Google Helpful Content Update (HCU): 5 Recommendations for Webmasters

The September 2023 update to Google’s ranking algorithm had a significant impact on search results. Many websites lost their rankings, causing frustration among SEO specialists and site owners. Initially launched in August 2022 under the name Helpful Content Update, this algorithm’s full impact only became evident by the end of 2023.

Following a wave of complaints, Google published guidelines on how the new algorithm works and provided general advice on removing “unhelpful content” to restore search rankings. However, clear criteria for penalizing low-quality content were not presented. We decided to take a closer look at the algorithm’s features and have prepared five useful recommendations for webmasters to help them meet Google’s requirements.

What is the Helpful Content Update?

The Helpful Content Update is an algorithm designed to combat low-quality content. It analyzes websites and identifies texts created solely for search engine ranking purposes without providing real value to users. Such materials are downgraded in rankings, while unique, valuable, and audience-focused content is prioritized in search results.

How Does HCU Affect Website Rankings?

Websites filled with articles created exclusively for SEO, packed with keywords but lacking real value for readers, lose their rankings. Meanwhile, sites featuring informative and helpful content designed for people rather than search engines can rise to the top of search results.

Which Websites Are at Risk of Penalties?

The algorithm can affect any site that contains low-quality texts, whether it is an e-commerce platform or a news portal. Particularly vulnerable are sites related to IT technologies, online education, e-commerce, art, and entertainment. Websites that publish SEO-optimized articles rewritten from popular sources without adding original content are at the highest risk.

How Does the Algorithm Work?

The Helpful Content Update operates automatically, using machine learning methods to evaluate and rank content. It is an advanced version of Google Panda, incorporating an expanded set of analytical factors.

What Penalties Does HCU Apply?

Google lowers the ranking of unhelpful content in search results, while high-quality materials receive a ranking boost. It is crucial to note that if most of the content on a website is deemed low-value, the entire site may be classified as uninformative. In this case, the algorithm does not simply lower the rankings of individual pages — it negatively affects the entire website.

5 Recommendations for Adapting Content to the Helpful Content Update

After the update, Google Search Central published a list of recommendations for site owners to help them determine whether their content meets the “for people” criteria. We have analyzed these guidelines and added important insights.

1. Share Personal Experience

Your content should demonstrate real experiences, whether it involves using a product, a service, or visiting a place. Google advises against publishing articles on topics in which the author lacks expertise.

Often, SEO-driven texts describe products and services that the author has never used. These articles frequently contain affiliate links and are aimed at generating revenue rather than benefiting the reader. Google Product Reviews Update specifically targets such content.

If you have real experience, showcase it — use original photos and videos, and share personal impressions. For example, when reviewing a cosmetic product, don’t just describe it — test it, add images, and include video materials.

Additionally, Google evaluates content presentation: texts written in the first person (“I,” “we,” “our”) may be perceived more positively by algorithms than neutral or second-person narratives.

2. Maintain Thematic Consistency

Google recommends staying within your website’s core topic. Many sites make the mistake of publishing unrelated articles to attract additional traffic.

For instance, if your site focuses on women’s health but suddenly starts featuring articles about IT technologies, finance, and gardening, your audience may lose trust. Google discourages this approach and lowers the ranking of sites that publish trending topics unrelated to their primary niche.

It is better to create a separate website for new content categories rather than clutter your main site with irrelevant articles.

3. Provide Comprehensive Answers to User Questions

Content is valuable when it solves a reader’s problem or answers their question. When creating articles, avoid vague and unhelpful texts that fail to provide concrete solutions.

Google considers whether users need to search for additional information after reading your material. If your content does not offer a complete answer, its value decreases.

4. Focus on User Satisfaction

It is not enough to meet Google’s criteria — you must also ensure a positive user experience. Ask yourself: will the reader be satisfied with your content?

For example, if you write a cosmetics review but fail to include photos or videos, users may be disappointed. Visual content enhances readability and adds originality to the text.

5. Avoid Misinformation

Google does not trust websites that publish rumors and unverified information. This is especially relevant for content about product release dates, movies, TV series, and other events without official sources.

How to Recover from HCU Penalties?

If your site has been affected by the Helpful Content Update, follow these steps:

• Update Author Information – Add details about yourself to highlight expertise.
• Incorporate Personal Experience – Expand reviews by mentioning real interactions with products and services.
• Revise Old Articles – Update outdated content with fresh data.
• Add YouTube Videos – Create video content and integrate it into your website pages.
• Use Comparison Tables – Present product characteristics in an easy-to-read format.
• Organize Articles – If your site contains unstructured materials, categorize them properly.

Implementing these recommendations will help improve your site’s rankings and enhance its value to the audience.

My Personal Experience

On several projects I am working on, the update of the HCU algorithm has significantly affected the rankings of many articles, resulting in a drop in traffic. To restore rankings, I also started following Google’s recommendations, which I have shared in this article. However, I want to share my personal experience — what helped me and what didn’t.

After extensive experiments and applying these recommendations to one of my projects, I observed an increase in traffic after several months.

1. Updating Author Information

From my experience, adding an author or updating author information has a generally positive impact on article rankings. Most often, rankings improve. If your article does not specify an author or has an unknown author, it is recommended to address this factor: add an author section, fill in the author’s details (a real photo, links to social media, mention of specialization and education, supported by images of diplomas or certificates). To signal Google’s crawlers, it is advisable to mark up the author section using Schema.org structured data.

2. Including Personal Experience in the Article

From my experience, this method did not yield results. Including real experience in a product review works when you publish new material from scratch. However, updating an old article by adding personal opinions, photos, and videos does not guarantee that Google will lift its sanctions from the web document. Therefore, it is recommended to prepare new material with a first-person review, where the author’s personal experience is described and supported with photo and video content.

3. Revising Old Articles

Both from my experience and based on feedback from other specialists I’ve interacted with on forums, revising old content may not always produce results. It is recommended to close the old article on its current URL and publish it on a new address, taking into account all Google Helpful Content guidelines — authorship, personal experience, user satisfaction, and providing comprehensive answers to user queries.

There is a hypothesis that if Google has already penalized your article and marked it as unhelpful content, revising the material is unlikely to help. If you face this issue, try creating a new article on a new URL, incorporating all recommendations, and setting up a 301 redirect from the old article to the new one.

Remember, the key is to create valuable content focused on people, not search engines.