The Google Helpful Content System update is significantly impacting search results, for health, wellness, and supplement sites. 

As a YMYL (Your Money Your Life) website, I hope you followed my advice in Google’s Helpful Content Update: What You Need to Know:

1. Review your search data for changes since September 19.
2. Review all of your content to ensure it’s helpful, high-quality, and experience-based.

In this blog, I’m sharing a 10-step website content auditing checklist based on Google’s self-assessment lists. 

My helpful content auditing checklist gives you additional context and questions to ask about your content. 

10 Step Helpful Content Auditing Checklist

Use this checklist to audit your website content for helpfulness, people-focus, and E-E-A-T:

1. Why is the content on your website? What questions is it answering? What added value does it provide?
   Remember: people won’t spend time trying to understand your company and brand. Make sure every word on your site is there for a reason – skip the fluff, cut back on adjectives, and use short, simple sentences.
2. Does your home page clearly explain what your company sells or provides? Are you using plain, jargon-free language to explain how your products/services solve problems for peopl
   Remember: search intent matters, particularly on your home page. Make it clear how you solve problems for people. Do this with clear language that is not bogged down with marketing-ese.
3. Who is writing your content? Do you have an author name, photo, and bio for every single blog? Is it obvious that the author is a subject matter expert on the content?
   Remember: Google wants to know your content is based on experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T). People are wary of online information, so you need to be very clear about your knowledge and why people can trust you.
4. How is your content created? Are you relying on generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to write your website content, blogs, and social media posts? If so, you need to be transparent with your readers, disclosing that the content was not written by humans.
   Remember: Google can detect AI-generated content, so do not attach an author byline and bio to AI-generated content.
5. What is the intent behind the content? Are you using titles, headlines, and language to shock or tease readers? Are the headings descriptive, providing people with a clear understanding of the page content?
   Remember: the best way to capture reader trust is by using headlines and page titles that communicate the value of the page and tell readers what they will learn from you. If you struggle with this, remind yourself of the search intent and content purpose.
6. What new information, insights, thought leadership, reporting, or analysis does the content provide? This primarily applies to blogs, whitepapers, and social media content.
   Remember: content scraping and repeating information found on other websites is not considered high-value, helpful content. Always look for a new angle or perspective on the content you’re providing.
7. Why should Google and your readers trust your content? As a YMYL website, it’s important to include references, links, and endnotes to credible scientific research and authoritative websites. And remember to adhere to the FDA’s guidelines on health claims and statements.
   Remember: building trust with Google is essential to ranking in the search engine results. Do not make unsubstantiated claims about products or ingredients.
8. How easy is it for people to find the information they want on your website? Are your menus clear and obvious? Does your footer include links to your customer service team and a contact us email or form? How many clicks does it take to learn who your company is and what you do? Are there multiple interstitials (pop-up ads) that are hard to close?
   Remember: Google’s core ranking system rewards content that delivers a good page experience. The best content cannot overcome poor page experience.
9. Who is your website content for? If you wrote the content for search engines, you need to start over. Every single page on your website needs to be created for real people. Ask yourself how the content helps, supports, or informs a real human.
   Remember: write content that you want to read and that you find value in. Think about the questions people have about the topic and give them all the information they need to feel confident and knowledgeable.
10. How are you using keywords? If you cannot fit your keyword phrase into your content naturally, you need to start over. SEO and keywords matter, but the priority needs to be on people-first and experience-driven content that answers questions and solves problems.
    Remember: when you focus on search intent, you can more easily incorporate your keywords. Do not write content just to rank. Google is too smart for this (and so are your readers).

Google is making it easy for you to audit your content. Use my checklist to help you really understand what helpful content means. Give Google and your customers what they want.