Google Search Fights Back! Is Your Website Traffic Safe?

It’s a tale as old as time…

SEOs and marketers find a way to manipulate Google Search.

Tricks and spam tactics to help their website rise up the rankings.

Google catches on and clamps down on these websites.

SEOs then find new ways, Google fights back. And so on.

The latest Google Search spam tactic?

AI-generated content!

This isn’t new by the way. Tools like Jasper.ai (est. 2021) have helped marketers produce content en masse for a while.

But it’s the mass adoption of ChatGPT that is the real issue. We now all have access to a powerful content-generating machine.

We can churn out reams of content and publish this on the internet.

Does it mean it’s any good? That’s open to debate.

But one thing is true…

The biggest barrier to entry is now gone. Time!

It used to be a labour-intensive process coming up with content ideas and then writing them.

Now anyone can do it. This creates a problem. Google’s search results will be flooded with reems of AI-generated content.

This is a real problem for Google. One they are trying to fix.

Google’s algorithm updates

I believe a large part of Google’s recent algorithm updates are in response to this problem.

They aim to promote good websites, with good content. And demote the low-quality, regurgitated content – typically spat out by AI.

How will they do this?

The released two updates, both on March 5th.

Spam Update (March 2024)

This is the obvious one. The one directly targeting mass-produced, AI-generated content. With websites being fully deindexed by Google as a result, they said:

“This will allow us to take action on more types of content with little to no value created at scale, like pages that pretend to have answers to popular searches but fail to deliver helpful content.”

Unless you have some programmatic SEO setup, or you’re churning out ChatGPT piece after piece directly onto your website, you don’t have to worry.

This update aimed to get rid of the lowest of the low-quality.

However, the next update is more nuanced and could impact sites not using AI tools.

Core Update (March 2024)

This is still rolling out, but Google aims to introduce the “Helpful Content Update" into their core algorithm.

Google said:

“...we expect that the combination of this update and our previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.”

The key bit here is… low-quality, unoriginal content. This sounds like a lot of the content put out by companies even when AI isn’t involved.

Brands just head to Google and write content based on the top 10 search results. The outcome is a sea of copycat content on Google.

What’s the Helpful Content Update?

Launching in 2022, Google aims to reward “people-first” content. They said:

“Google’s systems…are designed to present helpful, reliable information that's primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings”

You can read their full breakdown here. It is an essential read. For me, the key takeaway from all of this is:

Don’t create content to rank for keywords. Create content to help the searcher get their answer.

Of course, it should ideally target keywords that get search volume. 

But, how can you make this the best piece of content possible to answer their question? You have to go above and beyond. The content needs to provide your unique angle.

Even if you’re not using AI tools, you may just be trying to rank for the sake of ranking. And not helping the searcher – your future customer.

Ask the “Who, How, and Why" about your content:

WHO: Who authored your content? Ideally a Subject Matter Expert. Is there a byline? Do bylines lead to further information about the author?

HOW: How was your content produced? (Spoiler: Not using ChatGPT) What methodology or process did you use? Help the reader understand how you came to your conclusions.

WHY: Why is it being created in the first place? Are you creating content primarily to help people? Or, are you making content solely for search engine clicks?

This will ensure all of the content on your website is helpful and people-first. Another great topic to look into related to all of this is Google’s concept of E-E-A-T.

Have these updates impacted you?

Anxious about these changes? I don’t blame you - core updates can greatly impact your rankings and lead flow.

In the short term, here’s what I’d check to see if you were hit:

— Ranking positions

— Organic traffic (Google Analytics)

— Impressions, Clicks, CTR (Google Search Console)

Can you see any changes compared to your baseline of previous months?

This will help you identify impacted areas. Then investigate further.

In the long-term:

— Read the resources above

— Produce high-quality content

— Review your backlink and E-E-A-T profile

— Ensure your site provides a great user experience

These are the key components of great SEO. Nothing has changed here.

Takeaways

The cat-and-mouse game of SEOs trying to outsmart Google continues.

As always, there are no shortcuts with SEO!

The advice I got many moons ago when I started in SEO hasn’t changed…

Ensure your website is the go-to resource in your industry. A valuable resource that helps your customers find answers.

You can’t go far wrong by focussing on this.

If you don't, and you’re cutting corners, you'll continue to feel anxious every time an algorithm update rolls out.

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