The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has made it easier than ever to produce content quickly — and it shows. Search results are now crowded with repetitive, surface-level articles prioritizing speed and SEO over value. For brands, this can mean sacrificing depth and audience connection for the convenience of automation.

Google’s Helpful Content Updates in 2022 and 2023 sent a clear message: content should serve people first, not just search engines. Sites that fail to deliver on this principle risk penalties and the loss of audience trust.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through actionable steps to create content that resonates with your audience while staying aligned with search engine priorities.

Content made for people, not search engines

Google prioritizes content that serves people over search engines. Known as “people-first content,” this approach encourages publishers to prioritize searchers’ needs over simply ranking first.

E-E-A-T to build content credibility

Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) is a framework Google uses in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines to evaluate content quality. While E-E-A-T has long been part of Google’s principles, the 2022 Helpful Content Update brought it into the spotlight, heavily impacting content performance.

As Lily Ray from Amsive noted, low-quality affiliate sites lacking depth and expertise saw declines in the 2023 update, underscoring the importance of E-E-A-T.

Here is how you build your brand using helpful content:

1. Understand search intent

Search intent, or user intent, is the motivation behind every search query. Google prioritizes content that directly addresses what users are looking for, making it crucial to align your content with the right intent.

The four primary search intent categories include:

• Informational: Users seek information like “What is climate change?”
• Navigational: Users want a specific site, e.g., “Facebook login”
• Commercial: Users research products/services, e.g., “Best coffee maker”
• Transactional: Users intend to purchase, e.g., “Buy Subaru Forester”

Google also uses a nuanced approach in categorizing intent within its guidelines, including:

• Know queries: Broadly informational queries
• Do queries: Activity-based searches, like booking a flight
• Website queries: Seeking a specific website
• Visit-in-person queries: Local business searches

Search intent isn’t always straightforward; some queries contain multiple intents, blending elements from informational and transactional needs. The screenshot from Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines below demonstrates this complexity.

Use this process to determine intent and remove ambiguity: 

• Look for modifiers indicating intent (e.g., “how to,” “best,” “buy”)
• Examine SERP results to review the type of content Google favors
• Use Search Console to understand the queries driving traffic to your site
• Consider the user’s journey stage (e.g., awareness vs. buying)
• Use keyword research tools like Moz to determine keyword intent automatically

2. When you answer questions, go deeper than everyone else

Creating helpful content means offering more depth than your competitors. “Going deeper” involves enriching your content with added value, like real-world examples, relevant case studies, expert quotes, or fresh data that help readers understand comprehensively. 

To be clear, you’re not writing longer articles for word count; instead, you’re providing depth that empowers readers to make informed decisions, trust your expertise, and keep returning to your site.

The ultimate goal is comprehensively answering each question so they don’t return to the SERPs.

Best practices for going deeper:

• Cover subtopics thoroughly: Treat each subheading as its own topic. Research in-depth, anticipate, and answer questions that competitors might have overlooked.
• Use your personal experience: Share stories, lessons, or case studies from your own experience, adding authenticity and insight that’s unique to you.

3. Provide original insight

It’s tempting to rely on trends and templated blueprints. A tactic that works for competitors might not work for you.

Here’s why originality matters:

• Today’s customers compare prices, read reviews, and seek expert advice before purchasing. They can spot recycled or templated content, which is a turn-off.
• According to HubSpot’s 2024 marketing report, 75% of marketers agree that personalized experiences increase profits and foster customer loyalty. Fresh, original content is crucial to building trust and standing out.

While industry benchmarks and best practices offer a solid foundation, they shouldn’t be your blueprint. Instead, use those insights to inspire fresh content that reflects your brand’s unique perspective. Personalizing your content to meet specific customer needs is also important, showing them you understand their challenges.

4. Create a content ecosystem beyond your blog

According to the Web Tribunal, over 2.5 billion blog posts are published yearly, helping brands like Moz stay at the top of their game for years. Moz’s blog, active since 2004, is one of the most recognized in the SEO industry. It has a Domain Authority 90, which you can see with the free Domain Authority Checker.

But today’s reality is that blog posts are not enough. People consume content differently; some might read long-form articles, while others prefer podcasts, videos, or interactive webinars. 

As Chima Mmeje recently shared, a business owner impacted by Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) realized she’d become too reliant on search traffic. In contrast, bloggers who also engage audiences on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube have more resilient ecosystems that drive traffic from multiple sources.

Let’s take a  closer look at the Moz content ecosystem outside of the Moz Blog:

• Whiteboard Friday: Weekly video series where experts break down complex SEO topics, bringing value to visual and auditory learners.
• Moz Academy: Educational resources to improve SEO skills, appealing to those who prefer structured learning.
• The Practical Marketer Webinar Series: How-to webinars for SEOs and content marketers looking for practical guidance
• MozPod: A podcast that deviates from the norm to explore behind-the-scenes stories of the best marketing campaigns.

Like Moz, you can diversify your content offering to cater to different learning styles and reduce reliance on search traffic.

5. Show product use cases naturally in your content

Think about the last time you researched a specific product. Chances are, you typed in the brand name directly to quickly find accurate, relevant information. Typically, the top results show product-related content, like pricing pages, tutorials, or case studies. These branded search results can often be a deciding factor for potential customers.

