The Tug-of-War Between SEO and Authenticity

Included in article marketing should be useful, informative content

Using content marketing within your business has many benefits.

Guest blogging presents a great opportunity to showcase your expertise and reach new audiences…

Google is known for its constant algorithm updates, with the goal of improving the quality of search results and enhancing the user experience. In 2024, several significant updates have rolled out, impacting how websites are ranked and how marketers approach their SEO strategies. Below, we explore the key changes and what they mean for businesses and digital marketers. 1. Focus on Helpful Content: The "Helpful Content" Update One of Google's core focuses this year has been on promoting "helpful content". The Helpful Content Update prioritises pages that provide real value to users over those stuffed with keywords or created solely for ranking purposes. Google’s AI now does a better job of determining the true intent behind content, rewarding pages that genuinely address user needs. How to Adapt: Audience-Centric Content: Ensure your content addresses user queries comprehensively and prioritises providing answers or solutions rather than just boosting rankings. Remove Fluff: Thin, repetitive, or overly-optimised content can hurt your rankings. Focus on improving the depth and originality of your articles. User Satisfaction Signals: Pay attention to user engagement metrics, such as time on page and bounce rate, as these can indicate how "helpful" users find your content. 2. Enhanced E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness Google has added an extra "E" to E-A-T, now called "E-E-A-T"—"Experience." This addition means Google now considers whether content creators have first-hand experience on the topics they discuss. This change is particularly impactful in areas like health, finance, and other “Your Money, Your Life” (YMYL) niches. How to Adapt: Author Expertise: Ensure content is created or reviewed by individuals with direct experience or expertise in the field. Author Bios and Credibility: Include detailed author bios, qualifications, and links to credible sources that verify the author's expertise. First-Hand Accounts: Incorporate personal experiences, case studies, and testimonials into your content to demonstrate true experience. 3. Page Experience Update: Mobile-First and Core Web Vitals Google continues to push the importance of user experience with updates to its Page Experience metrics, especially emphasising mobile usability and Core Web Vitals. The Core Web Vitals include metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), all of which measure the quality of a user’s interaction with your website. How to Adapt: Speed Optimisation: Optimise your website's loading speed, with particular focus on mobile devices. Stability and Responsiveness: Minimise layout shifts that might frustrate users, and ensure that interactive elements are highly responsive. Mobile-Friendly Design: Test your website across various devices and screen sizes to ensure a seamless mobile experience. 4. AI and Conversational Search: Integration of Generative AI Results Google has rolled out more integrations of generative AI and conversational search features into their search engine results. Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) aims to provide more interactive, AI-driven results that summarise complex queries in a conversational way. This impacts the traditional search result layout and the visibility of featured snippets. How to Adapt: Structured Data Usage: Ensure your website uses structured data to help Google understand your content better and make it more likely to be included in AI-generated responses. Conversational Content: Incorporate a natural, conversational tone into your content, anticipating longer, more complex queries that users might ask AI. Focus on Rich Answers: Create content that answers questions in a concise, authoritative manner to increase chances of being included in AI summaries or rich answers. 5. Spam and Link Quality Updates Recent updates have also focused on cracking down on spammy practices and low-quality link building. Google's SpamBrain AI is better at detecting manipulative link schemes and penalising websites involved in unnatural link practices. It’s clear that Google’s push for higher quality extends to off-page SEO as well. How to Adapt: High-Quality Backlinks: Focus on acquiring backlinks from reputable, relevant sources rather than quantity. Check out Ahrefs’ Guide to Quality Backlinks for strategies. Disavow Low-Quality Links: Regularly audit your backlink profile and disavow any links from spammy or irrelevant sites using the Google Disavow Tool. Avoid Link Manipulation: Avoid engaging in link exchanges, PBNs, or other tactics that could be flagged as manipulative. Conclusion: Staying Ahead of Google Updates Google’s recent updates underscore its commitment to improving user experience, content quality, and combatting spam. SEO professionals and content creators must adapt by prioritising helpful, experience-driven content, optimising user experience metrics, and focusing on high-quality, ethical link-building practices. Staying informed about these changes and continuously refining your SEO strategy are key to maintaining strong visibility in search results. Remember, Google's updates are ultimately aimed at rewarding websites that provide real value to users—so focus on creating the best possible experience for your audience, and you'll stay on the right side of these changes.

