An update to the Google Helpful Content System documentation set the SEO community on fire late last week. The documentation indicated that the GHCS had an impact on Google Discover, whereas this had not been the case until then. Nevertheless, this information has been weighted by Danny Sullivan, who tells us that ultimately Discover does not use it yet.
The update of the GHCS document
Information on the impact of the Google Helpful Content System is shown on this page, on the Google Search Central website. Attention, the mention is for the moment indicated only on the English version of the page!
Here is the sentence that has been changed: “The system generates a site-wide signal that we consider among many other signals for use in Google Search. (which includes Discover). The system automatically identifies content that appears to have little value, little added value or is not particularly useful for Internet users”.
A noticeable change
Google Discover being part of Google Search, we could say to ourselves: what could be more normal? But until now, Google communicated on the fact that the Google Helpful Content System only affected Google Search, not Google Discover.
However, they had indicated that Google may seek to cover additional products such as Google Discover in the coming months. With the modification of the documentation, several English-language articles came out on this new impact of GHCS on Discover.
Information moderated by Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivanwho has worked for Google for 5 years helping the general public to understand the search engine, was questioned by Barry Schwartz to find out when exactly the update took place.
He first replied: “It was announced at launch? If so, it was probably correct at launch but probably changed soon after. I’ll check back when, but that’s nothing new. If I understand correctly, he has been using the system for some time”.
Obviously, Danny Sullivan checked the information before posting this: “OK – Discover does not use it yet. But the signal can be used for anything in Google Search (including Discover), which is clearly stated on the documentation. We are unlikely to confirm when and if it is actually used, just as we will not like every search signal. Overall, if you want to be successful on Discover, which is part of Search, it makes sense to pay attention to useful things in Google Search.”
To remember
The Google Helpful Content System is obviously not yet active on Google Discover, despite the change in the documentation. However, as Danny Sullivan so aptly puts it, to succeed on Google Discover, take into account the best practices on Google Search 😉
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