Incorporating product use cases into your branded content strategy is a powerful way to showcase how your offerings solve real-world problems. For example, while reading the Moz Local guide, I noticed how they naturally incorporated a product workflow in the content without making it look spammy or salesy.

6. Use stories to break complex points

Stories consistently outperform dry facts because they entertain, simplify learning, and create real connections. They’re also practical tools for making technical topics more accessible and engaging, regardless of the industry.

Take, for example, Adriana Stein’s blog post on Moz about using storytelling in B2B sales. Instead of boring B2B statistics, she opens with The One Rand Man, a story used by an insurance company to teach financial security. This relatable narrative hooks readers and demonstrates how storytelling can make complex subjects digestible.

Storytelling doesn’t require lengthy narratives or novelistic flair, as even a quick, relevant story can make an impact. For instance, an ad specialist, Sarah Sal, once shared a LinkedIn post about telling a police officer she was vegan. This simple story was on-brand and memorable, tying into her messaging around authentic, addictive copywriting.

Keep storytelling relevant to your industry when incorporating it with business content. 

7. Use analytics to identify and address gaps in existing content

Beyond tracking numbers, analytics aims to guide strategic decisions. Marco Dionardo, web/SEO analyst and author of the Seostics Newsletter, notes, “Analytics helps you ask better questions and consider your next actions.” 

Gathering audience and performance data helps you determine the following:

• What content ideas to prioritize
• Gaps in your existing content
• Which products resonate most with your audience
• Effectiveness of current marketing campaigns
• Ways to improve customer satisfaction
• Insights on top-performing content

Data sources for these insights

Marco Giordano says, "In most cases, you have enough data with GSC, GA4, and crawl data." 

GA4 provides in-depth data on metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and average session duration. 

Google Search Console, on the other hand, shows which queries are driving traffic to your site, click-through rates, average position, and total impressions.

Moz Pro is also a great third-party tool for connecting your Google data and digging deeper into link analysis, page authority, competitor data, and domain overview Insights. 

Use analytics to refresh or create new content

Marco suggests grouping articles into performance bands to better track content clusters' performance. Labeling and analyzing content in these bands lets you track content decay and traffic distribution, which helps you identify where updates or new content may be needed.

To fully leverage analytics, remember to look beyond basic traffic metrics. Consider the broader impact of:

• Online reviews and brand mentions
• Alignment with business goals
• Repeat purchase rates and customer loyalty

For more on using diverse data to inform decisions, check out this Whiteboard Friday video, which explores actionable marketing insights from multiple data sources.

8. Infuse content with empathy

Empathy in content creation means anticipating user needs, guiding them through challenges, and creating a supportive experience. As Roshni Shaikh, a conversion strategist from Cape Agency, says, “Content shouldn’t convey empathy. Empathy comes before content.”

How to infuse empathy into your content:

Walk in their shoes: 

Imagine your potential customer’s journey. If you sell athletic wear, think about a beginner who might feel unsure about what to buy. Beyond products, share beginner tips, explain the best materials for comfort, and include resources like a size guide or style inspirations.

Leverage analytics and feedback: 

Use tools like Sprout Social for social media monitoring or Moz Pro for site analytics to gather Insights into what resonates with customers. Pay close attention to sentiment in reviews, comments, and social media posts. Are they sharing frustrations or positive experiences? Use this data to guide empathetic content decisions.

Link to complementary resources:

 Linking to helpful external resources, such as industry reports or guides, shows users you care about their success. Reputable links improve your content's value and demonstrate that you’re invested in meeting their needs.

9. Measure the “helpfulness” of content

Creating content is just the start. To drive real results, analyze its effectiveness with specific engagement metrics. Look at:

On-page metrics: 

Check time-on-page, scroll depth, and bounce rate to understand how well content resonates. A high bounce rate, for example, could indicate misleading titles or that the content doesn’t meet user expectations.

Interaction metrics: 

Assess email open rates, social shares, and comments. High engagement here indicates that your audience values your content, providing a solid base for community building.

Action metrics: 

Track how engagement drives conversions, lead generation, and social followers. If people consistently engage with and share your content, it boosts trust in your brand, which translates into sales.

10. Update content regularly

Updated content signals your audience that you’re committed to providing relevant and accurate information. However, effective updates require strategy, not just superficial tweaks. 

Avoid misconceptions like:

• Rewriting old content without adding value
• Constantly chasing trends or competitor updates
• Updating content only for Google’s algorithm changes

Instead, focus on updates that align with your audience’s needs and business goals. 

Here’s a checklist to guide strategic content updates:

• Opportunity for higher performance: Content on-page two or page one but not top three.
• Time-sensitive material: Articles referencing specific years (e.g., “Top SEO Tools in 2023”).
• Optimization gaps: Ensure alt text, mobile-friendliness, keyword optimization, and overall search engine best practices.
• Outdated information: Update links, images, meta details, and statistics. Look for recent information to improve credibility.
• Lead-generating content: If an article aims to generate leads, ensure it’s structured to engage and convert effectively.
• Product workflows: If you have high-performing content, look for opportunities to naturally show product workflows and link to relevant landing pages.

Remember that a high volume of low-quality content won’t deliver sustainable results or build the audience loyalty you want. Both search engines and readers can distinguish between helpful and filler content. 

I encourage you to examine your existing content critically. Don’t hesitate to refresh or even start from scratch where needed. Finally, focus on making every piece more engaging and informative, and you’ll earn the trust of your audience and search engines.