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In the constantly changing landscape of SEO, staying ahead of the competition means focusing on more than just keywords and backlinks. A growing emphasis is on building topical authority—a strategy that helps websites become recognised experts in their niche, providing immense value to both search engines and users alike. But what exactly is topical authority, and why is it crucial for SEO success? Let’s delve deeper into this concept and understand how to build it effectively. What is Topical Authority? Topical authority refers to how well a website is trusted to provide comprehensive, expert information on a particular subject or niche. In simple terms, it's about becoming an authority in a specific area by covering it extensively and in-depth. When Google sees that your website consistently offers valuable, well-researched, and complete information about a topic, it begins to consider you a "go-to" source for users looking for information on that subject. For example, if your website specialises in “vegan cooking,” building topical authority means creating a vast amount of content that thoroughly covers every aspect of vegan cooking—recipes, ingredients, benefits, challenges, tips for beginners, and more. By consistently providing high-quality, interconnected content, your site gains authority over time, which translates to higher rankings and increased organic traffic. The Importance of Building Topical Authority 1. Improved Search Engine Rankings Search engines, particularly Google, are constantly working on improving the relevance of the search results they provide to users. With advancements in AI and semantic search, Google now looks beyond individual keywords and assesses the overall context of a website. Websites with topical authority are more likely to be ranked higher because Google recognises them as comprehensive and trustworthy sources. 2. Increased User Trust and Engagement Users are more likely to trust websites that provide in-depth, reliable information on a subject they are researching. If a visitor lands on your website and finds a treasure trove of well-organised content, they are more likely to stay longer, interact with your site, and return in the future. This engagement boosts important metrics like time on page and bounce rate, which further helps with SEO. 3. Higher Relevance in Competitive Niches When you establish topical authority, it helps you stand out even in a highly competitive niche. While it may take longer to build compared to targeting specific keywords, the payoff is that you become a resource that Google and users will continue to trust, giving you a competitive edge. Topical authority is especially important in YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) areas, such as health, finance, and legal content, where credibility is key. 4. Sustainable Long-Term Growth Instead of chasing temporary ranking gains through keyword manipulation or questionable link-building practices, building topical authority provides a long-term, sustainable path to SEO success. Google prioritises user satisfaction, and websites that genuinely offer valuable information are more likely to withstand frequent algorithm changes and updates. How to Build Topical Authority: A Step-by-Step Guide Building topical authority requires a well-planned approach that covers the subject matter thoroughly and strategically. Here's a short guide to help you get started: Step 1: Define Your Niche To become an authority, you need to start with a well-defined niche. Broad topics are difficult to dominate, so focus on a specific segment within your industry. For example, instead of focusing on “fitness,” narrow it down to “strength training for women” or “HIIT workouts for beginners.” This focused approach allows you to provide a complete, detailed collection of resources that users and search engines will appreciate. Step 2: Conduct Comprehensive Topic Research Once your niche is clear, research every aspect of it. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush can help you identify content gaps and topics that are underrepresented in your niche. Think of the questions people ask, the pain points they have, and the related topics that can support your main subject. The goal is to create a content plan that leaves no question unanswered. Step 3: Create Pillar Content and Cluster Topics Create a pillar page—a long, comprehensive piece of content that covers your niche in depth. From there, develop cluster topics or subtopics that provide detailed information on specific aspects of the main topic. For example, a pillar page on “strength training for women” could link to subtopics like “best strength training exercises,” “beginner strength training programme,” and “benefits of strength training for women.” This internal linking between pillar and cluster content strengthens the topical connection and helps search engines understand that your website covers the subject comprehensively. Step 4: Use High-Quality Backlinks To further enhance your topical authority, consider acquiring backlinks from other reputable sources in your industry. Platforms like Bubble SEO make it easier to gain access to high-authority guest posting opportunities, which can drive traffic and signal to Google that your site is a trusted resource. Aim for backlinks that are relevant to your niche and are from authoritative domains to boost your credibility. Step 5: Maintain and Update Content Google favours websites that are well-maintained and up-to-date. Continually update existing content to reflect the latest trends, statistics, and developments in your niche. Tools like Google Search Console help identify opportunities to refresh content that may be losing its rank over time. This ensures that your content remains relevant and useful, boosting your authority even further. Tips for Strengthening Topical Authority Answer Users' Questions: Make sure your content addresses real questions and pain points users have. Check forums like Reddit and Quora to see what questions people are asking in your niche. Engage with the Community: Actively participate in your niche community through blog comments, social media, and forums. The more you are seen as a contributor, the more authoritative your website will appear. Utilise Structured Data: Incorporate schema markup to help search engines understand the relationships between different pieces of content on your site. This boosts visibility in search results and helps with rich snippets. In an increasingly competitive digital world, building topical authority is the key to establishing your website as a trusted resource in your niche. By providing comprehensive, in-depth content and strategically creating clusters of supporting topics, you not only improve your visibility in search engine results but also build trust and loyalty with your audience. While high-quality backlinks and content promotion are important components of the strategy, the core of topical authority lies in consistently delivering value to your readers. Start by narrowing down your niche, mapping out a detailed content plan, and continually updating your material. By positioning yourself as an expert voice, you’ll create a sustainable path to SEO success that withstands algorithm changes and fosters lasting relationships with your audience.

