In August 2019, Google published guidance for site owners about broad core updates. The post encouraged site owners to focus on content quality, expertise, presentation, comparison to other pages and whether the content would be trustworthy enough to bookmark, share or recommend.

For SMBs, the guidance was useful because it moved the conversation away from quick fixes. If a site loses visibility after a core update, the answer is rarely one hidden setting. It is usually a mix of content usefulness, trust, user experience and how well the page satisfies the search.

Content quality is more than word count

A strong page should help a real person make a decision. That may mean original photos, service details, examples, pricing context, FAQs, credentials, reviews and clear next steps. A longer page is not automatically better if it does not answer better.

Burns’ advice to SMBs is to make pages more useful before making them longer. “The question is not whether the page has enough words. The question is whether it gives a customer enough confidence to take the next step.”

What SMBs should have improved

• Original value: Add details competitors do not provide.
• Trust cues: Use reviews, team information, process details and proof.
• Readability: Make the page easy to scan on mobile and desktop.
• Decision support: Answer cost, timing, fit and common objection questions.

Brand Fuel Digital’s View

Google’s August guidance was a practical blueprint for better SMB content. Pages should not exist only to rank. They should help the right customer understand, trust and choose the business.

Sources: Google guidance on core updates from August 2019 and Google Search documentation on core updates.