Los Angeles, September 25, 2023 – Google Search Central has announced through a post on X (formerly Twitter) about the September 2023 helpful content update featuring an upgraded classifier. The rollout spanned approximately two weeks.
In contrast to the last Helpful Content Update in December 2022, this iteration brings notable changes geared toward delivering pertinent and fulfilling responses to user inquiries. Let’s delve into what Google has prepared for us this time.
Understanding the Google Helpful Content Update 2023
Google has introduced a significant enhancement by deploying an advanced automated classifier. Its primary objective is to identify and reward high-quality content that caters to users’ needs. In essence, content that fails to align with user search queries and doesn’t deliver the desired information will experience a substantial drop in its ranking.
Hinting at AI-Generated Content
Google’s statement highlights its focus on “helpful content created for people in search results,” marking a departure from its previous December 2022 update, which mentioned ‘helpful content written by people, for people.’ This suggests a potential preference for AI-generated content.
Cracking Down on Low-Quality Content
Google’s revamped ranking algorithm prioritizes fresh, pertinent content tailored to user queries. Websites loaded with keyword stuffing and outdated information will no longer compete for favorable rankings. Site owners must emphasize maintaining meaningful, current, and relevant content on their main site and subdomains.
Challenges for Hosting Third-Party Content
The update targets indexing restrictions for sites hosting third-party content, specifically content that is “largely independent of the main site’s purpose or produced without close supervision or the involvement of the primary site.” This underscores the importance of posting original, indexable content rather than relying on third-party sources.
Global Impact Across Languages
The latest update extends its influence to all languages worldwide.
Fully Automated Classifier
The classifier operates on a machine-learning model, eliminating the need for manual inspection.
Impact of the Google Helpful Content Update
If you consistently produce fresh, relevant, and informative content that meets users’ needs, you need not be concerned about the September 2023 Google Helpful Content Update. However, sites featuring plagiarized, outdated, or ineffective content may experience a sharp decline in:
- Discoverability of web pages
- Overall site ranking
- Web traffic
Additionally, subdomains that fail to deliver value or essential information to users may encounter difficulties with indexing. If third-party content does not align effectively with your site’s purpose, it can adversely impact your site’s indexing as well.
The Google Helpful Content Update of 2023 represents a significant leap forward, as it has now unlocked previously restricted content aspects. This advanced machine-learning model relies on signals from across entire websites and prioritizes content that offers users fresh, valuable, and meaningful insights in response to their search queries. It comes with a clear caution against hosting third-party content that lacks relevance to the main website’s theme or purpose.
For websites that fail to adhere to these guidelines, there is a notable risk of experiencing a substantial decline in web traffic, discoverability, and search engine rankings. Recovery from the impact of this update may be a prolonged process, spanning several months.
