The case against clickbait: Google update good news for firms

The three words no marketer wants to hear - ‘Google algorithm update.’

But with its monopoly on the global search engine market, it’s not something any business can afford to ignore.

For firms, however, the latest update, which was rolled out earlier this month, appears to be a win-win – pushing original, helpful content up the rankings without requiring any action at all.

Content: good v bad

Like its predecessors before it (Penguin, Panda and Possum to name a few), Google’s helpful content update aims to improve the user experience.

It pledges to prioritise ‘original, helpful content written by people, for people’ and crack down on ‘unsatisfying’ articles – namely clickbait.

Helpful content is defined as that which answers users’ questions and adds value, demonstrating ‘first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge’ that leaves readers ‘feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal.’

Examples may include articles explaining complex points of law, the different steps involved in making a claim, or case studies so potential clients can read about others who have been through a similar experience.

Unsatisfying or unhelpful content could be ‘summarising what others have to say without adding much value’ or written simply because a topic is trending rather than it being of genuine use to the reader.

It is typically written in a bid to boost search engine optimisation (SEO) and drive traffic to a particular website, rather than to provide useful information.

A good example of this is only too apparent to fans of BBC’s Line of Duty.

Do you know the release date for season 7? No, me neither.

But type the question into Google and numerous websites promising all the details pop up.

On closer inspection - spoiler alert – there is no season 7. At least not yet anyway. Just quotes from the cast confirming their interest should one ever be on the cards.

It’s clickbait, pure and simple, but maybe not for much longer.

Good news

The update is, in itself, an admission by Google more needs to be done to seed out the spam, which has often borrowed heavily from another source but ends up ranking higher than the original.

Clickbait has long been frowned upon – and until now, Google has responded by downranking the page or piece of content. This update goes one step further – it will penalise the entire site.

Why now?

My own view is Google needs to see off the likes of TikTok and Reddit, to which people who’ve had a less than satisfactory experience are now starting to turn – and use as search engines.

Platforms such as these have traditionally been seen as unlikely places for firms to attract new business, but more are starting to explore their potential.