Google’s Recent Algorithm Reinforces What We Already Knew
Them: Hey, they’re teaching robots to write, using sophisticated AI!
Google: Yeah, about that…
Also Google: “Google Search is always working to better connect people to helpful information. To this end, we're launching what we're calling the ‘helpful content update’ that's part of a broader effort to ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results.”
See that part about “BY PEOPLE”…and “FOR PEOPLE” there? Take note! Though now there are good technical reasons to be “helpful” in your content strategy, from an SEO perspective, all this announcement does is serve to reinforce a notion I have been preaching for years now. The rule? Share content that's "helpful."
Lend a Helping Hand!
The takeaway is simple: Be generous of your insights and expertise, and you will be rewarded for sharing content that helps the person it's aimed for.
Be helpful. It's good for search and SEO. It's good for your audience. And it's ultimately good for you.
This is who will win the content game, now and apparently into the future: real people who can distill complex subject matter and serve it up generously and consistently to help real people solve real problems.
Some examples:
Solve a real problem, out in the open for all to see and learn from, with no regard as to whether you’re “giving away free advice.”
Articulate a pathway to success, demonstrate how you’ve achieved an aspiration or solve a problem someone else might be experiencing — either for yourself or for a client
Tell stories. Since the dawn of time, people have responded to storytelling as a way to convey ideas and connect with audiences. Just make sure you’re positioning your prospect or client as the hero in the journey, not you as the knight in shining armor here to save the day.
Share the recipe. It’s okay to give away the ingredients. We go to restaurants not because we want to learn the chef’s secret recipes. We do so to be served. To have someone with far greater expertise serve us in a way that we could never possibly serve ourselves. The same goes for your expertise and experience.
Keeping It Real
People will hire you when they have the need for the services you offer. But you first must earn their trust by establishing your position as a thought leader, an authority and as a subject matter expert. That’s where your content comes in. And now even Google is telling you how it’s done.
There is still no substitute for human intellect, empathy and strategic thinking…at least not yet.
I will worship our new automated overlords when they truly deserve it and we have no choice. But until then, let’s keep it real, people!
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