10 Ways to Create Helpful Content + Examples and Checklist

Like it or not, we’re all at the mercy of Google’s ranking systems.

Systems that reward some sites with high rankings.

And wipe others off the SERPs overnight.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Google provides fairly detailed guidelines about the type of content it’s looking for: helpful content.

We follow these guidelines here at Backlinko.

For example, our SEO strategy guide dominates the search results.

And ranks for more than 3.2K long tail keywords:

But this wasn’t by luck.

We aim for every article we publish to meet — or exceed — Google’s helpful content standards.

And you can, too.

After reading this article, you’ll have 10 Google-approved strategies for creating people-first content.

You’ll also see examples from real sites that excel at creating helpful content.

Plus, you’ll get a free checklist to ensure your pages meet Google’s quality standards.

Let’s start by understanding what “helpful content” is in Google’s eyes.

What Is Helpful Content?

Helpful content delivers what a searcher needs, whether they’re seeking information, researching options, or ready to buy.

It’s content written for people — not search engines.

But what was the Google Helpful Content Update (HCU)?

First launched in 2022, Google’s helpful content update was designed to reward people-first content while filtering out pages created primarily for search engines.

According to Google, helpful content does the following:

• Provides trustworthy information backed by genuine expertise
• Delivers substantial value compared to competing results
• Demonstrates firsthand experience with the topic
• Creates a satisfying user experience
• Serves a purpose beyond just ranking in search

Google uses a site-wide classifier. It checks your whole domain, not just single pages, for helpfulness.

This means a significant amount of low-quality content can drag down even your best pages.

The biggest changes to this algorithm update took place in late 2023 and early 2024. Some sites lost A LOT of organic traffic.

Google confirms it reduced low-quality content in search results by a staggering 45%.

The sites hit hardest by these updates were:

• Content-only websites with no actual products or services
• Sites creating articles purely for search traffic
• Affiliate sites with thin content and/or a high monetization-to-informational content ratio

The HCU aftermath sparked lots of debate about whether or not these updates were truly “helpful.”

And if the declines and deindexings were warranted.

But the reality remains: Google determines your visibility in search.

And as the makers (and breakers) of rankings, following their guidelines is essential.

As of March 2024, the helpful content update is no longer a thing.

But helpfulness isn’t going away. The HCU is now integrated into Google’s core ranking systems.

Bottom line?

Creating helpful content is vital for your survival in search.

10 Ways to Create Helpful Content That Google Rewards

There’s no sugarcoating it:

Creating exceptional content is hard work.

But it can pay off through high rankings and targeted traffic.

1. Incorporate Firsthand Experiences

Want to instantly make your content more helpful?

Add personal stories and examples (real ones — not AI-generated).

Why?

Because it shows you actually know what you’re talking about — which is exactly what Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) prioritize.

Google advises against generic, regurgitated advice on its website:

By including personal experiences in your content — including your successes and failures — you’ll create the kind of content search engines reward.

And your target audience wants to read.

Take this backlink guide from Backlinko founder Brian Dean, for example:

Brian didn’t just give generic advice like “create great content” or “reach out to bloggers.”

He shared specific tactics and advice that actually worked for him, including:

• Real email templates he’s used for outreach
• Screenshots showing actual results
• Step-by-step instructions
• Tool recommendations
• Specific case studies with traffic metrics

The result?

Content that feels like you’re learning from someone who’s been there, done that — not canned advice you can find on any site.

No wonder this guide has maintained high rankings for years.

And generated 31.5K backlinks.

2. Add Expert Insights and Quotes

Expert quotes add authority and new perspectives to your content.

They also help you meet Google’s helpful content expectations by providing insights readers can’t find elsewhere.

Even if you have personal experience with a topic, expert opinions add dimension and alternative perspectives that make your content more comprehensive and helpful.

Expert quotes strengthen your content in multiple ways:

• Add credibility to your claims
• Provide unique insights
• Create content that’s difficult for competitors to replicate

For a great example of this in action, look at pet company Chewy.

