Writing for Virality: A Simple Guide to SEO & Google’s Helpful Content Update
A few years ago, Google released an algorithmic beast known as the Helpful Content Update (HCU). In the following weeks, gobs of SEO-driven websites and blogs watched their traffic tank by devastating numbers.
Suddenly, the internet was buzzing with rumors that SEO was dead and anyone attempting to make a living or grow an audience by ranking high on Google search results was better off getting a regular 9-5.
But I have some good news for you.
SEO is not dead. And neither is blogging.
In fact, now just might be the perfect time for you to start that blogging side hustle you’ve always dreamed of.
The concepts I’m about to share are the very same ones (plus a few extra) that helped launch my career in viral written content while working for large media companies and platforms like Focus on the Family. By the end of this article, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your visibility, growing your website traffic, and getting your work in front of more people.
Or, as I like to call it…
Writing for virality.
Let’s begin!
Why Give A Toot About SEO?
It’s worth mentioning why SEO (Search Engine Optimization) was so important to digital creators to begin with. Let’s do a quick rundown of what SEO is and why anyone gave a toot about it in the first place.
SEO, Algorithms, Keywords, and the HCU
Search Engine Optimization (SEO), in short, is creating your content in a way that’s pleasing to internet search engines. I can rant for days about what all makes a site search engine-friendly (and we’ll cover the basics later), but for simplicity’s sake, if search engines vibe with your site, it means your site is optimized.
There are plenty of search engines through which your content might appear:
but the biggest one, by far, is Google.
Consider how Google works, and you’ll see why creators bend over backwards to please it:
Audience and Algorithm
On the daily, billions of people (your potential audience) use Google to navigate the internet and find what they’re looking for. Google is super efficient at finding the content people are looking for, because it uses a fancy system to link it’s searchers to the answers they seek.
This fancy system, which takes input from the searcher and then outputs what the searcher is hopefully looking for, is called an algorithm.
How Algorithms Use Intent
With every search, Google tries to decipher what exactly that user is trying to find so it can give them the most relevant search results. It’s the algorithm’s job to take the user’s search and hook them up with the best search results based on their intent.
In simple terms, intent refers to what a searcher hopes to accomplish or find when they type a query into Google.
And Google is really good at sensing a user’s intent.
Whenever I train other producers on the benefits of incorporating user intent into what they create, my favorite example to use is that of the “bionic arm.”
Example: Bionic Arm
Let’s say there are two nerds searching the same thing on Google: bionic arm.
Nerd One: Googles the term. His hope (a.k.a his intent) is to see images of superhero cyborgs. He’s creating his own comic book and needs inspiration for the character design.
Nerd Two: Has gone through a terrible accident and lost one of her limbs. Her hope for her search (a.k.a. her intent) is to discover whether or not technology has come far enough to give her the hook-up, Luke Skywalker-style.
Two nerds. Same search. Vastly different intent.
Google is a pro at recognizing not just what is being searched, but who is searching and why.
In fact, take a look at this photo showing some data Google has about what people are currently looking for when searching the web for “bionic arm.” The diversity of intent is pretty insane, but Google knows exactly where to send each user for their best answer.
SEO, Intent, and Content Creators
For digital creators, knowing how to position your work in the best way possible for Google to show your work to the audience that needs it is the key to getting more traffic to your site.
Doing this is what I call writing for virality. Because if you’re at the top of Google’s search results, your website could pull not just thousands, but hundreds of thousands of views per month.
So yeah, knowing how to romance the algorithm is a pretty powerful skill.
Romancing the Algorithm
You’ll often hear creators complaining about “the algorithm” on different platforms (namely YouTube and Facebook) because algorithms can be quite hard to understand or please. They’re also prone to change as developers tweak them for efficiency and cultural demands. This means they’re a sneaky, ever-moving target for creators.
But algorithms are good things! They’re meant to help connect creators to their proper audience, and vice versa.
If you’re a smart creator (which you are), you’ll try to make your content as formatted for search engine algorithms as possible, so engines like Google will connect you with the largest chunk of its users who search for your type of content.
In short, your mission is to seduce the algorithm.
