• by Skyla Li , May 20, 2024

Google made some critical changes marketers need to be aware of in its March 2024 core update: low-quality content created solely to “game the system” and drive traffic will not work anymore. Much of the low-quality content is often generated by AI at scale to manipulate search rankings and try to get closer to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).

The advance of AI technology has made it easy for anyone to pull the top keywords for a particular industry and generate a blog post with those keywords in mind. This process is quite simple, but as some people have started to overuse this tactic, it has sometimes resulted in an oversaturated SERP filled with low-quality, unoriginal AI-generated content for consumers.

In its update, Google implemented swift measures to combat this behavior. There is a renewed emphasis on quality content. But what do marketers need to do moving forward?

The first step is to be strategic when they use AI. It is unrealistic to say stop using AI outright; there is a time and place for it. Brands need to take a step back and see what ways AI can truly add value to their content planning and creation process, not just use it to jump up the rankings.

For example, AI could be effective in analyzing a large amount of data to spot patterns, assist in the brainstorming process, and conduct research at scale. However, using AI to pump out a high volume of generic content to drive performance isn’t going to work anymore.

It’s important for brands to return to the E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) principles and focus on highlighting their expertise through quality content that can truly benefit the audience.

For example, marketers can lean on their company’s subject-matter experts to discover unique perspectives and highlight their leadership in the space. This expert-led, high-quality content approach not only solidifies the brand’s position as an expert to consumers but also proves to search engines that the site is a reliable source of information in the space.

It shouldn’t be a one-off tactic; marketers should design a thoughtful operational process to integrate expert opinions when crafting content.

Aside from content production considerations, brands should ensure their whole website has a solid infrastructure, with clear information architecture to demonstrate their expertise and provide optimal user experience. 

In addition to showcasing their expertise, brands can also leverage content to strengthen their connections with their customers. A human-centric approach is critical to helping align the relevance of the brand’s content to the user’s intent. By leveraging real-time customer data and insights via social listening, customer reviews, and call center queries, brands can understand what content will resonate with consumers and create informative content that addresses consumers’ needs comprehensively. 

Brand and performance are not a zero-sum game. Google’s latest update shows that using AI-generated content to drive performance and numbers is insufficient and can even harm the site. Marketers should consider both brand and performance when they craft their content strategy. It’s essential to root their strategy in originality and expertise and provide fresh, valuable ideas to consumers.