Summary
- I learned that when a site is hit by an HCU (Helpful Content Update), every page can be affected. It's important to be aware of this because it might not just be a few pages causing issues.
- Google released a Helpful Content FAQ stating their core ranking systems work at the page level, but real-world experiences might show otherwise. This means while Google's policy suggests page-level penalties, many believe it's actually a site-wide issue.
- From my experience, it seems the HCU acts as a site-wide signal. Your entire website either gets hit or it doesn’t. It's essential to consider this when addressing issues with your site's content.
- Conflicting information can exist between Google's guidelines and user experiences, so it's crucial to investigate and understand both perspectives.
- Pay close attention to updates and changes in guidelines from Google, as they directly impact how your site performs and ranks.
Video
How To Take Action
I would suggest starting by staying updated with Google's changes and guidelines. This doesn’t take much time but provides high value. You can set up Google Alerts or subscribe to SEO news sites to get the latest updates. This way, you’ll know when a Helpful Content Update (HCU) is released.
A good way of dealing with HCU is to review and refresh your website content regularly. Make sure every page offers useful and informative content. This can help ensure your whole site remains valuable to visitors and may prevent site-wide penalties if an HCU happens.
To handle the conflicting information from Google and other users, investigate both perspectives. Keep learning from other business owners or SEO experts who’ve been through similar challenges. Online forums or SEO groups can be great places for these discussions.
Consider using free tools like Google Analytics to monitor your website's performance. If your site is affected by an update, you'll see a trend across many pages. This will help you decide if it's a page-level or site-wide issue.
Lastly, if a site-wide HCU hits, look at your overall website strategy instead of focusing on just a few pages. Improving the entire user experience of your website can help lift any penalties quicker. This means making sure your site is easy to navigate and the information is clear and relevant for your audience.
Full Transcript
when I had a site hit by hcu every single page was affected not just specific pages that Google might not like bear in mind later Google released the helpful content FAQ in which they said quote our core ranking systems are primarily designed to work on the page level using a variety of signals and systems to understand the helpfulness of individual pages okay so there's a contradiction here one document says it's a sitewide penalty the other says it's on the page level and at the time I recorded this video both of these documents were live and written exactly as I quoted them but literally anyone who's been affected by hcu will tell you exactly how it works it's a sitewide signal your whole website got hit or it didn't fight me if you think otherwise thanks for watching and remember to subscribe for more videos just like this one
