When the quality rater guidelines update, we pay attention! Updates to the QRG often give us clues as to what it is that Google's machine learning systems are trying to reward.
Discussed in this episode:
Quality Rater Guidelines Updates
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Google simplified the Needs Met rating scale. This helps train raters to properly assess forums and newly created pages.
Expanded guidance on rating forum pages. Forums are natural conversations and often include insight/expertise.
We noted how often the word "helpful" appears in the QRG.
Google modernized examples throughout the QRG to reflect the current web.
Danny Sullivan's Tweets on Ranking Changes
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searchliaison/sta...
Google search isn't perfect yet. Low quality results still appear sometimes.
Google wants creators and the open web to succeed. Perhaps there will be more opportunities for smaller creators, "hidden gems" to rank in helpful content carousels and features.
Google has advised for years to create for users, but many SEOs still focus on SEO tricks. Messaging needs to improve.
Search and content quality goes through cycles. Spam arises, Google fixes it. We're in one of those cycles now.
Examining Site Impacted by Core Update
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We looked at tennis news site that lost rankings in latest core update.
Site appears to rehash existing content on trending topics. We looked at their pages for Serena Williams. Lacks original analysis/reporting.
To recover, should aim to produce insightful analysis on tennis news that would uniquely appear in "topics you follow" section. And be known for their topics.
More helpful links
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Buy my helpful content workbook which will help you create the type of content Google's systems aim to reward:
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