MarTech » Content Marketing » Google Prioritizes Useful Content Over Search Engines in New Update
Google prefers content “by humans” rather than written in search engines Please note the new broad search algorithm update. When clicks rank well in search but result in content design rank well in search rather than useful or informative.
We know that if content looks like it’s designed to attract clicks rather than inform readers. So starting next week, we’re rolling out a series of search improvements for English-speaking users around the world, making it easier for people to find useful content made by and for people.
Danny Sullivan, Google Search Public Liaison
Launch and influence. These changes are expected to roll out within the next two weeks. The timetable will be posted here. Subject areas that traditionally attract a lot of search engine-first content are likely to suffer the most. These may include arts and entertainment, for example, links to aggregated content from third-party sources (such as movie reviews) rather than original content.
It is important to note that the impact will be the entire site. In other words, if the algorithm determines that the site is serving a large percentage of useless content, then everything on that site will be affected.
For more information on these changes, Read this analysis on Search Engine Land.
Why do we care. Content marketers in particular should reflect on what these changes mean for their content strategy. Brands want to see high search rankings for their content, obviously for brand awareness, product discovery, and customer acquisition. But these goals can no longer come at the expense of delivering rich, informative original content.
Anyway, this is a lesson many brands are learning. Today’s customers don’t want to be sold to. He or she wants help – with a decision, a pain point, an educational journey. The difference going forward is that Google looks set to provide useful, but almost mandatory, content.
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About the author
Kim Davis is the Editorial Director of MarTech. Born in London but based in New York for more than two decades, Kim started dabbling in enterprise software a decade ago. His experience includes enterprise SaaS, digital advertising data-driven urban planning and the application of SaaS, digital technology and data in marketing. He first wrote about marketing technology as an editor at Haymarket’s The Hub, a dedicated marketing technology site, and later became a conduit for established direct selling brand DMN. Kim joined DMN in 2016 as a senior editor, became executive editor, and then served as editor-in-chief until January 2020. Prior to his career in tech journalism, Kim was the associate editor for the New York Times hyperlocal news site, Local: East Village, and previously worked as an editor for academic publications and as a music reporter. He has written hundreds of New York restaurant reviews for his personal blog and is an occasional guest contributor to Eater.
