Google’s Helpful Content Update – What It Means for SEO and Your Website

Google releases several algorithm updates each year that impact website performance in search results. Some updates barely cause a ripple, while others send shockwaves through the industry. The September 2023 Helpful Content Update (HCU) was firmly in the latter camp — and it has major implications for SEO content writing going forward.

The HCU signals where Google is heading long-term when it comes to evaluating websites, and it’s such a fundamental shift that I decided to do a deep-dive analysis. I went through dozens of reports from international SEO specialists to figure out which elements and practices Google now prioritises most — and what you should focus on when building and writing for your site. Because the changes are truly significant, I’ve put together this article (which I’ll update regularly) covering everything we know about HCU.

The HCU was announced by Google on 14 September 2023, and the rollout was completed on 28 September 2023. The biggest impact was seen in international SERPs, though UK and other local search results were also noticeably affected.

If you’re involved in optimising websites for search engines or building sites for monetisation, this article will be a valuable resource. Let’s dive in!

What Google Itself Says About the HCU

This section is loosely adapted from this source, as it’s an excellent summary of the Google Developer Docs that I couldn’t have put together any better myself.

Google frequently mentions the HCU on its developer pages and devotes an entire section to it. While we all know that Google’s advice can sometimes be misleading (they tell us not to do something, yet it works brilliantly 😅), you absolutely need to understand what the creator of the HCU has to say. So here goes:

1) “The HCU system generates a single site-wide signal” (Source)

A site-wide signal is a ranking factor (a single score) that Google applies to your entire website at once. The ranking of each individual URL is then derived from a combination of that URL’s own score and the overall site score. This means websites with a low HCU rating can drag down even their previously top-performing pages.

2) “The HCU system rewards content where visitors feel they’ve had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn’t meet visitor expectations won’t perform as well.” (Source)

With this, Google is saying it places even greater emphasis on whether visitors found answers to all their questions about a topic on your page.

3) “This classification process is fully automated, using a machine-learning model.” (Source)

This is a VERY important new element. It tells us Google is using an AI classifier to process data for the helpful content update.

4) “Our classifier runs continuously, allowing it to monitor both newly launched and existing sites.” (Source)

The AI classifier runs non-stop. If your site was negatively hit by the HCU, you don’t have to wait for the next Google update after making necessary improvements. As soon as Google recalculates your site’s score and it comes out higher than before, you should see changes in your search impressions almost immediately.

5) “Rating websites with this system may take several months.” (Source)

This can be interpreted in two ways: Google likely needs a large volume of data to assign an HCU score, so smaller websites may take longer to evaluate. Alternatively, it could mean that large websites are the bottleneck, as it takes time for Google to crawl the entire site and assign a score.

Google has also provided a lengthy list of questions you should ask yourself when creating content to assess whether Google considers it helpful.

Here are the most important ones:

• “Does your site present information in a way that makes you want to trust it? For example, is there a clear source, evidence of expertise, background about the author or the site that publishes it — such as through links to an author page or the site’s About page?”
• “Is this content written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?”
• “Does the content clearly demonstrate that the author has first-hand experience and in-depth knowledge of the topic (for example, expertise gained through actually using a product or service, or visiting a place)?”
• “Do you have an existing or intended audience for your business or site that would find the content useful if they came directly to you?”
• “Does your content leave readers feeling like they need to search again to get better information from other sources?”
• “Does your content include links that lead to further information about the author or authors and the areas they write about?”

As you can see, the HCU places heavy emphasis on author expertise and content quality, further strengthening the importance of E-E-A-T signals.

Google wants us to think carefully about:

• Who is writing our content,
• Who we’re creating the content for,
• Why we’re creating the content in the first place.

Are you creating content solely for search engines? WRONG. ❌

Are you heavily relying on automation for content creation? WRONG. ❌

Are you writing content that simply summarises what others have already said without adding anything new? WRONG. ❌

Did you decide to write about a topic only because it has high search volume? WRONG. ❌

Are you constantly adding new content or deleting old content because you expect Google will see your site as “fresh”? WRONG. ❌ (Though removing genuinely unhelpful content apparently can help)

How Google Calculates the Helpful Content Score (HCS)

Nobody knows for certain, of course, but based on extensive testing, the global SEO community has some rough estimates of how Google approaches HCS calculation.

The biggest difference is that the AI classifier now genuinely understands the content on a page. Here are the general assumptions about the AI classifier:

• The AI classifier doesn’t read the entire text — it likely only processes the first 2,000 words (based on the limitations of the AI tools used)
• The HCS primarily evaluates articles and probably doesn’t classify homepages, category pages, or product pages

Speculation: According to Eric Lancheres, the HCS score can only penalise a site — it doesn’t give it a boost — meaning it ranges from 0 to 1. So if Google’s standard algorithms give your URL a score of 95 (on a 1–100 scale) and your site’s overall HCS score is 0.75, then your URL’s effective score becomes 95 × 0.75 = 71.25. In theory, you could be outranked by sites with a somewhat weaker individual URL but a higher overall HCU score.

