Adapting to Google's "People-First" SEO Update

18 Oct

Google is a platform that defines how we market and search. It has become a central hub of modern life and takes that responsibility seriously. If Google wants to stay on top, users must be able to trust their search results. However, if Google gets complacent, the commercial sector can and will find ways to game the system and get not-so-useful links in the top spots instead of valuable information.

This is where the "People First Content" algorithm update came from. Google needs the ability to sort between content written to rank vs content written to provide a valuable read to the users. Naturally, the search brand wants to ensure users have a good time, so they choose to return. This article will help you conquer the People First update and create content that both the search engine and your audience will love.

Is your website content people focussed?

By changing your tactic on blog, service, and landing pages, you can win Google's favour again and regain your high search result ranking.

What, Exactly, Is "People First?"

People First represents Google's new philosophy when it comes to featured content. In the past, Google's algorithms have led brands to stuff their content with often irrelevant keywords just to win ranking but without offering value to the reader.

Readers were skimming through keyword-stuffed fluff and closing pages in disappointment or disgust. That wasn't great for Google, so they changed direction. "People First" content focuses on how to create a better experience using content quality. Writing for people to read, offering valuable insights, and more organically integrating keywords into the content is the new way to rank and win new customers at the same time.

So, what should you look out for?

Here are a few simple items to consider when creating content.

Write for Your Audience, not the Engine.

The first step is to start writing for your audience. It can help to have marketing personas or to have met many of your audience in person. You want to get a feel for your audience and write in a way they will connect. The good news is that many brands are already doing this. Writing with the company's voice to the community you serve can help you connect with that community. It will also generate the organic, warm, and expert content that Google is looking for.

Demonstrate "E-E-A-T" Qualities

Experience
Expertise
Authority
Trustworthiness

Google introduced the EAT principles several years ago, suggesting that brands represent their Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness when giving actionable advice or offering client services. The advice offered by brands is often highly valued, and customers will try to follow your instructions to DIY their own homes, so the tips and guides you provide need to be trustworthy.

Google determines this with a new four-part estimation. Experience: Does the source have experience with the topic? Expertise: Does the source know what they are talking about? Authority: Does the source have a certification or industry position to talk about these subjects? Trustworthiness: Can the source be trusted to give quality information?

When your content and attribution answers "Yes" to these questions, your page rank will increase.

Connect an Expert Author to Your Content

One of the best ways to demonstrate the EEAT qualifications of your content is to attribute a trustworthy author. When a named and verifiable certified professional will put their byline on content, that content increases in its authority, expertise, and trustworthiness ratings, which can increase your overall content rank on Google.

It's incredible what a little byline can do, but it then becomes important that your content is reviewed and signed off by whatever in-house expert you choose - and not by-lined by the content director.

Avoid AI-Generated Content

Do not give in to the temptation to use AI-generated content. Artificial intelligence writes fast, but it doesn’t have any authority. There's no fact-checking, and AI content writers are known to repeat misinformation as freely as they share publicly available good advice. AIs are a terrible source of authoritative, trustworthy content because there is no oversight.

Also, most AI content does not yet have an organic, conversational flow to the content that is blatantly missing compared to content written by humans, for humans. This disjointed and stilted way of speaking can make customers angry when they realise or suspect that a completely inexpert block of text is wasting their time.

Speak from the Heart

In contrast, write for your audience from the heart. Write as if you were speaking to a friend who asked you about your industry. Write conversationally. Break up your content based on flow and concept chunks. Share your passion and your expertise naturally alongside more formal instructions or answers to questions.

Answer questions. Take lists of frequently asked questions or Google's People Also Ask lists and answer them with your full professional expertise. The more human a communication you achieve, the more "People First" your content will become. If your keywords are properly integrated with your subject matter, then the rest of your SEO will occur in the best organic way possible.

Write Original Answers, Not Copies of the Top 5

There's also been an issue with content essentially carbon-copied from the top five results featuring the same keywords. Tools like Yoast and SurferSEO will guide you in this direction, suggesting sub-headings and keywords based entirely on what other brands have written already. But the success of those pages is not based on keyword stuffing and readers today often compare the top results of any search.

It will be blatantly obvious if your content is pulled word for word - or even just concept for concept -from someone else's piece. Stay away from this type of copying and instead, write from the heart giving original answers to similar questions.

Share Your Community Connections

Get involved in your community and write about it. If you are a local brand, participate in local festivities and disasters alike and write about the experience for your clients. If a storm blew through, share your storm damage recovery tips from the perspective of your industry. If it's festival season, write about how amazing your community is and share pictures.

Not only will you be connecting on a human level, it's also a great source of organic local SEO.

If you are a digital brand, get involved with your audience through social media. Create events and share in their enthusiasm. Then write about your experiences, the questions you have been asked, and the interesting content shared.

Don't Hide the Lead. Give a Purpose to Every Page

Every page should have a purpose, and that purpose should be made clear. Hiding the lead is no longer in style, readers want to know what they're comitting to reading and why. Table-of-Contents quick links at the top of an article are in, while long rambling introductions are out.

Every page should have a purpose and readers (therefore, Google) wants to know what that purpose is the moment they navigate in. And if you take too long to answer the core question, you can lose readers and ranking at the same time.

Use people-centric content to create connections

Avoid Keyword-Stuffing

Keywords are still important. They are still the core technology used to match searches with results. But organic keywords are a rising star, while stuffed keywords have sunk for years.

This means that you will start with your keyword list and then write organically about the subjects they define. You will wind up with variations of those keywords in different tenses, word arrangement, and context. If you drop the exact same long-tail phrase or keyword arrangement over and over, your content will come across as robotic and may even be accused of being AI-generated.

Share Useful Information on Every Web Page

Even on your product pages, find a few questions to answer. Share valuable information that your customers find interesting and helpful while they shop. Even bare pages are getting a touch-up with a few paragraphs of helpful information. Provide more details about the product, answer frequently asked questions, or share a few use cases. Anything that buyers might find interesting and valuable is a worthy upgrade for your content pages and will convey that you are thinking of people first instead of trying to rank your products just for search engine results.

Avoid Trend-Chasing and Click-Bait Strategies

Finally, avoid creating content outside your field of expertise. There's no need to trend-chase, and click-bait is being actively penalised. These techniques only work for a few brands, and those brands have audiences that precisely like trend-chasing and click-bait time-wasting. If that's not your brand, don't dally in these strategies because Google will not reward the choice.

Embracing "People-First" Content and Improved Google Ranking

If you want to rank in your Google searches in the coming years, it's time to leave behind the old formulaic approaches and go organic. Write from one person to another, sharing expertise for people who need advice. This simple change can and should be embraced by all brands because it will improve both your ranking and your customer relationships immediately.