In 2022, Google began changing its ranking systems in a major way. This was to ‘reduce unhelpful, unoriginal content on Search and keep it at very low levels,’ (Google). Their 2024 update in March 2024 saw more refining. They estimate that their changes will reduce low-quality content by 40%. It’s important to make sure you’re complying with their new regulations so that your content doesn’t take a hit from the updates.
Reducing low-quality, unoriginal results
Google's core update in March 2024 was a significant step towards improving the quality of search results. The primary goal was to reduce the amount of unhelpful, unoriginal content. It means it prioritises webpages that provide a better user experience.
As a writer, here’s how you can avoid low-quality content:
1.| Focus on user experience
- The update emphasised the importance of creating content that is genuinely helpful and informative for users. This is what it means for you:
- Writing for people, not search engines. Avoid keyword stuffing and overly optimised content.
- Providing value. Ensure your content offers something unique or valuable to your audience.
- Clear and concise writing. Make your content easy to read and understand. Readability tools like Readable can help you with this – try us for free.
2.| Avoid low-quality content
The update aimed to reduce the prevalence of low-quality, unoriginal content. This includes:
- Duplicate content. Ensure your content is original and not a copy of other websites.
- Thin content. Avoid creating short, superficial content that doesn't provide much value.
- Clickbait. Avoid using misleading headlines or tactics to attract clicks. This is an easy trap to fall into. Engagement is everything – but as a user, there is nothing more annoying than clickbait. Clickbait is an article not discussing what it teased in the headline.
3.| Understand Google's intent
Try to understand the search intent behind the keywords you're targeting. This will help you create content that directly addresses users' needs. By reading between the lines, you can make your content more insightful.
4,| Keep up with updates
Google's algorithms are constantly evolving. Stay informed about the latest updates and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
Overall, the March 2024 core update reinforced the importance of creating high-quality, user-centric content. By focusing on these principles, content writers can improve their chances of ranking higher. Compliance will get you more organic traffic.
Keeping more spam out of your results
Google has also strengthened its spam policies to combat manipulative practices. These lead to low-quality content appearing in search results. These updates target tactics. The tactics include keyword stuffing, link farms, cloaking, and hidden text.
Here’s how you can make sure Google doesn’t read your content as spammy:
1.| Avoid manipulative practices
- Be aware of and avoid any tactics that could be considered manipulative or spammy. You may do so without intending to. This includes:
- Keyword stuffing. Overusing keywords in your content.
- Link farms. Link farming is creating artificial links to your website.
- Cloaking. Presenting different content to search engines than to human users.
- Hidden text. This is using text that is not visible to human users but can be detected by search engines. It’s an old, dated method. It can be seen on websites created in the ‘90s that got results back then – we’ve covered a classic case of vintage keyword stuffing. Google wants to clean it up. Use Keyword Density detection to help you stay on topic without over-stuffing. Ensure search engines see your writing as well-balanced. All Readable features.
2.| Prioritise quality
This is a bit of a refrain, but it is the most important point. Focus on creating high-quality, original content. It must provide value to your audience. This will help you avoid falling into spammy practices.
3.| Be mindful of link building
While links are important for SEO, they should be earned naturally through quality content and relationships. Avoid participating in link-building schemes or buying links.
4.| Stay updated on Google's guidelines
Keep informed about Google's guidelines and algorithm updates. This will help you understand what is considered acceptable and what is not.
Scaled content abuse
Google's updated policy on scaled content creation highlights a growing concern. This is about the use of automated or semi-automated methods. They produce large quantities of low-quality content. It has significant implications for content writers.
Here’s how you can ensure that your website goes for quality over quantity:
1.| Avoid low-quality, scaled content
Avoid producing large quantities of content that is merely regurgitated information or lacks depth.
2.| Prioritise human involvement
Automation can be a helpful tool. But it should not replace human creativity and judgement. Ensure that your content is carefully crafted and edited by humans.
3.| Avoid "answer-only" pages
If you're creating pages that aim to answer specific search queries, ensure that the content is comprehensive. Again, it must provide real value to users. Avoid creating pages that simply regurgitate information from other sources. Especially without adding any original insights. This is what the difference is between content repurposing and content writing. If you simply splice together content from other websites, it will show in your writing. That will turn your readers off. Never forget that if your content has a poor reading experience for humans, that will translate to poor SEO.
Site reputation abuse
Google's updated policy on third-party content underscores the importance of maintaining control. You should take ownership of the quality of content hosted on a website.
Here’s how you can improve your site management:
1.| Be mindful of third-party content
If you're working on a website that allows third-party content, ensure that it fits. It should align with the overall quality and tone of the site. Avoid hosting content that is low-quality, misleading, or unrelated to the website's main focus. Have a good idea of your brand voice and style. Communicate this when outsourcing.
2.| Exercise oversight
Implement a review process to ensure that third-party content meets your standards. This may involve manual review, automated tools, or a combination of both.
3.| Communicate with third-party contributors
Establish clear guidelines and expectations. This will help ensure that the content they produce aligns with your website's goals.
Using Readable is a great part of your toolkit in managing your website and brand consistency. Check out Readable’s website tools.
Expired domain abuse
Google has also introduced a policy to address the misuse of expired domains for manipulative purposes.
Key takeaways for content writers:
1.| Avoid misusing expired domains
It seems obvious, but do not purchase expired domains and repurpose them to boost the ranking of low-quality content. Google will punish you for it.
2.| Prioritise original content
Originality goes back to the continual refrain about quality. Create original content that provides new insights to your audience.
3.| Be mindful of user experience
Avoid misleading users with content that appears to be part of an established website when it is not.
By following these guidelines, content writers can ensure that their work aligns with Google's updated policies and has a better chance of ranking well in search results. Google's goal is to provide users with the most relevant and helpful information. By creating high-quality, original content, you can contribute positively to the search ecosystem.
