Beating Google Updates Using Custom GPTs [Case Study]: 5X Traffic in 12 Months
Maintaining search visibility and traffic after a major Google algorithm update can be a tough task. Using advanced content solutions allows you to stay ahead of Google’s algorithms like the Helpful Content Update, making sure your site meets the search engine’s standards while offering high-quality, relevant content that connects with your audience. This case study shows how we achieved great results for our client after the update. See how my team The Search Initiative grew our client’s organic traffic from 11,063 to 53,913 sessions per month. In this case study, you’ll learn how to: If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, I cover some of the key insights in this video. To start, here’s some context about the site and the challenges we successfully overcame. The Challenge The client is a global investment platform. The client’s performance was stagnant before joining my agency, with limited visibility for VC (venture capital) and investment-related keywords. The main goal was to revamp their content and improve key pages with valuable material to increase search visibility and drive meaningful growth in organic performance. As a large site with hundreds of pages, it was impossible to manually audit and analyze the content on every single page. We needed to create a way that would allow us to prioritize optimizing low quality pages and enhance the content to make them more helpful for the end user. Learn how you can tackle similar challenges on your site by following the steps outlined below. AI-Powered Content Auditing to Check for Helpfulness & E-E-A-T Analyzing and improving a website can be a challenging task when done manually. However, with recent advancements in AI, this process is no longer as time-consuming, and you can take advantage of tools like ChatGPT to accelerate the workflow. Before I go into the process of auditing your content, it’s important to understand exactly how helpful content and E-E-A-T are and why they’re important for SEO. The Context What is Helpful Content? In August 2022, Google introduced the Helpful Content update. After several revisions in December 2022 and September 2023, the update was integrated into Google’s core algorithm update in March 2024. Helpful content refers to website content specifically created to address the needs and interests of users, providing genuine value by answering questions, solving problems, or providing insights. Under Google’s Helpful Content Update, this means focusing on content that prioritizes human readers over search engines, aiming to serve the audience’s needs first and foremost. For your content to be truly helpful, it must be well-researched, relevant to the intended audience, and reflect your expertise on the subject. Why is Helpful Content Important? Helpful content is essential because it directly affects both user experience and search engine rankings. Here’s why it matters: Focusing on helpful content helps your website remain aligned with Google’s guidelines while building long-term audience loyalty and achieving sustainable growth. What is E-E-A-T? E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, a concept introduced by Google in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines, a set of instructions provided by Google to human evaluators, known as Search Quality Raters who assess the quality of search results to help Google improve its algorithms. E-E-A-T represents the key criteria that Google’s algorithms and these human evaluators use to assess the quality and credibility of a webpage or website. E-E-A-T is especially critical for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) content, which includes topics impacting health, safety, finances, and the overall well-being of the target audience. Ensuring high E-E-A-T can help a website gain better visibility and credibility in search engine results. Check Your Content is Compliant with Google’s Helpful Content & E-E-A-T Guidelines Read on to find out how you can create a custom GPT agent to automatically check whether your content is compliant with Google’s Helpful Content and E-E-A-T guidelines. Create Your Custom GPT Agent Note that creating a GPT is only available to paid OpenAI users, so if you have a free account, skip this step, as you can use a general one that we’ve already created for you! To achieve the best results, create your own, as this will enable you to make adjustments and refine the process for more relevant recommendations suited to your content. Head to the GPTs Editor (or select your name and then “My GPTs”) Select “Create a GPT” Switch to Configure mode. This is where you’ll select the actions that you want the GPT to take. Give your GPT a name i.e. Helpful Content Audit Checker. Description is optional. The Instructions section is where to detail what your GPT should do when you interact