Google’s Danny Sullivan mentioned it once more, in terms of what you do in your web site, Google Search needs what your customers need. Do what’s finest on your customers, and Google will likely be completely satisfied. For those who simply take into consideration what to do to make Google completely satisfied, it’d lead to your customers not being completely satisfied. Sullivan wrote, “Nearly the whole lot somebody asks about what Google needs, the touchstone is “Is that this what your reader / viewers needs?” As a result of that’s what Google needs. “
He wrote this and expanded on this on X, he wrote:
Nearly the whole lot somebody asks about what Google needs, the touchstone is “Is that this what your reader / viewers needs?” As a result of that’s what Google needs.
That is the massive image. We would like our techniques to point out content material that folks assume will likely be satisfying. After they land on a web page, they go “Sure! That is precisely what I need!” (And sure, our techniques aren’t good. Sure, there’s unsatisfying content material that may floor. It is all one thing we’re working very exhausting to enhance on).
Individuals who create content material — I would hope — ought to have the ability to know finest if what they’re doing is what their readers need and doing that’s what Google needs.
However as a substitute, if we are saying one thing like “Hmm, this web page does not have a transparent date” as a result of a *reader* would possibly anticipate that, it simply will get become “Have a transparent date and also you rank higher!” And … no. It is not like that. It is that when you have a transparent date on a web page, it could be an indication that you simply’re doing one in all numerous issues that readers like — which, in flip, can align with fully various things we use that also correlate with content material that readers like. After which individuals get misplaced within the little particulars of “Google needs me to do X” moderately than “Google needs me to do the perfect factor for my readers.”
Which I do know is usually a exhausting factor for some to take care of, particularly when at instances we have mentioned stuff like “Do not do issues for Google.” Actually, it is best to do issues for Google — it is simply these issues are the identical issues it is best to do on your readers. That is at all times the touchstone. Learn your pages. Do you just like the expertise? Do you are feeling another person coming to them is glad? That is what’s to do.
Which is lots of phrases to say … positive, I can attempt to do some extra from time-to-time.
Yea, Google has been saying this since eternally and Google will hold saying this.
Generally when Danny Sullivan gives this suggestions, with particular examples, which he has executed earlier than, he could come off as being too important. So he is not at all times seeking to knock on individuals’s web sites. Sullivan wrote, “I’ve executed a number of earlier than. Would possibly do as time permits. The issue is that folks can misread as criticism (even perhaps as harsh criticism) moderately than it actually meant as “Hey, perhaps that is useful suggestions” — particularly as posts may be so impersonal sounding.”
The opposite situation of giving particular suggestions is that folks would possibly contemplate that recommendation as being a selected Google rating issue. He wrote, “I fear extra that folks mistakenly interpret “maybe contemplate this from a reader’s perspective ” as “he talked about X factor, so X factor have to be a rating sign!” Everybody, do X factor now!”
Right here is that tweet:
I’ve executed a number of earlier than. Would possibly do as time permits. The issue is that folks can misread as criticism (even perhaps as harsh criticism) moderately than it actually meant as “Hey, perhaps that is useful suggestions” — particularly as posts may be so impersonal sounding.
I fear…
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 30, 2024
One other:
We might such as you to make satisfying content material that folks need. One thing that if somebody reads, they go, “unbelievable!” That was superb. Itemizing 100 totally different rating components truthfully will not get you to that. Finally, I would actually prefer to lastly get a doc out that explores all…
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 7, 2024
Discussion board dialogue at X.
