Google Completes Rollout of September 2023 Helpful Content Update

Google has completed the rollout of its September 2023 helpful content update, which began on September 14, 2023, and concluded on September 28, 2023(Today). This update aimed to improve the quality of content in search results and took 14 days to fully deploy.

During this rollout, the SEO community noticed significant fluctuations in rankings, while data providers reported unusually low volatility. Google stated that the update was entirely rolled out by September 28, 2023.

In the coming days, experts will analyze the impact of this update once they have processed the data provided by data providers.

The update introduced several changes to Google's help documentation, including:

1. An improved classifier.
2. A focus on addressing hosted third-party content (not in this update).
3. Removal of content "written by people" in their language.
4. Google's recommendation to self-assess content.
5. Emphasis on having content reviewed by experts.
6. Caution against altering content dates without significant updates.
7. Advising against blindly adding or removing content, among other changes.

This update is part of Google's ongoing efforts to reduce low-quality content and prioritize high-quality content that genuinely benefits users. It aims to combat content created solely for the purpose of ranking in search engines, often referred to as "search engine-first content" or "SEO content."

Google's goal is to enhance the search experience by promoting content designed for humans rather than catering solely to search engine algorithms. They want to make it easier for users to find authentic and useful information in search results.

If your website was negatively affected by this update, Google suggests evaluating your content by asking specific questions provided by them. Recovery from such impacts may take several months if you make the necessary content adjustments gradually.