Blackmail-able CEO : Hot Secretary :: Algorithm : Content Creators
Algorithms are good things! They’re meant to help connect creators to their proper audience, and vice versa.
Keywords & Keyphrases
Part of making your content alluring to the algorithm is incorporating relevant keywords and keyphrases into your work. Keywords/keyphrases are nearly self-explanatory: they’re the most relevant (“key”) words or phrases that people use when searching for your topic.
Let’s say you’ve launched a new website blogging about your latest side hustle: Dog Sitting.
(Note: I’m using this example because I’ve recently made a dog-sitting site myself and am contemplating starting a blog on it. This, for real, is how I would optimize my dog-sitting blog and its posts.)
The general keywords for a blog about dog sitting would be words like:
- Dog sitting
- Dog sitter
- House sitter
- Home sitter
- Pet sitter
Keyphrases for the same blog might be:
- How to become a pet sitter
- Tips for dog sitting
- How to be a house sitter
- How much do dog sitters make
- Make money dog sitting
Later on (specifically, when developing a content calendar), you should also take note of any phrases, questions, or products related to pet sitting, pet care, or pets in general, because this blog’s audience would be people who love their pets.
Here are a few examples of what those might look like:
- best noise-cancelling earmuffs for dogs
- does my pet love me back
- can dogs eat human food
- What to do for pet separation anxiety
- do pets go to heaven
You would use these keywords where appropriate to optimize your website pages, create content (inspired by the searcher’s intent), and to attract more readers via the Google algorithm.
This process of investigating terms and phrases that are relevant to your topic is called keyword research.
I know, “keyword research” sounds a lot like “rocket science,” but it’s pretty straightforward. It’s simply being super nosy about what people are searching for and then using what you learn about them to make content they’ll enjoy.
It’s one of the few times in life when you’re allowed to be a total creep.
And you don’t have to have a degree in computer science to use keywords to your advantage.
How To Use Your Keyword Research
Back to your dog-sitting blog and all the handy-dandy keyword research you just did:
When optimizing your content, you’d try to include these highly searched words and phrases in your posts. Doing this is like waving a bright flag at Google, like, “Oh, yoohoo! Google! I’m over here, darling!”
Keyword Content Examples
Here are a few examples of keyphrases turned into potential articles for your dog-sitting blog:
- “best noise-cancelling earmuffs for dogs” would become, “I Tried 5 Noise-Cancelling Earmuffs on My Anxious Dog. Here’s What Worked.”
- “can dogs eat human food?” might turn into “How to Have Thanksgiving With Your Dog: What Not to Feed Them From the Family Feast”
- “do pets go to heaven” could be turned into, “Do Pets Go to Heaven? What the Bible Says About Animals in the Afterlife”
You’ll also want to sprinkle the same phrase (and a few of its synonyms, if you know them) throughout your work, providing relevant and helpful links, examples, and references.
If you can do this and create content that matches the intent behind that word being searched, you’re highly likely to catch Google’s attention.
How to Find Keywords and Keyphrases
Where can you find keywords and keyphrases, you ask?
While there are fancy paid programs out there like SEMrush, which are powerhouse tools for keyword research, there are also free tools (for poor indie creators like you and me).
Here are two of my favorite free tools, both suggested to me by past SEO mentors (one of whom now makes six figures teaching people about SEO):
Tools like SEMrush can not only look up keywords and phrases, but also help decipher the intent behind those searches.
Sadly, free SEO tools are usually limited in how much they can help you research. For example, Keyword Planner and Keyword Surfer don’t do much to help with figuring out a searcher’s intent.
However, what Keyword Planner and Keyword Surfer do provide is data on keyword search volume and competition. These are two very important details you’ll want to take note of as well, and here’s why…
Volume & Competition
Generally, when creating content (like videos or blog posts), the best keywords and keyphrases to look out for are those that have high search volume and low competition.
High search volume means lots of people are searching for that word or phrase, while low competition means not too many people are providing answers yet.
The higher the volume of people searching and the lower the competition you have in showcasing your content, the more likely the algorithm is to send traffic your way.
