Mastering helpful content for complex topics

In this session, we’ll explore advanced techniques for creating content that not only ranks well but also genuinely engages users within complex industries and topics. We’ll delve into the emotional impact of unhelpful content and how it can damage user trust. Through practical examples and a unique, industry-first Helpful Content Checklist, attendees will learn the following key takeaways:

✔ 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
✔ 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲
✔ 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

Transcript

1. www.linkedin.com/in/annika-haataja Annika Haataja SEO Advisor & Independent Consultant MASTERING HELPFUL CONTENT FOR COMPLEX TOPICS BEYOND SEO BRIEFS speakerdeck.com/annikahaataja
2. HI, I’M ANNIKA From Finland (woo!) Moved abroad in 2015, currently living in UK BSc in Business studies, MSc in Digital Marketing Marketing since 2013 First SEO job as a freelancer in 2016 First agency role in 2018 In-house SEO within the finance sector in 2020 Joined Seeker Digital in 2021 as Senior SEO Strategist, progressing to Head of SEO and then SEO Director. Currently working as an Independent SEO Consultant Core skills: Brand SEO, tech SEO, content marketing, and more... BrightonSEO April 2024
3. TODAY’S TALK: © Annika Haataja Why is helpful content important? What is helpful content (really)? What isn’t helpful content? 4 core principles of helpful content Helpful Content Checklist (exclusive access!)
4. BEFORE WE DIVE IN... © Annika Haataja
5. Here’s a sneak peek into ground-breaking research on helpful content © Annika Haataja
6. ARE YOU READY? © Annika Haataja
7. HERE WE GO © Annika Haataja
8. NEARLY THERE... © Annika Haataja
9. 100% “A deep dive into common sense” A study by The Centre for Unnecessarily Complex Studies Sponsored by The Association of Unqualified Surveyors Key finding: According to a not-so-comprehensive research, 100% of users conducting a search prefer finding what they're looking for quickly © Annika Haataja Users who want to find answers quickly Users who want a challenge during their search
10. HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW? © Annika Haataja
11. Misled? Deflated? Confused? Bewildered? Angry? Annoyed? Tricked? Frustrated? How do you feel now? © Annika Haataja Disappointed? Upset?
12. You wouldn’t want your users to feel these emotions, right? © Annika Haataja Misled Deflated Confused Bewildered Angry Annoyed Tricked Frustrated Disappointed Upset
13. WHY IS HELPFUL CONTENT IMPORTANT? © Annika Haataja
14. “People decide based on emotional reasons - even really smart people, even in B2B” Nancy Harhut Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing © Annika Haataja
15. “If the information they want is not readily available, people may have no interest in trying to find it.” Nancy Harhut Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing © Annika Haataja
16. © Annika Haataja Your content can help your audience make a decision, either now or in the future
17. HELPFUL CONTENT: MORE THAN SEO It can have a real business impact Creates emotional connection Builds trust and credibility Showcases expertise Encourages repeat visits Generates word-of-mouth Establishes your brand as a reliable industry resource Shortens the sales cycle Differentiates your brand Creates meaningful customer engagement Helps AI better understand your business And more... © Annika Haataja
18. It’s our job to make our users’ lives as easy as possible © Annika Haataja The digital experience we create for our users should be at least equally good or ideally better than a face-to-face experience.
19. It’s our job to make our users’ lives as easy as possible © Annika Haataja The digital experience we create for our users should be at least equally good or ideally better than a face-to-face experience. We can only achieve this with helpful content.
20. It’s time to turn helpful content into your competitive advantage © Annika Haataja © Annika Haataja
21. WHAT IS HELPFUL CONTENT? © Annika Haataja
22. “Google's automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful, reliable information that's primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings, in the top Search results.“ https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content © Annika Haataja WHAT IS HELPFUL CONTENT?