Their content often contains insights from board-certified veterinarians and animal behaviorists.

This makes it more authoritative and trustworthy.

Source expert insights through:

• Original interviews (via email, phone, or video)
• Reaching out to experts on LinkedIn, X, or industry-specific sites and forums
• Attending industry events and networking for insights
• Using a media outreach platform

As Nate Matherson, head of growth at Numeral, says:

3. Create Content That Meets Search Intent

Understanding and satisfying search intent is fundamental to helpful content.

For example, if someone searches “how to fix a leaky faucet,” they want clear, step-by-step instructions — not a sales page for plumbing services.

Content that addresses their actual goal (fixing the faucet themselves) will be considered more helpful.

But first, you need to understand the four main types of search intent:

• Informational: Seeking knowledge — “how to fix a leaky faucet”
• Navigational: Looking for a specific website — “Home Depot plumbing”
• Commercial: Researching options — “best tankless water heaters”
• Transactional: Ready to buy — “buy Moen touchless kitchen faucet”

Not sure if you’re creating people-first content that meets search intent?

Consider these points from Google:

If the answer to either question is “no,” your content isn’t fully addressing search intent.

To better meet search intent:

• Analyze the current top-ranking pages for your target keywords
• Note what format dominates (guides, lists, videos, etc.)
• Use a keyword research tool to check search intent for each term and identify related questions and topics. Keyword Magic Tool is helpful for this task.
• Use clear headings that answer specific questions
• Include practical next steps or related resources
• Demonstrate topical authority by addressing all relevant subtopics and common pain points in your content

4. Use Reputable Sources

Using high-quality sources (and citing them) is important for all sites.

It signals to readers and search engines that the information you’re sharing is reputable, accurate, and verifiable.

Well+Good, a wellness site, demonstrates this in its article about medication safety:

They support every health claim with information from:

• Board-certified psychiatrists
• Professors of psychiatry and behavioral sciences
• Peer-reviewed medical journals
• Reputable health resources, like .gov sites.

When evaluating sources for your content, follow these best practices:

• Prioritize recognized authorities in the field (major universities, established publications, industry leaders)
• Check publication dates to ensure information is current
• Check that you’re referencing the original source of the information
• Look for potential conflicts of interest or bias in the source’s funding or affiliations

Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines place heavy emphasis on trustworthiness.

And nothing builds trust faster than showing readers you’ve based your information on solid, reputable sources.

5. Hire Writers with Topical Experience

When it comes to helpful content, experience matters.

So, prioritize writers with backgrounds in your niche over generalists.

This will benefit your content in multiple ways:

• More practical, nuanced advice that only comes from hands-on experience
• Insider tips that readers can’t find on other sites
• Real examples and case studies that build immediate trust

For example, Harvard Health Publishing features physicians as their content creators.

These writers have impressive qualifications.

Including clinical experience, research credentials, and specialized knowledge in their medical fields.

This level of expertise is particularly important for Your Money, Your Life (YMYL) topics, where accuracy directly impacts reader well-being.

But experienced writers are valuable across all blog niches, from beauty to travel.

For instance, Family Vacationist, a travel blog, features contributors who have personally visited the destinations they cover.

This is evident by the insider tips they give.

Including advice on the best rides for kids, the tastiest treats in theme parks, and which hotels to stay at and why.

Family Vacationist also highlights its writers’ experience in bios.

Including relevant publications where they’ve been featured.

Even if you already have experienced writers, an expert review process will add another layer of credibility to your content.

• Have subject matter experts fact-check your information
• Include reviewer credentials directly in your content
• Highlight your review process on your editorial standards page

For example, home services company Angi has experts review its content and features them prominently with a byline.

The expert reviewer also gets a bio to highlight their qualifications.

Investing in topic experts signals to readers and search engines that you’re committed to delivering accurate content and genuine value, not just ranking for keywords.

