What Does Google Need? Creating User-Focused Content

In the digital world, creating user-focused content is crucial for any brand or business to succeed online. Google, the world's leading search engine, is constantly evolving its algorithms to prioritize content that caters to the needs and preferences of its users. To stay ahead in this competitive landscape, it's essential to understand what Google needs and how you can create user-focused content that will rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Google's automated ranking systems are designed not to elevate search engine rankings but to present useful and reliable information created for user benefit in top search results. Let’s help content creators assess whether they are producing such useful content.

Self-Assessment of Your Content

Assessing your content against these questions can help you measure whether the content you created is useful and reliable. Beyond asking yourself these questions, consider getting an honest assessment from trusted individuals who are not affiliated with your site.

Also, consider reviewing any declines you may have experienced. Which pages, for which types of searches, were affected? Examine these pages closely to understand how they are assessed according to some of these questions.

Delivering an Excellent Page Experience

Google's core ranking systems aim to reward content that provides a good page experience. Site owners looking to succeed with systems should not focus on just one or two elements of page experience. Instead, check whether you are providing a generally good page experience.

Focus on User-Focused Content

User-focused content primarily refers to content created for users, not to influence search engine rankings. How can you assess whether you are producing user-focused content? Answering yes to the following questions likely means you are adopting a user-focused approach:

• Does your business or site have an audience that would find your content useful if they came directly to you?

• Does your content clearly show firsthand expertise and comprehensive knowledge (e.g., having used a product or service, or visited a location)?

• Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?

• Would a user reading your content feel they have gained enough information to achieve their goals on the topic?

• Would a user reading your content feel they had a satisfying experience?

Avoid Creating Search-Engine-Focused Content

If you want to succeed in Google Search, it is recommended to prioritize user-focused content over content created primarily to rank well in search engines. Answering yes to some or all of the following questions could be a warning that you need to re-evaluate how you create content:

• Is the primary purpose of your content to attract visitors from search engines?

• Are you producing a lot of content on different topics hoping it performs well in search results?

• Are you using extensive automation to produce content on many topics?

• Are you primarily summarizing what others have said without adding much value?

• Are you writing about topics not because they are relevant to your audience but because they are currently trending?

• Do users have to search again to find better information than what your content provides?

• Are you writing articles to meet a word count you heard or read that Google prefers? (Google does not have a preferred word count.)

• Have you decided to provide information on a topic you are not knowledgeable about simply to generate search traffic?

• Does your content claim to have an answer for a question that remains unanswered, such as the release date for an upcoming product, film, or TV show that has not been announced?

• Are you changing the dates on your pages to make them appear current without significant changes to the content?

• Are you adding a lot of new content or removing a lot of old content because you believe it will improve your search rankings by making your site appear "current"? (No, this does not improve your rankings.)

Learn About E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and Quality Rater Guidelines

Google's automated systems are designed to use many different factors to rank quality content. Systems aim to prioritize the most useful content identified after recognizing relevant content. For this purpose, various factors help determine which content demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (Google call this E-E-A-T).

The most important of these elements is trustworthiness. The other elements enhance trust, but content does not need to have all of them. For example, some content is useful because of the experience shared, while other content is useful because of the expertise shared.

While E-E-A-T itself is not a ranking factor, using the factors that identify content with good E-E-A-T together is beneficial.?

Raters are individuals who provide Google with information on whether algorithms produce good results. This method helps Google confirm that changes are effective. In particular, raters are trained to understand whether content has full E-E-A-T. The criteria they use are explained in search quality rater guidelines.

Search raters have no control over page rankings. Rater data is not used directly in ranking algorithms. Instead, Google uses this like feedback cards from a restaurant's customers. This feedback helps Google learn whether systems are working.

Reading the guidelines can help you assess the E-E-A-T of your content and evaluate improvements you can make on your own. It can also help you conceptually align your content with the different signals automated systems used to rank content.