People-first content

In March 2024, Google rolled out a core update focused on refining its search algorithms and systems, with an emphasis on prioritising people-first content.

What is people-first content? According to Google, this is “reliable and helpful information that’s primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings”.

Additionally, this is content that “demonstrates aspects of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, or what Google calls EEAT”. Is your content helpful to people? To gauge if you’re creating content that’s reliable, informative and helpful to people first, and not search engines, ask yourself these basic questions:

• Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
• Does the content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious?
• If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources, and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
• Does the main heading or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
• Does the main heading or page title avoid exaggeration or being shocking in nature?
• Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
• Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?

How to steer clear from search-engine-first content? Google has taken a dim view of content that’s intended to gain search engine rankings, instead of informing and assisting people, and answering their questions fully and reliably. You may need to reassess your content if you answer “yes” to all or some of these questions: 

• Is the content primarily made to attract visits from search engines?
• Are you producing lots of content on many different topics in hopes that some of it might perform well in search results?
• Are you using extensive automation to produce content on many topics?
• Are you mainly summarising what others have to say without adding much value?
• Are you writing about things simply because they seem trending and not because you’d write about them otherwise for your existing audience?