Style Factory

Let me be very clear about the Helpful Content Update. When Google announced this update, THEY were the ones who went on record claiming that recovery is possible, and that sites could begin to regain traffic after making changes and improvements that would lift the classifier that suppressed sites’ traffic. In fact, there is even a recording of Google originally stating that recovery was possible “within in a few weeks.” Of course, that language gradually changed to “a few months” and eventually, even more ambiguous timelines, leading up to now - where Google has said at multiple Creator Summits - including one a couple weeks ago - that “we are still working on this and are taking it seriously; it’s not an overnight fix.” Site owners hung on Google’s every word and waited for months and months - while investing in outside support and overhauling their sites - for any semblance of a change that would help them recover. It’s been almost 2 years, and very few HCU sites have seen any meaningful recovery, despite making dramatic changes and improvements. This is not the case for websites affected by other algorithm updates outside of the HCU. I’ve personally worked on dozens of recoveries over the years, and there are countless examples of websites who have been able to get back in Google’s good graces after being hit by updates or penalties. This is not true of the HCU. I’ve been saying since it happened - it feels like HCU sites were “put in jail.” I’ve also done everything in my power to bring visibility to how unfair this is for these site owners, and how these outcomes directly contradicted the guidance Google gave us at the start of the update. My team and I worked on various HCU-affected sites, with a few great recovery case studies, but many sites were unable to see substantial recoveries. We provided these clients same guidance we provide for all clients impacted by algorithm updates - tried and true methods that have worked for years. These recommendations are always rooted in actually improving websites and making them better for users. I also spent dozens of hours, including weekends, providing free advice to affected site owners simply because I knew how much it was hurting their business, and I wanted to help. We would have never serviced HCU clients if Google had just been honest from the start - most websites affected by the HCU are going to find it nearly impossible to recover within 2 years, despite making dramatic changes. Again, this is distinct behavior from other Google algorithm updates. In my opinion, we need to be asking why Google’s communications around this update have changed so much over time, and why these sites seem to have received unfair treatment compared to all other Google updates. I’m a big fan of the work @natejhake has been doing to get to the bottom of these questions. (Although the answers are quite disheartening.) The entire experience has been devastating for so many site owners, and the inconsistency between what Google said and what Google actually did is something that has forever changed my perspective about the company.

I’m still not over smallPersonalSite.