When making a guest post, it is important to track your metrics of your site and help you to improve.

Blogger outreach can elevate your business and grow your exposure to new audiences.

Why SEO Myths Persist (And Why It Matters) Search engine optimisation is always evolving. As new updates roll out and algorithms shift, the SEO landscape changes, sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. But one thing remains consistent: outdated advice spreads fast. Some of that advice may have once held value but blindly following old or incorrect SEO practices today could lead to wasted time, budget, and even lower rankings. That’s why separating fact from fiction is crucial for any business investing in its online visibility. Let’s look at a few persistent SEO myths—and the truth behind them. Myth #1: “You Have to Submit Your Site to Google to Get Indexed” It’s a common misconception that you must manually submit your website to Google to appear in search results. Google’s crawlers are constantly scouring the web, and if your site is properly linked from other indexed pages, it’s likely already on Google’s radar. That said, tools like Google Search Console are still valuable, especially when you want to speed up indexing for a new page or update. Submitting a URL doesn’t guarantee faster rankings, but it does help ensure Google sees it. Myth #2: “The More Keywords, the Better” It might seem logical to cram your content with every keyword you want to rank for, but this approach, known as keyword stuffing, does more harm than good. Google sees overuse of keywords as spammy, and it may penalise your site accordingly. Instead, write naturally. Use a thoughtful mix of short and long tail keywords and keep the focus on creating content that's genuinely helpful for your visitors. Our content writing services are designed to strike that perfect balance between SEO performance and readability. Myth #3: “SEO Is a One-Off Job” SEO isn't a switch you flip; it’s a process. As search engines evolve and your competition grows, ongoing optimisation becomes essential. What worked last year (or even last month) might be outdated today. Google rewards fresh, relevant content. That means if your blog or service pages haven’t been updated in years, you could be losing ground in the search results without realising it. Regular content updates and audits help you stay ahead of competitors and adapt to algorithm changes. We offer ongoing SEO support to keep your site in shape and aligned with what Google wants. Myth #4: “High Domain Authority Guarantees SEO Success” A site with a high Domain Authority (DA) might look impressive, but DA is a third-party metric. It’s not something Google uses directly in its algorithm. Just because a site scores 90+ in Moz’s system doesn’t mean a backlink from it will boost your rankings. What really matters is relevance. A lower DA site within your niche is often more beneficial than a generic high-DA site with no topical alignment. Don’t chase metrics, chase meaningful, context-rich links. We share our approach in our link-building strategy blog. Myth #5: “Google Prefers Long Content” There’s a kernel of truth here: long-form content can perform well if it provides depth, structure, and real value. But that doesn’t mean longer is always better. For local services, niche terms, or product pages, shorter content might rank just as well, or even better. The key is matching search intent and delivering a satisfying experience, not hitting a word count target. Our SEO copywriting packages cater to 3 different content lengths, up to 600 words, up to 1,000 words and finally up to 2,000 words. How to Avoid Falling for SEO Myths Staying ahead in SEO means staying informed. That’s why we recommend keeping an eye on trusted sources such as: Google Search Central Ahrefs Blog Moz Blog If you're working with an agency, make sure they prioritise education and transparency. The best SEO partners will explain why something works, not just send you charts and hope for the best. At Bubble SEO, we aim to do exactly that—keeping you in the loop and confident in your digital strategy. Final Thoughts: Stick to the Facts Some SEO myths are harmless. Others could tank your traffic. The bottom line? Don’t follow advice just because it’s widely shared. SEO is too important (and too nuanced) to rely on shortcuts or hearsay. Instead, focus on doing things right, by staying current, avoiding gimmicks, and investing in quality. Not sure where to begin? Talk to our team. Whether you’re launching a new site or refreshing old content, we’re here to help you build something that ranks, lasts, and grows.

Guest Posting is a practice where individuals or companies contribute articles to other websites or blogs.

Improving your SEO profile through backlinks is a crucial aspect of a successful SEO content strategy. Backlinks are one of the most powerful tools in SEO.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, staying ahead in search engine rankings is a critical goal for businesses and outreach