23. TIMELINE OF HCU Helpful Content Update First rollout of the Helpful Content System (English) AUGUST 2022 Helpful Content Update All languages rolled out to the system Helpful Content Update Content written "for people" vs. "by people" Core algorithm update Helpful Content System fully integrated into the core ranking system DECEMBER 2022 SEPTEMBER 2023 MARCH 2024 © Annika Haataja
24. Are helpful content principles the same as E-E-A-T? © Annika Haataja E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is a crucial part of what Google considers when evaluating helpful content, but it is not the same thing as the Helpful Content System itself
25. Key differences between E-E-A-T and the Helpful Content System © Annika Haataja Framework within search rater guidelines Creator of the content, the content itself, and the website as a whole Individual pieces of content and the overall reputation of a website To help Google identify and elevate content that is accurate, credible, and from knowledgeable and trustworthy sources Assesses the trustworthiness and reliability of content E-E-A-T HCS Ranking system Overall helpfulness and user satisfaction of content Entire website if a significant portion of its content is deemed unhelpful To ensure users find original, high-quality content that is genuinely useful and satisfying Rewards content created primarily for people WHAT FOCUS SCOPE GOAL PURPOSE
26. WHAT ISN’T HELPFUL CONTENT? © Annika Haataja
27. Common mistakes when aiming for helpful content Word count obsession Factually correct but soulless content Comprehensive content, but wrong audience "Expert" author attribution without content credibility Copying competitors but doing it "better" © Annika Haataja
28. Information Gain Score © Annika Haataja https://inlinks.com/insight/information-gain/ How unique is your content? Google rewards content that offers additional information beyond what the user has already seen.
29. FOR COMPLEX TOPICS HOW TO CREATE HELPFUL CONTENT © Annika Haataja
30. bit.ly/helpful-content-checklist-seo COPY MY HELPFUL CONTENT CHECKLIST © Annika Haataja
31. Who is the checklist for? Content strategists: Use during topic ideation and planning to validate strategic alignment © Annika Haataja Content writers: Reference when drafting to ensure all quality aspects are addressed Editors: Apply as a structured review framework to maintain consistency SEO specialists: Use as a final quality assurance check before publication
32. 4 CORE PRINCIPLES OF HELPFUL CONTENT Purpose Structure Value Credibility Preparation Blueprint Production Refinement © Annika Haataja
33. 4 CORE PRINCIPLES OF HELPFUL CONTENT Purpose Structure Value Credibility Why was this created and for whom? How easily can users navigate and digest it? What actionable insights or benefits does it provide? Why should users trust this information? © Annika Haataja
34. PURPOSE STRATEGIC VALUE Serves a purpose Longevity User journey continuation © Annika Haataja
35. PURPOSE DELIVERY ON PROMISE Sets expectations, and delivers Clear takeaway Audience relevancy © Annika Haataja
36. PURPOSE BRAND AUTHORITY Aligns with brand First-hand expertise Fits site’s primary purpose © Annika Haataja
37. Remember this? © Annika Haataja 😭
38. © Annika Haataja The incident that shook the whole SEO community
39. PURPOSE © Annika Haataja KEY LEARNINGS FROM HUBSPOT Although there was much speculation on what caused the drop (even word count was mentioned a few times), the common consensus was that...
40. PURPOSE © Annika Haataja KEY LEARNINGS FROM HUBSPOT Although there was much speculation on what caused the drop (even word count was mentioned a few times), the common consensus was that... HubSpot had been writing about topics that were very popular but not relevant to their business.
41. PURPOSE © Annika Haataja KEY LEARNINGS FROM HUBSPOT Although there was much speculation on what caused the drop (even word count was mentioned a few times), the common consensus was that... HubSpot had been writing about topics that were very popular but not relevant to their business.