Back before Google’s Helpful Content Update, a few high-volume, low-competition keywords were enough to put you on Google’s radar. This practice isn’t completely obsolete, but Google has definitely evolved since then.
However, if you’re an indie creator with a passion for what you create, you may now have the upper hand in the fight for the algorithm’s attention.
The Old Ways of Optimizing Content
In the past, if you wanted to grow your audience quickly and actually make money blogging, you’d follow the original, cookie-cutter approach to optimizing your content.
An optimized blog post, for example, would probably be created with these specific search engine-friendly features:
Pre-HCU SEO Practices
- A short and sweet title containing the keyword or keyphrase upfront
- (Example: Dog Sitting for Beginners)
- A “Key Insights” or “Table of Contents”
- Written content that directly matches the user’s search intent
- Relevant headings and heading structure (one every 300 words or so)
- Keywords sprinkled throughout your text (but not too much)
- Short paragraphs with plenty of whitespace, getting to the point quickly
- Everything written at a 7th-grade reading level
- Most sentences kept under 20 words
- Photos and videos with back-end metadata that matches your topic
- 2,000–3,000 words worth of content
- Helpful, high-ranking links sprinkled throughout the text
This template was so easy to follow that thousands of sites were able to crank out multiple articles per day. Even if an article was written by someone who had no true authority on the topic, as long as they followed this template, they could still rake in traffic (and a lot of money in Google ad revenue).
You can imagine the spike in blogging that occurred once AI was introduced into the mix!
Enter AI and the HCU
Pre-HCU, the larger the site, the greater the pull it had on Google’s attention.
If you were clever enough to monetize your blog with Google Ads or affiliate links, you could rake in 4 to 5 figures of profit per month. And there was even more money to be made if you created multiple sites with backlinks to each other, creating a sort of content super-network.
Throw a little ChatGPT or Google Gemini into the mix, and suddenly, hundreds of nerds living in their parents’ basements found the perfect get-rich scheme: AI blogging.
And it was all fine and dandy, with the rich SEO nerds getting richer by the day… and then…*cue the spooky up-lights*… the Helpful Content Update arrived.
Google’s Helpful Content Update
In 2022, Google’s HCU launched, and things took a massive turn. The Helpful Content Update zoned in on promoting human-made content created by individuals who actually have the authority on the topic.
Back to our dog sitting example:
- Pre-HCU: Any clever nerd could make an SEO powerhouse of a blog about dog sitting and pull in massive traffic within 6 months.
- Post-HCU: A smaller site featuring real dog sitting credentials, customer reviews, authentic posts, real-life examples, and real pet photos can give those nerds a run for their money! (And everyone knows they’re not good at running anyway. Bonus.)
How To Write For SEO and the HCU
What the HCU changed was Google’s preference for real content made by real humans for real humans—not by AI for the algorithm.
This can be a little confusing, given that the HCU is directly tied to Google’s algorithm. But if you want to make the kind of content Google is looking for, there’s still a general template you can follow:
1. Proof of Real, Hands-On Experience
Google’s algorithms are hunting for unmistakable signs that you actually touched the topic. Try to provide real photos (not just stock photos), step-by-step video clips, and honest commentary on the topic at hand.
Don’t just share what worked. Share the exact mistake that almost ruined the project (like that one time you almost forgot your client’s dog was allergic to chicken).
That specific detail is your proof of being human.
Also worth noting: Google intentionally looks for both positive and negative discussion around the topic (probably because, in the past, sites focused on affiliate link clicks tended to provide highly biased reviews).
So, if you’re reviewing a product or service, or sharing your experiences within your area of expertise, share the good and the bad. And share any lessons learned along the way. Your audience will find this helpful too.
2. Original Insights (Zero SERP Regurgitation)
If an article can be created just by reading the top five results on Google and mashing them together, it’s not going to rank.
Again, your article needs that special “Look at me, Google, I’m a real boy!” spice.
Winning posts give readers something they can’t get anywhere else: custom comparison charts built from your own trials, original workarounds, or visual proof of yourself actually using that super pooper scooper you’re promoting as an affiliate link on your dog-sitting blog.
