Google
December 2022 Helpful Content Update
In brief
Second iteration of the helpful content system, rolled out into January 2023 and extended to more languages.
Key points
- Second iteration of the helpful content system, rolled out into January 2023.
- Extension to more languages beyond the initial English.
- Strengthening of the site-wide classifier on content produced for search engines.
- Prolonged volatility during the holiday period.
Analysis
This update internationalizes the Helpful Content system, until then limited to English. Non-English sites, including French ones, now fall within the scope of the classifier that devalues content written primarily for search.
The rollout straddling the holidays, an already volatile period, complicated the analysis. For French-speaking publishers, it is the first real contact with this signal, and a warning sign for undifferentiated mass-production models.
What to do
- Audit non-English content against the people-first criteria, now covered by the system.
- Reduce or rewrite generic pages produced to capture traffic without real added value.
- Separate the effect of the December rollout from holiday seasonality in the traffic analysis.
Impact
International extension of the fight against "for search engines" content. Prolonged volatility during the holidays.