Google previously announced its latest new algorithm update, “Google Helpful Content” (Google updates the Helpful Content algorithm), an algorithm designed to review how websites are ranked on search engine results pages, with a particular focus on content such as articles and news, otherwise known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) content. As a result, many marketers may sometimes feel that “certain articles or pieces of content have had their visibility reduced significantly.”
According to data collected by the Trisolute News Dashboard (a tool that helps monitor visibility performance on Google News and the Google News Box), since this update first rolled out on 25 August 2022, news outlets or News Publishers from many countries around the world were affected all at once. This article therefore brings together data from 12 countries worldwide and summarises it all in one place.
What kinds of content does the Helpful Content Update affect?
According to data collected by the Trisolute News Dashboard, the content categories affected by the update are as follows:
Examples of the impact
When collecting data on the Trisolute News Dashboard, the approach was to select data from countries that experienced a significant change within a single category, based on the settings KPI- Dashboard > Mobile News Box and the following time frame:
- 25 July 2022 – 25 September 2022
- Top 10 Competitors
- All Ranking Types
- General Keyword Set
If you’re ready, let’s take a look.
1. Top Stories
Mexico
In the first category, Top Stories content, we found that well-known News Publishers in Mexico such as El Financiero and Infobae were clearly affected by this update, as shown by the dashed lines in the graph above. Since the Helpful Content update rolled out in August and September, there were fluctuations in visibility, with declines and increases varying from one outlet to another. One thing to note is that August saw slightly more impact than September, which may be because the update had only just been launched for the first time.
2. Country – Specific News
Switzerland
For Specific-News content, we found that well-known Publishers such as 20 Minutes and Blick from Switzerland tended to see increased visibility during the update’s launch in August. However, after the additional update in September, their visibility dropped significantly.
3. World News
Colombia
In the World News category, we found a great deal of volatility. Data from Colombia showed that the three major Publishers El Tiempo, Semana and Elspectador all had graphs that rose and fell during both the August and September updates.
4. Business News
Peru
In Peru, the first update in August had a more negative effect on Publishers than the second update in September. For CNN, the graph clearly declined after the first update, then improved slightly in September, as did RPP. For El Comercio, however, the graph swung upward in the short term after the August update, before falling again after the September update.
5. Science & Technology News
France
For news content in the science and technology category, in France most Publishers including Jeuxvideo, Gamekult and Le Monde were able to maintain their content visibility well after the August update. But after the second update in September, both Jeuxvideo and Gamekult lost visibility, with only Le Monde continuing to see an upward trend in visibility.
6. Entertainment News
Australia
For news content in the entertainment category, in Australia the August update had a strongly negative effect, lasting all the way until the week of the second update in September, when the graph finally began trending upward again.
The United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, both rounds of updates in August and September affected both the Daily Mail and the Mirror, with both of their graphs clearly trending downward, especially during the first update in August.
7. Sports News
Canada
For content in the sports category, we found that outlets such as TSN from Canada were able to maintain visibility well during the first update in August, before the graph dipped slightly and then bounced back up during the second update in September. This was different from an outlet like CBC, which had a good share of visibility before the August update but then began to decline continuously from the first update through to the second update in September.
8. Health News
Austria
For health-related content, in Austria the well-known outlets Der Standard and ORF had graphs that trended upward after the first update in August, and although there was slight fluctuation, they still trended upward after the second update in September.
On the other hand, both Kurier and Vienna.at were affected by the first update in August, causing their graphs to drop noticeably, but they trended upward again after the second update.
The United States
Similarly, in the United States, in the health category both NPR and The New York Times saw fluctuations after the first update in August, but the difference was that The New York Times managed those fluctuations better in the period following the first update, while the second update in September was able to have a more positive effect.
Final thoughts
As you can see, Google’s algorithm updates have a direct impact on SEO content. Both marketers and business owners who are just getting started with SEO marketing absolutely need to adapt in line with this update to ensure that the impact on their brand or business is kept as minimal as possible, reducing the risk of having their website’s visibility reduced. So don’t forget to keep checking that your content is on point, high quality and trustworthy, in line with E-A-T Content principles (learn more about optimising E-A-T Content).
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