In practice, this means that even if only a small portion of your site is low quality — or so poor that it drags down the entire site’s HCS score — your excellent content that previously performed brilliantly will also suffer.

On the flip side, a high HCS score can give a lift to URLs that previously underperformed. So choose wisely. 😊

To get a clearer picture of the practical steps I can take to help our own projects and clients’ websites, I compiled the following list of factors that now carry more weight under the HCS:

SEO Content Writing Tips to Optimise for the HCS

Display the Author and Key Information Up Front

If it’s true that the AI classifier only reads a portion of the content, make sure to include the article’s author and links to their bio at the very top — not buried beneath the text.

If applicable (for example, if you’re presenting a commercial offer), include an email address and phone number within the body of the text so potential customers can reach you. Don’t rely solely on a contact form at the bottom of the page — present the offer within the first 2,000 words.

At a minimum, the top of your article should include:

• Author name (clickable)
• Publication date / Last updated date
• Name of the person who reviewed the content (an expert)

Create an author info box and place it in the sidebar of every post.

Invest in Detailed Author Bios and Credentials

Every article on your site should have a clearly identified author. Pseudonyms and team bylines don’t cut it anymore. The author’s name should be clickable, and their author page should provide a thorough description. Don’t forget to include:

• The author’s full name
• How the author is connected to the website and its subject matter
• Where the author gained their expertise and why they’re qualified on the topic
• Links to authoritative sites where the author also publishes on the same subject
• Links to the author’s personal website and social media profiles
• A list of all articles they’ve written for the site
• Contact details for the author

Don’t try to prove expertise through images — use straightforward text instead. A photo of you holding a tape measure won’t boost your Google rating, but this sentence will: “I’m a carpenter with 20 years of experience. I’m based in London and my clients include IKEA and John Lewis.”

Cite Real Sources

Until now, Google didn’t truly understand text and relied primarily on internal and external links for semantic comprehension. With AI, that’s changed. If you write an article about nanotechnology and mention “according to the Institute of Nanotechnology” followed by a relevant fact, that’s a positive ranking factor.

Don’t Write Unnecessarily Long Content

The technique of “writing until the topic is exhausted” may no longer work as well. For one, Google likely doesn’t read the entire text. For another, a URL optimised to answer one specific query will have the answer right at the top, whereas in a sprawling article it might be buried in the tenth section.

After the HCU update, the average length of top-performing articles in the SERPs dropped by nearly 4%.

Example: If you want to rank for the keyword “how to sign up for Revolut,” don’t start by explaining “What is Revolut” and “What are Revolut’s benefits” before eventually getting to the actual sign-up process somewhere in the middle of the article. That’s no longer helpful, because the user has to hunt for the information on your page. An article focused solely on the registration process — ideally a few concise paragraphs with some screenshots — will likely rank better.

Use Original Images

Wherever possible, use your own images and photos. If you’re in the travel industry, take your own photographs — and ideally, be in them. Google’s AI almost certainly can’t “read” photos yet, but that’s coming soon. The general consensus is that original photographs and “proof” of actually being somewhere will become a ranking factor (an author pictured at the location they’re writing about is pretty compelling evidence).

Blog as Homepage = Bad Idea

If your homepage is just a list of blog posts, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Your homepage should tell visitors what they’ll find on the site and who’s behind it. Websites with a blog-style homepage performed worse on average after the HCU.

Your Website Should Look Like a Real Business

The more your website feels like a legitimate business, the better. Sites built purely for SEO performed worse after the HCU on average. Conversely, sites with a clear persona, company, or brand behind them fared better.

Consider Adding an E-commerce Element

Think about whether you could integrate micro-services or products into your site that you could sell. We, for example, sell travel maps.

Don’t Use Unmodified Templates

Blogs running stock templates performed worse after the HCU. Invest in a custom template, or at least customise your existing one so it better serves your content.

Avoid Excessive Intrusive Ads

If advertising is your primary monetisation method and the HCU hit you hard, the ads might be the culprit. When your main content is surrounded by ads — or worse, completely blocked by them — Google clearly rates the site as unhelpful.

Open Your Site to Comments

Don’t disable comments on your website. In fact, actively encourage users to leave comments. Sites with a high volume of comments tend to perform better.

Sites with Diverse Traffic Sources Performed Better

This has been a long-standing trend: Google appears to reward websites that attract traffic from multiple sources rather than relying solely on organic search (the so-called “written for Google” approach).

Sources and Further Reading:

• Erich Lancheres – Google’s Helpful Content Update Full Review, Analysis and Recovery
• Glenn Gabe – The September 2023 Google Helpful Content Update – Did Google’s Announcement in April About Page Experience Foreshadow What We’re Seeing With The Current HCU(X)?
• Barry Schwarz – Impact of the Google September 2023 helpful content was big for the SEO industry
• Marie Haynes – The September helpful content update: Why you were affected and what you can do
• Marie Haynes – Is the helpful content system only a negative classification?