with it. Based on the type of content you’re creating, you can create a GPT agent with specific Instructions. So for example, if you want to audit your blog posts, then only paste in the Instructions for Blog Posts. Read on to learn how you can also converse with ChatGPT to create the Instructions for you too. Blog Posts Homepages Service Pages Product Pages Blog Posts I. Introduction Situation Overview Blog posts are a critical tool for building authority, engaging readers, and driving organic traffic. Goal Enhance blog posts to rank well, retain reader interest, and align with Google’s helpful content guidelines. II. Blog Post Analysis Step 1: Provide the Blog Content Step 2: Scoring the Blog Post Analyze the blog on the following criteria: Relevance: Does the post meet user intent for its target keywords? Content Quality: Is it detailed, well-structured, and free of fluff? Engagement: Does it use engaging language, headings, and multimedia? SEO: Are headings, internal links, and keywords optimized? Call to Action (CTA): Is there a clear next step for readers? Step 3: Improvement Suggestions Homepages I. Introduction Situation Overview Homepages serve as the gateway to your website, showcasing your brand and guiding users to key sections. Goal Optimize the homepage to improve user experience, build trust, and drive navigation to priority pages. II. Homepage Analysis Step 1: Provide the Page Content Step 2: Scoring the Homepage Evaluate the homepage on: First Impression: Is the value proposition clear in 3 seconds? User Navigation: Are key sections (e.g., services, products, blog) easily accessible? Brand Trust: Are there trust signals (e.g., awards, testimonials, stats)? SEO: Are keywords, meta descriptions, and headings optimized? CTAs: Are there clear paths for users to take action? Step 3: Improvement Suggestions Enhancements to CTAs. Service Pages I. Introduction Situation Overview Service pages should clearly communicate offerings, address client pain points, and drive conversions. Goal Refine service pages to improve clarity, SEO, and lead generation. II. Service Page Analysis Step 1: Provide the Page Content Step 2: Scoring the Page Evaluate the service page on: Clarity of Offer: Is the service clearly explained with benefits highlighted? User Intent: Does the page address client needs and pain points? Credibility: Are trust signals (e.g., testimonials, case studies) included? SEO: Are keywords and headings optimized? CTA: Is there a clear, actionable CTA? Step 3: Improvement Suggestions Product Pages I. Introduction Situation Overview Product pages must provide detailed, engaging, and conversion-focused content while meeting search intent and answering key buyer questions. Goal Improve product pages to increase conversions, enhance SEO rankings, and provide a seamless user experience. II. Product Page Analysis Step 1: Provide the Page Content Step 2: Scoring the Page Evaluate the product page on the following criteria: Step 3: Improvement Suggestions As mentioned earlier, you can also use ChatGPT itself to help write a prompt to create your custom agent. Here’s an example prompt: I’m creating an agent that will be responsible for checking the content on my web pages based on Google’s Helpful Content guidelines and Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines from a knowledge-base. I want to input URLs, and the agent should analyze key elements of the content on the pages with a score out of 10 and in the end, give me recommendations on fixing critical issues based on the analysis, with examples where appropriate. Prepare a prompt that I can use to instruct this agent. And here’s an example of its response: The great thing about using ChatGPT to create the Instructions, is that you can fine-tune them to exactly what you need. For example, we want the output to be as helpful as possible in suggesting recommendations for improving the content. Let’s get GPT to tweak it a bit. Please adjust the output format so that it highlights: Exactly what’s wrong with the content Provides actionable recommendations that I can implement Provides examples for each of the following categories. For example, if a particular section requires content expansion, tell me which section and what information should be added. Content Quality & Relevance (Add Detailed Explanations, Demonstrate Your First-hand Experience, Include Subtopics and Related Questions) Building Credibility and Authority (Reference Authoritative Sources, Include Expert Quotes, Display Author Credentials) Increasing Audience Engagement (Incorporate Visual Elements, Encourage Interaction Through CTAs, Add Interactive Elements) Delivering Originality and Value (Offer Unique Insights or Perspectives, Solve Problems Not Addressed Elsewhere) Improving the Structure and Readability (Use Clear Headings, Format Content Using Read More Read More
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