6. Provide an Optimal Page Experience

Page experience is a critical component of helpful content.

If your page loads slowly or is hard to navigate, readers will leave. It doesn’t matter how good your information is.

But as Google states on its website (in slightly different words), doing the bare minimum won’t cut it.

For the best results, cover all aspects of the page experience rather than focusing on isolated elements.

Here’s how:

Analyze Your Current Performance

Use PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report to establish your baseline metrics.

Focus on the following scores:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

If your assessment fails, follow the tool’s recommendations to improve these metrics.

Like reducing unused JavaScript and third-party code.

Optimize Images

Compress images without sacrificing quality using tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or built-in CMS optimizers.

This will keep your images from dragging down your page speed.

Test Across All Device Types

Ensure your site has a responsive design that works across desktops, tablets, and various mobile screen sizes.

Use Chrome DevTools or BrowserStack to test how your site performs on popular devices and browsers.

Pay special attention to touch targets on mobile.

Check that buttons and links are easily tappable without accidental clicks.

Improve Security

Use HTTPS across your entire site to build user trust and meet Google’s requirements for secure browsing.

Google Search Console’s HTTPS report will tell you if your pages are secure. (And what to fix if they’re not.)

You’ll also want to configure proper SSL certificates and ensure all resources load securely.

Optimize Above-the-Fold Content

Prioritize loading essential above-the-fold content (aka content that appears on a webpage before scrolling) to capture web visitors’ attention.

And draw them to your most important content or assets.

Minimize unnecessary elements that push key content below the fold, especially on mobile devices.

Balance Monetization with User Experience

If you use display ads, ensure they don’t trigger layout shifts, overwhelm content, or create friction points for readers.

Reserve space for ads in your layout to prevent content jumps when they load.

7. Seek Information Gain (aka Bring Something New to the SERPs)

Google hasn’t said that “information gain” is a ranking factor, but it aligns with their emphasis on adding value to search results.

Information gain means adding something new to the topic. Something readers can’t find anywhere else.

I’ve mentioned some information gain methods already, like firsthand experiences and expert quotes.

But there are other ways to achieve information gain, including the following:

• Original research: Survey your audience or industry and publish the findings
• Proprietary frameworks: Develop your own scoring system or methodology
• Product testing: Go beyond specs to share real-world performance

For example, the finance site NerdWallet goes to great lengths to thoroughly review different financial products.

Like credit cards, savings accounts, and personal loans.

As part of that effort, they created a NerdWallet star rating methodology.

But they don’t use a one-size-fits-all rating system.

They created separate methodologies for each financial product category.

Why?

Because different factors matter for different financial decisions.

They also published detailed explanations of how they weigh different factors in their rating system.

This helps give their star rating system more credibility.

You’ll see these ratings on various NerdWallet reviews to help readers choose the best products for their needs.

Like this one for a credit card:

The key takeaway here?

Information gain often requires a significant upfront investment.

Whether in time, money, or both.

But it leads to something valuable: content that competitors can’t replicate overnight.

8. Refresh Existing Content

Creating new content isn’t always the best strategy.

Sometimes, updating what you already have delivers better results with less effort.

Fresh, comprehensive content shows Google you’re committed to quality and accuracy.

It can also help boost your rankings.

When refreshing content, prioritize these improvements:

• Update statistics and examples with current data
• Enhance visuals and formatting for a better user experience
• Incorporate new expert insights or research
• Fix outdated advice or recommendations
• Target evolving search intent

9. Create Helpful Graphics and Videos

Helpful content doesn’t just mean the words on the page.

Graphics and videos can also be valuable additions that improve reader comprehension and engagement.

When creating visuals for your content:

• Focus on clarifying complex ideas, not just adding decoration
• Create custom graphics rather than using generic stock images
• Ensure videos add unique value beyond what’s in the written content
• Use callout boxes to highlight key takeaways

At Backlinko, we take visual content seriously.

You’ll often see us using screenshots from various analytics programs to highlight results and showcase website performance.

