Google recently started rolling out the Helpful Content update. It was expected to make a big splash, but so far, the rollout has not led to big changes in search rankings.<\/p>\n
There is now a growing consensus that the Helpful Content update may not be as big of a deal as people initially thought. However, that can be misleading.<\/p>\n
Google\u2019s Dunny Sullivan learned about this notion that the Helpful Content is a smaller update and decided to address the situation by sharing more information on Twitter.<\/p>\n
Here are a few important points he made that would be helpful to know.<\/p>\n
We are one week into the launch of the Helpful Content update. If everything still feels very quiet on the search engine results pages, that\u2019s because the update isn\u2019t done yet.<\/p>\n
Danny Sullivan mentioned that Google will \u201ckeep refining how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUpdate isn\u2019t done. It\u2019s also part of a continuing effort, as we\u2019ve explained. We\u2019ll keep refining how it works. Directionally, the guidance we\u2019ve given is what SEOs and creators should be considering.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Danny Sullivan.<\/p>\n Yes, it is a big sitewide algorithm update, but the rollout does not necessarily mean big changes on the SERPs. It\u2019s especially true for websites that already have good, helpful content.<\/p>\n \u201cUpdates don\u2019t necessarily mean a big giant shift. If you have good content, you\u2019re generally fine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Sullivan also suggested that people who have been severely affected by the update because they didn\u2019t have helpful content on their websites are less likely to share their feedback. That could be another reason why we may not hear about the lack of big changes and high volatility on the SERPs as much.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who have content with issues, there can be reasons why they might not want to be particularly vocal about a change.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Unlike Google\u2019s core algorithm updates, the Helpful Content update is going to be more of a continuing effort. Google expects this update to evolve over time. The plan is also to refine the algorithm \u2014 and its subsequent impact \u2014 with a major launch every few months.<\/p>\n In other words, Google\u2019s helpful content will finish rolling out next week. However, that won\u2019t be the last time we hear about it. Going forward, Google will rely on \u201cincremental improvements\u201d in the way Google analyzes and ranks content. Google will notify if there are more significant updates on the horizon.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect if we make really significant changes to how our classifier works, we’d give notice about that. But more incremental improvements might happen as part of ordinary operation. And it’s very much not a case, as our post tried to explain, of “wait until the next update.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Google\u2019s Helpful Content update is still relatively new, but we believe this will set the direction of how Google wants to operate in the future and decide how to evaluate the quality of a content piece.<\/p>\n In case you missed it, here are four important points to remember about the Helpful Content update.<\/p>\nThe Helpful Content doesn\u2019t guarantee big changes<\/h2>\n
The Helpful Content is a continuing effort<\/h2>\n
Important points to remember about the Helpful Content update<\/h2>\n