3. Answer the Question First
Drop the fluff. Nobody wants to scroll through five paragraphs of preamble of keyword vomit before getting to the solution. Give the core answer right at the top of the post, then spend the rest of the piece diving deep into the details.
And don’t forget personal insights and examples. Keep them brief, but do use them. They really matter now.
4. Keep A Tight Topical Focus
Google rewards deep niche authority over broad “catch-all” sites. Your post needs to feel right at home within your site’s core mission. Furthermore, surround it with clear internal links (a.k.a. links that go to other areas of your website) that lead to any related deep dives and specific guides you have on the same or related topics.
5. Transparent E-E-A-T & Clean Layout
Be transparent, keep things clean and tidy, and don’t be greedy.
Your readers (and search bots) should clearly see who wrote the piece, why you’re qualified to talk about it, and what real-world background you bring to the table.
When creating content, a good acronym to remember is E-E-A-T:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
Use bullet points for lists and headings (H1-H4, or H5 if possible) to help break up the content into sections that are easier to peruse.
Lastly, limit the number of ads your readers are bombarded with when they enter your post. Heavy ads signal that you didn’t make this content for readers, but for ad revenue.
And Google knows all, babies. Google. Knows. All.
6. Use A Longer, More Interesting Title
In the old days of SEO, your title only needed to be a cold, calculated formula. You could drop your exact keyword right at the front, keep it short, and call it a day.
“Dog Sitting: 5 Quick Tips.” or “Dog Sitting for Beginners.” was everyone’s jam.
These were functional, robotic, and designed strictly to tell a search crawler, “Hey, this post is about dog sitting.”
My, my… things have changed.
Search engines—and the actual human beings using them—have evolved. A bland, keyword-stuffed title signals to readers that they’re about to read another generic, AI-generated blog post.
Today, your title needs to sound like a human wrote it for another human. It should conjure curiosity, hint at real-world experience, or provide a unique perspective.
Instead of “Dog Sitting Tips,” try something longer and far more engaging:
- “What 5 Years of Professional Dog Sitting Taught Me About Handling High-Anxiety Pups”
- “The Unexpected Mistakes I Made During My First Month as a Dog Sitter (and How to Avoid Them)”
See the difference?
The keyphrase is still in there for search engines, but the title now carries more humanness.
Google’s latest updates aren’t designed to replace classic on-page optimization; they’re meant to sit on top of it.
Should We Still Care About SEO?
Yes! SEO is alive and well!
Google’s latest updates aren’t designed to replace classic on-page optimization; they’re meant to sit on top of it.
If you’re still not confident in your SEO skills, Yoast has a great WordPress SEO Tutorial to get you started. They even provide plugins (with free versions!) for your website that’ll help you monitor your level of search engine friendliness.
That being said, if you’re not yet an SEO wizard, you still have all the reason in the world to start your dream blog. Here’s why:
A Little Encouragement
While SEO is not dead, it’s now no longer a hindrance for those of you wanting to get started with blogging.
Thanks to the HCU, writing for virality now rests more on your ability to connect to your niche audience through your shared interests than it does on getting all the technical practices nailed down.
If you’re passionate about whatever that topic is—or, even better, really experienced with it—you’ll probably make for a really great blogger!
Now, more than ever, the Google algorithm is working in your favor.
My Favorite YouTube Channel for Learning SEO
Y’all know how I love featuring other digital creators on this blog? Well, I’ve got another great YouTube channel to help you build those SEO skills!
As of late, one of my favorite YouTubers for this has been Edward Sturm.
Edward regularly discusses post-HCU SEO. He also interviews other digital content creators and SEO wizards from time to time, so you get a really good, rounded perspective on things.
Here’s one of his current videos that I found really enlightening, but be sure to subscribe to his channel for future content, too!
Get More Helpful Content
Creating for the HCU takes longer than it used to, requires more time and intention, and might be harder for creators if they lack real-life authority on the topic. But for the real ones—authorities on their topic looking to create real, helpful content from firsthand experience—these changes are a dream come true!
If you found this blog post helpful, don’t forget to join my email list below. I’m working on some really helpful content (pun intended) for you guys. I think both you (and Google) are really going to like it.
Love,
Kolbie
