Google has announced the imminent launch of a new update to its ranking algorithm aimed at sites with useless content:
Starting next week, a number of improvements will be introduced into the algorithm that will make it much easier for users to find useful content created by and for people.
The Helpful content update is designed to address content that was created to rank well in search engines, not to help or inform people. This algorithm update should ensure that unoriginal, low-quality content does not rank high in search. Earlier testing of the algorithm has shown that it is particularly good at improving results for results related to online education, as well as arts and entertainment, shopping and technical information.
The update will be rolled out over two weeks for English-language results around the world, and its beginning and end will be marked on a special Google Updates page. But by now webmasters can prepare for this update by carefully inspecting their site for useless, low-quality, SEO content created exclusively for search engines. For more information about what to look for and what types of content will be pessimized, see this article on Google Search Central.
Google warns that Helpful content update has nothing to do with manual sanctions, it is an automated process based on artificial intelligence. Classification of sites with low-quality and useless content will be carried out by the search constantly, it will be another signal in Google’s ranking formula.
Once a site is classified by search as a resource with low-quality and useless content, it will be downgraded in the rankings. Such sites will only regain their previous visibility in search a few months after the low-quality content has been removed – Google will have to make sure that the useless content has not returned in the long term.
This update will go hand-in-hand with the next Product Reviews Update, which will also launch in the coming weeks. Both updates are part of the tremendous work that Google is constantly doing to provide search users with the most useful information and help them shop safely and quickly online.
As a reminder, the last update to Google’s algorithm for ranking reviews and reviews began in late July. This is the fourth update to the algorithm, and its full rollout ended Aug. 2.
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