A search ranking update called the “Helpful Content Update” will start rolling out globally to English language users on August 22.
“We know people don’t find content helpful if it seems like it was designed to attract clicks rather than inform readers. So starting next week for English users globally, we’re rolling out a series of improvements to Search to make it easier for people to find helpful content made specifically by and for people,” said Danny Sullivan, Public Liaison for Search.
This update will help make sure that “unoriginal, low-quality content doesn’t rank highly in Search, particularly for online-educational materials, entertainment, shopping, and tech-related content, he said in a blog post late on Thursday.
The new ranking update joins a similar effort related to ranking better quality product review content over the past year, which will also receive an update.
Together, these launches are part of a broader, ongoing effort to reduce low-quality content and make it easier to find content that feels authentic and useful in Search, said Google.
“For example, if you search for information about a new movie, you’ll see more results with unique, authentic information, so you’re more likely to read something you haven’t seen before,” the company informed.
Last year, Google kicked off a series of updates to show more helpful, in-depth reviews based on first-hand expertise in search results.
“We’ve continued to refine these systems, and in the coming weeks, we’ll roll out another update to make it even easier to find high-quality, original reviews,” said the company.
IANS