What Content Does Google Consider Helpful?

A new breed of B2Bs is rising, and I'm not sure what to make of it!

I've had quite a few discussions about SEO this February, at first I wasn't sure why.

But, they all had one thing in common: They were expanding to cater to the grey area of mass sales. This isn't only for SaaS companies, it includes training, consultancies, financial firms, and so on.

And that changes which type of content marketing works for their B2Bish model...

For B2Bs, SEO was always a footnote, it's not what they care about

What sells—and still sells—is founder-led content, educational content, and social proof.

But expanding into a hybrid model, or even mass marketing your B2B services means you need your content to reach a larger audience....aka SEO to improve ranking.

Yes, this is basic logic....but I'm leading into the point of this newsletter ??

You don't need to re-do your entire marketing plan,

you simply need to know what type of educational or advice-based content Google's algorithm thinks is helpful and valuable.

So let's jump in...

Google Bases its Evaluation on 4 Criteria

1- Is created for a specific audience?

2- Does it show expertise and offer concrete value?

3- Is it credible and trustworthy?

4- Is it yours? (how much of it is copied, generated by AI...etc)

My advice: Audit your previous content and content calendar answering the above questions.

Helpful Business Content vs. Target Audience

For B2B content to be helpful, in general, in needs to tick all the elements on this checklist:

1- Are you addressing a specific demographic with a specific set of titles (i.e all accountants in Jeddah; startup owners in Alexandria; Construction company owners in Dubai)

2- Does your website cater to a specific purpose?

Here the answer shouldn't be it's our company website. The point here is the blog content, are you providing advice in a specific direction?

For example:

You are a financial consultancy, are your blog post focused on fund-raising for startups, or focused on scaling for mid-sized businesses,

or is your financial advice articles all over the place

My advice: Even if you cater to everyone, focus most of your content on (1) one primary service and (2) one segment.

Not All Advice Content is Effective

Google prioritizes content that demonstrates real experience and deep knowledge.

1- Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise dealing with the challenges you are addressing?

2- Are you providing actionable advice? or insights based on data and analysis? trend updates?

3- Are you just sharing your take or are you using other sources for credibility, this one is very important. Most people just share bullets...as if they are writing a newsletter.

4- Are you copying the content or writing it.? how much is copied from other sources? Google calls this "author rank"

5- Did you use AI to generate your content? also impacts your author rank

Google keeps insisting that AI-generated content won't affect SEO, but in reality, it does. At least, that what most experts agreed on.

Finally, ranking well in Google isn't only about keyword optimization and content value.

They are matched with other stats, including how long the reader stays on a given page, how many pages did they view, and so on.

My advice: Focus on real client stories (you don't have to mention their name); create mini-reports, case studies, infographics, and downloadable guides. They all do wonders for lead generation.

The Days of Shallow Content are Over

This is a difficult balance to strike, I'll admit!

For top of the funnel (TOFU), you need the shallow "how-to" pieces that are applicable for a larger content base.

However, to effectively generate leads, middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) content is key. Here you need case studies, reports, you need content that addresses specific challenges from A-to-Z.

My advice: Contact us for tailored lead-generating content

Quick Implementation Checklist:

? Define your specific target audience for each piece

? Include at least one unique insight from your experience

? Back up claims with data or evidence

? Address potential questions before readers ask them

? Focus on quality over arbitrary word counts

Remember, Google's ultimate goal is to provide users with the most helpful content possible. By focusing on creating genuine value for your audience, you're naturally aligning with Google's objectives.

Keep creating valuable content! and DM me if you have any questions or need a helping hand