42. PURPOSE © Annika Haataja KEY LEARNINGS FROM HUBSPOT Although there was much speculation on what caused the drop (even word count was mentioned a few times), the common consensus was that... HubSpot had been writing about topics that were very popular but not relevant to their business. Ever since the drop, they’ve killed around 6K blogs (and counting) - in fact, they started this work already back in February 2023
43. PURPOSE © Annika Haataja CONCLUSION Action: Create content that delivers on its promise and brings meaningful value within your expertise Why? Content authority comes from fulfilling user needs you're qualified to address
44. STRUCTURE NAVIGATION ELEMENTS Strategic internal links Table of contents Breadcrumbs © Annika Haataja
45. STRUCTURE VISUAL HIERARCHY Logical headings and subheadings Bullet points and styling Bite-sized paragraphs © Annika Haataja
46. STRUCTURE RICH ELEMENT INTEGRATION Appropriate rich media Visual key facts & insights Data tables © Annika Haataja
47. STRUCTURE EXAMPLE https://www.energysage.com/electricity/house-watts/how-many-watts-does-a-washing-machine-use/ © Annika Haataja
48. STRUCTURE EXAMPLE: NAVIGATION ELEMENTS https://www.energysage.com/electricity/house-watts/how-many-watts-does-a-washing-machine-use/ © Annika Haataja
49. STRUCTURE EXAMPLE: VISUAL HIERARCHY https://www.energysage.com/electricity/house-watts/how-many-watts-does-a-washing-machine-use/ © Annika Haataja
50. STRUCTURE EXAMPLE: RICH ELEMENT INTEGRATION https://www.energysage.com/electricity/house-watts/how-many-watts-does-a-washing-machine-use/ © Annika Haataja
51. © Annika Haataja https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-llms-interpret-content-structure-information-for-ai-search/544308/
52. © Annika Haataja https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-llms-interpret-content-structure-information-for-ai-search/544308/
53. STRUCTURE © Annika Haataja CONCLUSION Action: Organise your content to reduce users’ cognitive load Why? Intuitive structure removes barriers between users and your valuable insights
54. VALUE CONTENT QUALITY & SUBSTANCE Insightful, engaging and relevant Unique insights, data, or perspectives Beyond obvious © Annika Haataja
55. VALUE INFORMATION INTEGRITY No unnecessary filler Appropriate use of industry jargon Accurate, well-researched information © Annika Haataja
56. VALUE USER EXPERIENCE Helpful format(s) Images that add value Smooth transition, logical flow © Annika Haataja
57. VALUE EXAMPLE https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
58. VALUE EXAMPLE https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
59. VALUE EXAMPLE https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
60. VALUE GERALD? © Annika Haataja
61. VALUE EXAMPLE: HELPFUL VISUALS https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
62. VALUE EXAMPLE: INSIGHTFULNESS https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
63. VALUE EXAMPLE: GOES BEYOND OBVIOUS https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
64. VALUE https://www.stihl.co.uk/en/garden-ideas-and-advice/diy-wood-projects/garden-furniture-diy/diy-garden-shed © Annika Haataja
65. VALUE © Annika Haataja CONCLUSION Action: Create content worthy of being someone's trusted resource Why? Users bookmark and share content that solves problems in ways they haven't seen before
66. CREDIBILITY TRANSPARENT AUTHORSHIP Accessible author information Real expertise / personal experience © Annika Haataja
67. CREDIBILITY INFORMATION FRESHNESS Clear last review/update dates Content review process © Annika Haataja
68. CREDIBILITY TRUST MARKERS Clear fact-checking Expert quotes / insights © Annika Haataja
69. CREDIBILITY COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORK Compliance disclaimers Regulatory / industry standards Clear citations & references © Annika Haataja
70. CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/health/period/cbd-tampons © Annika Haataja
71. https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/health/period/cbd-tampons © Annika Haataja CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE: TRANSPARENT AUTHORSHIP
72. https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/health/period/cbd-tampons © Annika Haataja CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE: TRUST MARKERS
73. https://flo.health/menstrual-cycle/health/period/cbd-tampons © Annika Haataja CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE: TRANSPARENT AUTHORSHIP
74. © Annika Haataja CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE https://www.brightedge.com/ai-overviews
75. https://www.brightedge.com/ai-overviews © Annika Haataja CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE: INFORMATION FRESHNESS
76. https://www.brightedge.com/ai-overviews © Annika Haataja CREDIBILITY EXAMPLE: INFORMATION FRESHNESS Showing readers the content is actively maintained and acknowledging the rapidly changing nature of the subject matter.
77. CREDIBILITY © Annika Haataja CONCLUSION Action: Remove trust barriers by placing credentials front and centre Why? Users shouldn't need to hunt for reasons to trust your expertise, especially on complex topics
78. © Annika Haataja FINAL THOUGHTS...
79. Content isn’t just text on a page. It builds meaningful experiences © Annika Haataja
80. And it has the power to generate positive emotions © Annika Haataja
81. Misled? Deflated? Confused? Bewildered? Angry? Annoyed? Tricked? Frustrated? Do you remember when you felt like this? © Annika Haataja Disappointed? Upset?
82. Helpful content makes our users feel like this Informed Uplifted Engaged © Annika Haataja Enlightened Certain Delighted Pleased Fulfilled Satisfied Comforted
83. 1 2 3 4 Key takeaways Create content that delivers meaningful value within your expertise Organise your content to reduce users’ cognitive load Create content worthy of being someone's trusted resource © Annika Haataja Remove trust barriers by placing credentials front and centre
84. THANK YOU! www.linkedin.com/in/annika-haataja annikahaataja.webflow.io bit.ly/helpful-content-checklist-seo