Founder/CEO of Rankings.io, an SEO agency that helps elite personal injury law firms dominate first page rankings.
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The SEO world has been having plenty of discussions about Google’s “helpful content update,” which the company informed the public about on August 18, 2022.
This update isn’t going to upend the way SEO agencies work. But my SEO agency and others still have to adjust to new guidelines and ensure our clients are on the same page.
Here are five tips SEO agencies can leverage to navigate Google’s content update.
1. Scrutinize Your Prospective And Current Clients’ Prior Content More Closely
Google spells out that anything it deems “unhelpful content” could negatively impact a site overall. Specifically, Google states: “Any content — not just unhelpful content — on sites determined to have relatively high amounts of unhelpful content overall is less likely to perform well in Search, assuming there is other content elsewhere from the web that’s better to display. For this reason, removing unhelpful content could help the rankings of your other content.”
This means it’s more vital than ever for SEO agencies to scrutinize all content from prospective and existing clients that was on the web before they engaged with you, such as blog posts, website home pages and contact pages. Evaluate this content to see if it aligns with Google’s new guidelines. If something doesn’t align, it’s time to delete it (or upgrade it to meet Google’s new content expectations). Explain to your prospective and existing clients that it’s in their best interest SEO-wise to do one of these two things.
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Additionally, be mindful of the scope creep that can arise from evaluating prior content and then deleting or upgrading content. Be ready to adjust your pricing to ensure your firm is getting appropriately compensated.
2. Prioritize Addressing Consumer Intent
When brainstorming topic ideas and keywords for your clients, you should place a greater emphasis on addressing consumer intent. Google states in its update that one indication you’re “probably on the right track with a people-first approach” is if a person reads your content and feels like “they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal.”
Addressing consumer intent is more essential now than ever before. I advise SEO agencies to focus more on consumer questions versus keywords and try to determine the intent behind queries, as well as similar questions someone might ask. Here’s a basic example from personal injury law, the industry my firm serves. Instead of focusing on a keyword such as “car accident,” it’s better to focus on a question like “What steps do I need to take after getting into a car accident?” Then, you can think about other questions someone might ask based on that first one. In this case, someone might also want to know, “What symptoms should I look for after a car accident?” and “How do I pay for medical costs after a car accident?”
Also, Google states in the update that it doesn’t have a “preferred word count.” I’m not sold on this statement because, from experience, I’ve seen longer pieces generally perform better; however, I think that by substantially answering consumers’ questions, you’re likely to end up with content pieces that are the appropriate length for the topic. Chances are, for instance, that you can’t answer the question “What symptoms to look for after a car accident” in a constructive way in only a few hundred words.
3. Brainstorm Fresher Angles
In addition to a greater focus on addressing consumer intent, I recommend that SEO agencies brainstorm fresher takes and angles on different topics.
Yes, every industry needs baseline content. For instance, pretty much every personal injury law firm will need a blog post on what to do immediately after a car accident. But even with those content baselines, look for how you can make them 10% to 15% different from competitors. For law firms, a good way to differentiate that topic would be to include any unique laws in their jurisdictions and notable wins.
At my agency, one of the ways we plan on creating even more fresh takes and angles for our clients is by looking at topics that are outside the usual theme for them but can still apply to them. We’re also going to increasingly apply unique perspectives to their new content and to their existing content with content upgrades.
As an aside, we’re also leveraging more video content, such as YouTube shorts and Instagram stories. With these short videos, we can get subject matter experts (SMEs) from the law firms we work with to quickly and authoritatively cover specific topics.
4. Set The Expectation Of More Face Time With SMEs
Speaking of SMEs, they are one of the best ways to create content for your clients that stands out from the competition. SMEs have a wealth of knowledge and experience that could lead you to angles you or your team might not have thought of.
I recommend interviewing as many SMEs who work for your clients as possible and seeking external SMEs (who aren’t competitors of your clients) when appropriate. Then, review the interview transcriptions to pinpoint potential search queries and content ideas. Afterward, to ensure that any content you and your team create is accurate, you can have those SMEs review it.
You should set the expectation with your clients that you’ll need more face-to-face time with these SMEs and more involvement from them. Explain why in a way that clearly shows them how they’ll benefit—this increased involvement can help them succeed in light of Google’s new update. And when it comes to your prospective clients, establish that SME interviews and involvement are part of your process so they know what to expect by signing on to work with you.
5. Be More Meticulous With Potential Collaborations
Finally, SEO agencies should be more meticulous with setting up potential collaborations between their clients and third parties.
You might have to be more selective about which sites you turn to for link building, as well as blogger outreach for affiliate marketing. Use your best judgment to determine if those sites have content that Google would likely classify as “helpful.” You’ll probably get more value from those collaborations.
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Author: Chris Dreyer, Forbes Councils Member
