Have FAQs in your content? How about “expert reviews” for EEAT?
Google will penalize you…
Google’s Search Liaison dropped the mic on the SEO community.
They made it clear that common SEO tactics are a 1-way ticket to getting slammed in algorithm updates.
**Here’s the 411 on what they said to avoid**
These are DIRECT QUOTES from Google….
– Something saying an “expert” reviewed the content because someone mistakenly believes that ranks them better
– Table-of-content things shoved at the top because who knows, along the way, somehow that became a thing I’m guessing people assume ranks you better
– The page has been updated within a few days, or even is fresh on the exact day, even though the content isn’t particularly needing anything fresh and probably someone did some really light rewrite and fresh date because they think that “shows Google” you have fresh content and will rank better.
– The page end with a series of “hey, here are some frequently asked questions” because someone used a tool or other method to just add things they think people search for specifically because they heard if you add a bunch of popular searches to the page, that ranks you better not because anyone coming to your page wants that
– I can barely read through the main content of pages because I keep getting interrupted by things shoved in the middle of it. Which isn’t so much a “show Google” think as much as it is just an unsatisfying experience
Personally, I’m not convinced much of this holds as much weight as G wants you to believe….
Yes, SEOs have undoubtedly taken all of the above and overused them in scenarios where they don’t really make sense for the reader. However, there are also plenty of pages where all the points above make perfect sense.
The question is:
Can Google’s algorithm genuinely discern what sites are doing this for manipulation vs genuine improvement of the content?
Can they truly assess your intentions?
Until these tactics above actually stop working, full stop, I take this advice with a grain of salt. Forbes, Cnet, Healthline etc, etc, all do the above, and they dominate rankings.
Sites like this were exposed for having “expert medical reviewers” on articles not related to medicine…yet still rank first for the most competitive keywords in their space. In other words, they blatantly gamed the system and saw zero penalties for it.
Yes, your goal should always be providing the user with good content. But one thing consistently holds true:
Authority genuinely trumps all.
The biggest brands on the internet do all of these frowned upon actions, yet succeed with flying colors.
-Jeremy
