Tips from Google on Dealing with HCU Impact

Question On Fixing HCU Affected Pages

Google’s SearchLiaison recently addressed a query regarding how to troubleshoot content that has experienced a drop in rankings due to the Helpful Content update. SearchLiaison provided guidance on taking a moment to reflect on potential issues and determining if there is indeed a problem that needs to be addressed.

Lee Funke (@FitFoodieFinds) shared on X (formerly Twitter) about feeling frustrated with the advice given by SEOs. There was a misunderstanding that the Helpful Content issue is a sitewide signal, making it difficult to pinpoint which pages actually needed to be fixed.

SearchLiaison Answers HCU Question

I often receive advice from SEOs to examine the pages with the most significant drops and determine the reason behind the decline. However, if our site was affected by an HCU (Host Crowding Update), the sitewide signal may have caused all pages to drop in ranking. This can make it challenging to differentiate between helpful and unhelpful pages. Do you have any advice on how to proceed in this situation?

SearchLiaison first addressed the perception that the Helpful Content ranking system is a single signal.

He tweeted:

In our Search Central blog post, we mentioned this before, but it's important to note that the helpful content system has changed significantly now. You can find more information about this at: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/03/core-update-spam-policies

We have made improvements to our core ranking systems to provide more useful search results by incorporating various innovative signals and methods. Instead of relying on just one signal or system, we now utilize multiple approaches to enhance the quality of the results. Additionally, we have introduced a new FAQ page to help users understand these changes.

The Helpful Content System (HCU) has undergone a significant change. Previously, it was a sitewide signal, but now it operates at the page-level. This means that the impact of the HCU is no longer uniform across entire websites, but rather specific to individual pages. This shift marks a departure from the previous single signal approach.

He followed up with:

“The FAQ page itself is here, and it explains it’s not just a site-wide thing now:

Our main ranking systems focus on analyzing individual pages to determine their helpfulness. These systems use a range of signals and methods to assess the value of each page. In addition to page-level signals, we also take into account some site-wide signals.

Drops In Rankings: Not Always About Fixing Pages

Sometimes, a decrease in ranking doesn't mean there's a problem to fix. It's important to remember that it could simply be a matter of relevance. Many website publishers and SEOs make the mistake of jumping to conclusions and assuming there's an issue that needs fixing, but that may not always be the case.

Sometimes, a website may lose its rankings due to relevance issues. In some cases, it is possible for the site to regain its previous rankings. However, there are instances where the old rankings may never return. An experienced SEO professional can distinguish between these scenarios.

According to a tweet from SearchLiaison:

Have you ever wondered why some pages drop in ranking? There could be several reasons behind this, such as showing more relevant content higher up. To learn more, check out this link: https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/1768681292181434513.

Self-Assess Pages That Lost Rankings

When you notice a drop in rankings for your website, it's important to take a closer look at the situation. A tweet suggested waiting until the update is fully rolled out before making any changes. It was also mentioned that rankings can fluctuate on their own without any alterations. Additionally, user trends can impact site traffic, not solely relying on rankings. So, it's essential to self-assess the pages that have lost rankings to understand the possible reasons behind it.

SearchLiaison responded to Lee Funke's question by recommending to pinpoint the pages with low traffic and to analyze them using the Helpful Content FAQ and HCU Self-Assessment page for guidance.

When considering changes to your website, it's important to assess the impact on popular pages. If you believe these pages are valuable to your visitors, such as the FAQ page, then it's recommended to keep them unchanged.

The person who tweeted the original question had some follow-up questions and concerns. They felt that the HCU FAQ was contradictory. It said that the Helpful Content signals were at a page level, but also suggested there are sitewide factors that can bring the entire site down.

This is what the person who started the discussion tweeted:

The FAQ doesn’t cite thin content but it does mention unhelpful content affecting other pages in a way that goes beyond page level.

I’m just trying to understand what these massive drops resulted from!

This is what it says:

“Our systems work primarily at the page level to show the most helpful content we can, even if that content is on sites also hosting unhelpful content.

That sounds a bit unclear and conflicting. Having a lot of unhelpful content on your site could potentially impact the performance of your other pages in search results. By getting rid of unhelpful content, you might see improvements in how your other pages perform.

Does Google suggest that having mostly unhelpful content on a website could overshadow the value of a few helpful pages?

Is Google hinting that a website filled with mostly unhelpful content will struggle to attract links or engage users because they won't be able to easily find the valuable content buried within?

It’s not unreasonable to say that Google’s documentation could use a little more clarity.

Non-Self Self-Assessing

I would suggest sticking with the self-assessment suggestions in Google’s Helpful Content FAQ.

A fresh set of eyes can see things with more clarity than someone who authored the page.

Featured Image by Shutterstock/Roman Samborskyi

Editor's P/S:

The article provides guidance on troubleshooting content affected by Google's Helpful Content update. It addresses the misconception that HCU is a sitewide signal, clarifying that it now operates at the page level. However, the article also acknowledges the complexity of identifying specific issues, especially if a site has been affected by the Host Crowding Update. The recommendation is to self-assess affected pages using Google's provided resources.

The article emphasizes the importance of not jumping to conclusions and assumes there's a problem to fix. Drops in rankings can sometimes be due to relevance issues. It also highlights the value of having an experienced SEO professional assess the situation and distinguish between genuine issues and fluctuations due to other factors. seek guidance on how to best address pages affected by the HCU.