The Battle Between Depth and Breadth in Google's Algorithm
In a nutshell, that’s what happened to thousands of bloggers and their Google rankings when Google rolled out its Helpful Content Update in September 2023. As our ongoing coverage shows, site owners, bloggers, and SEO experts who had once thrived in the vibrant ecosystem of organic search find themselves in an ongoing struggle to reclaim their lost stature. Despite the hopeful anticipation leading up to the March 2024 core and spam update, the community has been met with a disheartening reality: there has been no significant recovery in site rankings or traffic.
Yeah, pretty ironic that Google would
— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) March 27, 2024
- recommend that travel bloggers share first-hand experience of traveling to places
- implement algo updates resulting in many examples of travel bloggers who actually did exactly that, and saw their sites obliterated by HCU and March core… https://t.co/HWkiCXr7nn
Did Google assign demotive HCU classifier scores last year and then just forget about it?
— Thomas Jepsen (@JepsenThomas) March 27, 2024
HCU is supposed to be continuously updated yet we have not seen a full recovery AFAIK.
The lack of recoveries has surprised most of the industry.
Somehow this site survived 🧵 pic.twitter.com/cO0dWd5Msj
As the aftermath of the HCU unfolded, those with some authority have tried to offer analysis (which, to me, sounds like a post-mortem) on what the HCU has revealed: poor backlink profiles, solution-last content, lower visibility of expert content crafted to E-E-A-T guidelines in favor of broad platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit.
This casual dismissal of less-dominant sites and platforms has lampshaded what’s long been considered a glaring issue when it comes to Google’s algorithm: it favors breadth over depth.
Have a niche site focused on solving specific problems that a substantial size of your target audience experiences with on-the-ground, tested solutions?
Google: “No thanks. Instead, we’ll divert traffic to non-expert platforms with ancillary, non-specific solutions that leave it incumbent upon the user to parse through.”
That’s Google in 2024, baby!
As the ultimate HCU insult, Google has started showing Reddit results when we browse our own website pic.twitter.com/jI9ayxGWiI
— Jan Einar Stromsodd (@stromsodd) March 27, 2024
While there are no clear-cut solutions that will deliver every site the traffic that’s been artificially depressed, there is a way to weather this storm as Google (and the rest of us site owners) try to figure out what the new normal is going to be. For a restaurant analogy, it would be like when food critics temporarily got obsessed with rating grease trucks and hot dog carts higher than Michelin-star establishments during a zany fad diet craze.
The best chefs stayed focused on their craft, and when the critics regained their senses, those restaurants came out on top again.
Bloggers should follow the lead of those steadfast chefs. Don’t overreact or taint your brand’s reputation by making rash changes like pulling your signature dishes. Keep delivering your highest quality “food” and service to your loyal customers. When Google’s system inevitably fixes itself and can recognize truly expert sources again (hopefully soon), your hard work will be rewarded.
The smart bloggers are using this temporary lull as an opportunity – doubling down on perfecting a focused content strategy, bringing in/sourcing from subject matter experts, and continuing to upgrade their sites through technical SEO.
The published reviews don’t reflect reality forever. The patient, principled bloggers who stayed true to their craft will be celebrated as leaders for a new “golden age” when this all blows over. Those who panicked and overhauled their whole identity, however, will have a much harder time regaining their footing.
Discussion on Reddit
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