Our custom graphics illustrate key points and make complex topics more digestible.

They also keep readers engaged throughout the article.

We use tables to make data-heavy topics more digestible.

And improve the readability and retention of our content.

We also use callout boxes to break up text and add more value.

Like side notes and pro tips.

Visual elements make your content more appealing and effective at conveying ideas clearly.

They can also help you improve your bounce rate.

10. Be Strategic with AI Writing Tools

AI writing tools can be great assistants, but they shouldn’t replace human writers.

In fact, Google warns against “using extensive automation to produce content on many topics.”

Google’s March 2024 update specifically targeted sites using AI to generate low-quality content at scale.

As a result, many websites with large amounts of AI-generated content saw dramatic ranking and indexing issues.

But if you read its guidelines, you’ll see that Google isn’t technically against using AI.

As they say on their site — they reward high-quality content “however it’s produced.”

This is a little bit of a gray area, though.

Your idea of high-quality, human-edited AI content may not match Google’s.

But overall, avoid using AI to create low-quality, unoriginal content to manipulate rankings:

Including:

• Publishing AI-generated articles without significant human input
• Creating entire pieces with no subject-matter expertise
• Relying on AI for factual claims without verification
• Generating content solely to target keywords with no real value

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to benefit from AI content tools while staying in Google’s good graces.

This includes:

• Summarizing research papers or creating key takeaways
• Suggesting potential structures based on top-ranking content
• Creating (very) rough drafts of blog posts, email marketing, newsletters, and more
• Improving clarity, fixing grammar issues, or suggesting better phrasing
• Generating topic ideas or angles for your content

The key?

Use AI as a foundation, not a final product.

Enhance it with your expertise, personal experiences, and fact-checking to satisfy Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.

Bonus: Evaluate Your Content’s Helpfulness with Google’s “Who-How-Why” Framework

Want a simple way to assess if your content meets Google’s helpful content standards?

Use their Who-How-Why framework.

Who Created the Content?

The “Who” question focuses on expertise and credibility.

Google wants to see clear information on the team behind your content.

This can be strategists, writers, editors, fact-checkers, and expert reviewers.

• Add detailed author bios that highlight relevant experience and credentials
• Include prominent bylines on all articles where readers would expect them
• Link bylines to author pages with additional background information

For example, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) highlights its writers’ experience and expertise prominently in bios.

Including medical credentials, education, and writing experience.

This transparency builds trust with both readers and search engines.

How Was the Content Created?

The “How” question is all about transparency in your process.

Google wants to know:

• What research or testing methods did you use?
• How thorough was your approach?
• Did you use AI assistance? (If so, how?)

If you conducted product testing, explain your methodology.

Don’t just say, “We tested 10 products.”

Be specific.

For example, the NCOA highlights its testing data on articles.

Including how many hours of research went into their testing.

And how many experts they consulted.

Why Does the Content Exist?

The “Why” question is the most critical — and the one most likely to trigger ranking issues.

Ask yourself:

• Is this content primarily for helping people? (Good)
• Is it primarily for attracting search traffic? (Bad)

If you’re only publishing to rank for keywords without providing unique value, Google will eventually catch on.

Instead, create content that would be valuable even if search engines didn’t exist.

Content that people would seek out directly.

Like this in-depth NCOA guide on respite care that would be valuable to its target audience, whether on- or offline.

Put This Helpful-Content Framework into Action

Want results? Stop creating content just to check an SEO box.

The sites that dominate search results are those that genuinely help their audiences.

With the 10 strategies in this guide, you’ll create content that Google recognizes as truly valuable.

And attracts traffic because it deserves to rank, not because it’s gaming the system.

So, download our Helpful Content Checklist if you haven’t already.

Then, check out our Content Gap Analysis guide to identify untapped opportunities where you can apply these principles.

You’ll discover where to focus your efforts for maximum impact so you stand out on the SERPs — and withstand Google’s next update.

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