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On September 14, 2023, I was in the hospital recovering from major surgery. As I mindlessly scrolled my phone in moments of lucidity, I started seeing reports of the massive impact that Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) was having.
My first reaction? I wasn’t concerned. After years of consistently providing helpful, people-first content and following best practices, I was confident my website would be safe.
But as I recovered and got back to work, I learned that my first website, laurajawad.com, had, in fact, taken a massive hit; by August 2024, laurajawad.com lost 95% of it’s organic traffic.
For context, that website was the home base for my pregnancy and postpartum personal training services (a YMYL topic, if that’s meaningful to you).
My marketing funnel was almost 100% based on SEO, and my blog content was the top of that funnel.
As I poked around and asked for various insights, people in my network chimed in with explanations:
- Maybe your content wasn’t actually that helpful.
- Maybe you should try selling a product.
- Maybe you’re seeing the result of a declining birthrate. (I can’t make this up!)
What Google's HCU Was Supposed to Target
The Helpful Content Update (HCU) was designed by Google to prioritize content that genuinely helps users and provides a better search experience.
Google’s goal was to reward websites offering unique, expert-driven, user-first content while pushing down sites filled with generic, keyword-stuffed, or auto-generated articles.
In theory, the update aimed to elevate websites that provided a genuine, valuable experience for visitors (more on this in a moment).
Early on, I heard that the HCU was mainly targeting niche blogging sites that didn’t offer a service or product- those that appeared to be content mills cranking out articles purely to attract search engine traffic.
That shouldn’t have applied to me.
My website wasn’t a content factory. I offered services, and my blog supported my business and provided real value to my audience.
My website was built with a clear, user-focused purpose. I provided actionable insights, resources, and support that legitimately resonated with readers. I even received emails from people who found my articles helpful, many of whom became clients.
I checked all the boxes for what I thought qualified as “helpful content.”
Who the September 2023 HCU Mostly Impacted
Despite Google’s intention to target low-quality, manipulative content, the September 2023 HCU ended up impacting a wide variety of websites, especially those in niche markets, small businesses, and health and wellness sectors.
Case studies and reports from various website owners revealed a disturbing trend: even some websites that offered high-quality, people-first content were taking a hit.
Many of these sites followed SEO best practices and had built a library of well-researched content, only to experience sudden drops in traffic with no clear explanation.
This created a wave of confusion among website owners, myself included.
For nearly a year, I was left scratching my head, questioning everything I thought I knew about SEO.
Had I just become one of the unlucky ones? Collateral damage from an update gone wrong?
A New Explanation Emerges
Recently, I came across an article by Tom Capper on Moz that offered a different take on what the HCU actually targeted: Helpful Content Update – Not What You Think.
According to Tom, the problem arises when there is a mismatch between a website’s “authority” and its brand presence. In other words, if a website has a lot of links pointing to it (making it look credible) but doesn’t have a strong, established brand to back it up, it might raise red flags for Google.
Domain Authority: Brand Authority ratio- Explained
So, what does this mean in practice?
Think of your website’s overall reputation as a combination of two things: Domain Authority (DA) and Brand Authority (BA).
Domain Authority is like your website’s “online influence,” which increases when other sites link to your content.
Brand Authority, on the other hand, is about how recognizable and established your brand is both online and offline. This can be estimated by how often people search specifically for your brand or branded products.
Here’s where, according to Tom, the problem arises: if your website has a lot of links pointing to it (a high DA) but your brand isn’t widely known (a low BA), Google might see this as suspicious.
It could suggest that your website’s growth isn’t happening naturally, which can trigger Google’s updates to lower your ranking.
Essentially, having “too much online influence” without a matching level of brand recognition can appear unnatural to Google.
My Aha! Moment
Suddenly, this clicked for me. My SEO strategy had been rock solid. At one point, I ranked for 200 (relevant, traffic-backed) keywords in the top 1-3 spots, 18,000+ keywords overall and had accumulated quite a large number of organic backlinks to my top ranked pieces of content.
But at the end of the day, I was a self-employed personal trainer. A soloprenuer. The smallest of the small businesses.
My digital footprint was relatively small compared to the domain authority I had built through SEO.
In other words, and very ironically, I believe my SEO was “too good” for the size of my brand.
I had too many backlinks relative to the scope of my online presence, which likely triggered Google’s alarms during the HCU.
Where I Stand Now, Post Google's August 2024 Core Update
Fast forward to August 2023, when Google rolled out another Core Update (which includes the Helpful Content Update, having been absorbed into Google’s core ranking system in March 2024).
My website started showing small signs of recovery.
While it’s nowhere near its former glory, clicks and impressions have been on an upward trajectory.
It’s worth noting that around the time of the September 2023 update, I productized my SEO services and stopped creating new content for my personal training website.
This means any changes we’re seeing now are entirely algorithmic. I haven’t made any significant updates or optimizations on that website in the past year.
So, What’s the Lesson Here?
If you’re a small business or niche site owner who’s been hit hard by an update, it might not necessarily be about the quality of your content.
Instead, it could be about aligning your SEO efforts with the size and recognition of your brand.
In my case, it wasn’t that my content wasn’t helpful; it was that my SEO outpaced my brand’s presence.
While this is not the most scientific conclusion (I don’t have hard data), this is the first explanation that has ever made sense for why my site lost traffic.
And whether or not it’s the whole story, I know that focusing more on building my brand can only help.
While my experience is just one case study, I think it shows the importance of looking at your online presence as a whole, not just focusing on traditional website SEO alone.
I’m excited to shift the conversation around search performance to Online Visibility Optimization (OVO). To talking about taking a more holistic approach to getting found online.
Sure, traditional website SEO is important, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. To build a lasting online presence, you also need to focus on building brand authority and using PR to boost your visibility.
When all of these elements work together, you create a more balanced online footprint that feels natural and trustworthy to both users and search engines. And to boot, by diversifying your online presence, you’re also working towards platform-proofing your business.
For me, this was an unpleasant but valuable lesson. It underscores the fluid nature of SEO and the importance of a well-rounded, brand-focused strategy to get found online and stay relevant in the ever-changing digital landscape.
