Unhelpful Content: Should It be Deleted or Updated?

In a recent interaction on Twitter, Danny Sullivan, from the Google team, responded to questions posed by Twitter user, Marie Haynes. To understand the context and the discussion, here is the summary.

Discussion Context

Initially, the discussion began with a question from Marie Haynes related to Google's documentation on the helpful content system. She sought clarification on the steps website owners should take to improve the classification of "unhelpful content" on their websites.

Here is the complete question posed to Google's @searchliaison account:

This question is highly relevant for website owners and SEO professionals because understanding Google's content optimization guidelines is key to achieving better search engine rankings and ensuring that their websites provide valuable information to users.

Google's Response

Danny Sullivan, through @searchliaison, responded by providing a more detailed explanation:

Sullivan's response emphasizes the importance of using a self-assessment approach for website owners regarding their content. He stresses the need for website owners to critically evaluate their content from the perspective of visitors.

If specific parts of a page or the entire page are considered unhelpful or irrelevant, it is recommended to consider removal or changes.

In essence, Sullivan's response does not mandate the complete deletion of content considered unhelpful. Instead, he encourages website owners to prioritize the creation of useful and original content in the future.

Self-Assessment Approach

Google has provided a comprehensive guide on how to conduct a self-assessment that can be applied to web content. Here are some points that should be assessed to determine the quality of content that is beneficial for users:

• Evaluating content quality, such as originality, substance, sources, and writing style.
• Assessing content expertise, such as whether the content has been written by experts or provides relevant sources.
• Evaluating whether the content prioritizes the informational needs of users.
• And more.

To learn more about self-assessment and how to create more "helpful" content, please refer to Google Search Central.

In conclusion, this discussion provides insights into whether unhelpful content should be deleted or optimized. By relying on Google's guidelines, content can be reassessed to consider a new classification from unhelpful to helpful.