5 Tips for Affiliate Marketers After Google's Helpful Content Update

Intro

Google shook up the world of SEO in 2022 with the release of its new helpful content update. Whether or not your website was hit by the update, it's important to understand how to work with it going forward.

Google updates are always important for bloggers. They're constantly improving their algorithm to ensure that users receive the most helpful content, and when Google's algorithms change, it can have a huge impact on your website traffic and rankings.

Each update is a chance for us to get an edge over our competitors. Most bloggers don't study these updates unless they were negatively hit by them. However, you are going to learn how to adapt to this new "Helpful content update," so you can leverage it to your advantage.

Ready to get into it?

Here are 5 tips to help you navigate Google's Helpful Content Update as an affiliate marketer.

#1 Be Careful with AI-Created Content

Artificial intelligence has taken the blogging world by storm. Although it's incredibly powerful, if used incorrectly, it can be a massive SEO mistake.

Bloggers are using tools like ChatGPT to generate entire blog posts. What used to take hours (or even days), can now be drafted in under a minute.

The urge to lean into these tools is tempting, to say the least.

This isn't going to fly with Google. Google wants to see content that is written by actual people, not AI-generated text. Google rewards quality content, so make sure you are creating your own or hiring someone to do it for you.

Also, be careful when outsourcing content creation. Unfortunately, it's obvious that many writers are now leveraging AI heavily, so you need to ensure you're getting original content when you work with them.

Can Google detect AI though?

I've wondered about this myself, and I've seen many others ask about it in SEO forums. Currently, the answer is yes, but not always, and not very well.

How do I know? Well, every time I hit publish on a blog post, I have at least one site run it through a spin rewriter and publish it almost immediately. Unfortunately, I have to report these posts for Google to even notice most of the time.

So, they're far from perfect. If they can't detect plagiarized content, they surely aren't perfect at detecting AI either.

But Google does have algorithms that detect AI, and, as with everything Google does, they will continually improve. Although they aren't perfect now, I expect them to get dangerously good in the not-so-distant future.

AI-generated content created today might not get detected immediately, but it likely could get penalized down the road.

It's simply not a risk worth taking. Don't build your blog on a platform of AI-generated content if you want to stand the test of time.

#2 Focus on Originality

This goes hand-in-hand with Google's helpful content update. Google is looking for original content that adds something new to the conversation. They don't want "me-too" content that just regurgitates existing content.

Whether it's a unique take or an in-depth analysis, Google wants to see fresh perspectives on topics that are already being discussed.

• Add stories or takeaways that showcase your own experience.
• Avoid using stock images if you can use originals.
• Consider creating original graphics.

Show Google that you're bringing something new to the table.

If the only images your blog posts use are product logos and screenshots of the product's website, you're doing it wrong.

If you're going to use non-original media, make sure that it isn't something that other pages ranking for the same topics are using.

Even if you aren't an amazing designer or can't afford to hire one, I stand by the idea that ugly but original images will perform better at scale. Just focus on making them relevant and helpful in explaining the topic.

I stole this meme because it fits perfectly, but no competitors are using it. Originality is not an area of strength for artificial intelligence software, and It's smart to strive for regardless of the recent update.

#3 Demonstrate Specifics

If you're doing a product review, go beyond simply using images from a product's website.

Google wants to see real reviews and experiences with the product. I've recommended this to my readers for years anyway because it helps posts stand out from the other SERP listings.

This means including specifics in your content, like how it works, how it looks, how easy it is to use, etc. Google rewards content that goes into detail on a topic, so ensure you're providing readers with specific details when creating affiliate marketing content.

Here's a good affiliate blog post example.

I was looking for a "scentbird review" in Google, and most of them were generic. This one, while still mildly generic in using the "is it a scam" line, adds some personality by showing how the author purchased 7 years of the service.

Here's one for "AirPod Max Review."

It is always going to be hard to outrank the big-name review sites like G2, TrustPilot, or even Amazon, but we can give our posts a fighting chance by giving them some personality.

#4 Stay in Your (Topic) Lane

Topical authority is a major focus of Google's helpful content update. Google wants to see that you have a deep understanding of the topic you are writing about.

If your website is built around a specific niche, Google will expect you to stay within those boundaries. You don't want to stray too far from what Google expects, or it could hurt your rankings.

This means you shouldn't chase low-difficulty keywords that drive traffic unrelated to your niche.

Focus on creating a quality affiliate silo for your blog and subcategories.

Building topical authority can be a painful process because you'll need to write a lot of pieces that aren't quick wins.

To do this properly, you need to write about topics that have low search volume and high difficulty. This process is unrewarding but has shown to pay off at scale. Google has made it clear that topical authority is going to be a ranking factor for a long time, so now is the time to decide to commit to growing yours.

#5 Answer the Question(s)

Google wants to see that people land on your blog post and don't go back to the search engine results page to click on a different result. Google wants to see that you are answering the query of the user and providing them with valuable information that they can't get anywhere else.

Always keep in mind what people are searching for when coming up with content ideas, and make sure you answer their questions thoroughly in your blog post.

You can use a tool like Ranktracker's keyword finder to see the "People also ask" for additional keywords. You can also find common questions people have simply by searching the query in Google and navigating down to the People also ask area.

Here's an example of the People always ask for a basic short tail keyword (pun intended) English Bulldog.

The cool thing is that we can keep expanding this well beyond the first 4 questions. Go deep and answer questions thoroughly.

Also, consider adding Wordpress Schema to your posts to better format these as questions and answers in Google search results.

Ask yourself the following before you hit publish.

• Have I answered the questions at the heart of the queries in which this post is likely to appear?
• Did I answer them soon enough in the article, so that the reader won’t get impatient and leave before finding them?

If you're doing those things, you're on the right track.

Wrap Up

Google's Helpful Content Update has changed the SEO landscape for affiliate marketers. However, at the heart of it, nothing has really changed. Google still wants to provide the best content to their visitors, and we still need to create the best content possible to get organic traffic.

By following these five tips, you can ensure that Google will reward your content with higher rankings and more organic traffic.

Remember to be careful when using AI-generated content, focus on originality, demonstrate specifics, stay within your niche boundaries, and answer questions thoroughly, so users don't need to go back to the Google search results pages.

With a little effort and dedication to creating quality content that is helpful to readers, you'll soon see an increase in organic traffic from Google’s Helpful Content Update!

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out Ranktracker's suite of SEO tools that can help you navigate every new Google algorithm update smoothly.