout, and I was all ears. She lives and breathes the beauty and makeup space, and I want her to be proud of this site as she shares it. She’s currently in LA working on a set, doing makeup. This is the kind of people I want to be a part of building our publications. We’ve got some work to do, though!

It’s Time to Think Like a Real Searcher

I’ve been talking to more ‘real people’ searchers this past couple of weeks, asking them basic questions on how they find information.

Our readers and most searchers don’t think like an SEO. We need to let go of our bias’ and try to talk to real-world searchers.

These conversations have been quite enlightening to me.

Here’s what I’m learning:

• A lot of searchers do love forums and Reddit. And they use Google to find the right forum or community to do more digging.

• Searchers will not read the content as in-depth as you think. Most regular people I talk to want quick, instant answers. They bounce and keep looking if they can’t get their query answered right away.

• Everyone loves personalization in search, whether they realize it or not.

• Search happens a lot outside of Google, as well. When I moved to a new city, I found my hairdresser, tattoo artist, and nail person through Instagram. (Important finds all of them!)

• Everyone thinks they are good at Googling these days. No one I talked to felt they couldn’t easily find the information they were looking for, even if that meant several searches and going down a rabbit hole. Most people enjoy the rabbit hole, to be fair!

These are just a few of my findings, but I’ll further investigate this.

You’re Either Helpful or You’re Not

This update was a negative weight update. Google (through very sophisticated means) either puts you into the ‘helpful’ bucket or the ‘unhelpful’ content. If you were put into the ‘unhelpful’ bucket, guess what? You saw a site-wide hit.

Again, I’ve mentioned this before. We cannot rely on one or two super amazing posts to bolster our content strategy.

The bad content is going to weigh the good content down.

Does that mean that we should start pruning content?

Maybe.

Ideally, we’d only have content on our sites that was helpful, original, and unique. And, in a perfect world, I would continually optimize the hell out of our sites.

Let’s face it. If you have thousands of posts on your site, there will be articles that don’t hold up.

It’s time to really dig into our publications as a whole and ask ourselves the tough questions. It may be helpful to pull in some outside perspectives as well.

Can you Recover from this HCU Update?

Short answer: yes.

But it will take time.

But we probably can’t keep doing the same things we’ve been doing to grow. This past week, I’ve been looking into our playbooks.

We are looking at what we could do more to build these brands, build communities, and do more than just content. Even if we do all the right things, we may not see our efforts and investments pay off for a while.

It takes time to build a serious brand to build a helpful, useful, valuable digital resource.

And the big-boy competitors have money. They have been working on their content creation workflows. They have been hiring experts, making sure their editorial includes real-world experience as well. They’ve invested in site designs and user experience improvements that impress their readers.

As I work through our next steps and go-forward plan, I do it with a ton of humility. I won’t complain or whine about what’s currently outranking us. I’m going in much deeper than that. I think we all have to.

There are always things we can improve.

There’s always another playbook we can test. It’s Google’s world, we just live in it.

So, that’s my plan. I’ll keep you all posted along the way as well.

Things to Read, Watch, and Ponder

Niche Pursuits did a great job of digging into this HCU. They show some of the winners as well. There is a lot to learn here. Spend a few minutes watching this. You’ll thank me later.

Okay. The truth sometimes stings, but it still feels good to hear it. I’ve been absorbing what this update means to us in content, and it’s time to do more. Lily Ray’s post is a great synopsis for all of us:

This week, I’m headed to Vegas for the Rhodium weekend conference. For a few glorious days, I will nerd out with other digital entrepreneurs, including many of my closest content peeps!

I’m super excited! This has been one wild year in our industry, and being around others in the trenches is always encouraging.

So, I might miss a week of this newsletter. If I can find time to write by the pool, I might return next week with something fresh.

A lot is going on in our industry, and I love digging into all of this and sharing it with you each week.

Thanks for your readership.

Cheers! Amy

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