Definition
The Helpful Content Update is a Google algorithm system first deployed in August 2022. It generates a site-wide signal that identifies content deemed unhelpful, unoriginal, or primarily created to attract search engine traffic without providing real value. Sites with a high proportion of unhelpful content see their entire domain penalized, even high-quality pages. The September 2023 update significantly strengthened this system, heavily impacting niche sites and AI-generated content without human oversight.
Key Points
- Ranking signal applied at the entire site level
- Penalizes content created for search engines rather than humans
- Values firsthand experience and authentic expertise
Practical Examples
Niche site penalized
A site publishing hundreds of AI-generated product reviews without actual testing loses 90% of its organic traffic after the September 2023 Helpful Content Update deployment.
Expert blog rewarded
A gardening blog maintained by a professional sharing personal experience with original photos gains visibility as Google rewards firsthand expertise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Audit all your content, remove or rewrite articles without added value, add your personal expertise and original elements (photos, data, testimonials). Recovery can take several months after corrections.
AI content is not penalized as such. What is penalized is content without added value, whether AI-generated or human-written. AI content that is reviewed, enriched, and supervised by an expert can perform well.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07