Do you want your content to rank higher on Google but aren’t ready to invest in professional SEO services? The good news is that you can evaluate and optimise your content yourself to align with Google’s recommendations and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.

In this blog post, we share the most important tips from Google’s guide, “Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content,” so that you can create high-quality content that is rewarded by the search engine. 

As the name of the guide suggests, Google’s automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful and reliable information that primarily benefits people and is not intended to manipulate search engine rankings. Let’s take a look at the most important factors for achieving this goal.

• Questions to ask yourself
• Page experience
• People-first vs. search engine-first content
• Focus on SEO
• E-E-A-T
• Why, Who, How

Questions to ask yourself 

Google recommends that you ask yourself the following questions when creating content:

Content and quality

• Does the content contain original information, research, reports, or analysis?
• Does the content provide a comprehensive, substantial, and complete description of the topic?
• Does the content provide interesting information or insightful analysis that goes beyond the obvious?
• If the content uses other sources as a reference, does it merely copy or rewrite these sources, or does it offer originality and real added value?
• Does the page title or main heading contain a helpful, descriptive summary of the content?
• Does the content avoid exaggeration or a shocking nature?
• Is this the kind of page the reader would want to share, recommend, or bookmark?
• Does the content have the potential to be published or referenced in a book, magazine, or encyclopedia?
• Does the content offer significant added value compared to similar pages in the search results?
• Are there any spelling or style issues in the content?
• Is the content well produced, or does it appear rushed or sloppy?
• Is the content outsourced or mass-produced by many creators, or is it distributed across a large network of websites so that individual websites or pages receive less care or attention? 

Expertise 

• Is the information presented in a trustworthy manner, e.g. with evidence of the expertise involved, clear references, and background information about the website or author, including links to the author’s page or website’s “About” page?
• If someone were to research the website producing the content, would they get the impression that it is a trusted or widely recognised authority on the subject?
• Is the content written or reviewed by someone who is an expert or enthusiast and knows the subject well?
• Does the content contain easily verifiable factual errors? 

We all know how valuable feedback is, and this is also reflected in Google’s recommendations. Google recommends that you not only ask yourself these questions, but also ask someone who is not affiliated with your website for an honest assessment.

Google also suggests auditing any recent declines you may have experienced recently. Which pages were most affected and for what type of search queries? Examine them carefully using the questions above to find opportunities for improvement. 

See also: How to avoid reader fatigue

Page experience 

A great page experience is something that is well rewarded by Google. It says that you should focus on all aspects of the page experience. This includes fast loading times, secure browsing, mobile-friendliness, and as few intrusive ads as possible. It also means avoiding disruptive interstitials—pop-ups or overlays that block content and frustrate users. 

People-first vs. search engine-first content

By “people-first” content, Google means content that is primarily intended for people, and not to manipulate search engine rankings. To find out if you’re taking this approach, make sure your website has a primary focus or goal, and ask yourself if you think your content will truly benefit your existing or target audience. 

Another factor to consider is whether your content demonstrates in-depth, first-hand knowledge and expertise, such as first-hand reviews of a product, service, or place. You should also ask yourself whether readers will have an overall satisfying experience and feel that they have learned enough about a topic to achieve their goal.

On the other hand, “search engine-first” content is primarily created to attract visits from search engines, rather than to offer readers real added value. They often cover a wide range of topics without going into depth, rely heavily on automation, or simply summarise existing information without providing new insights. 

This type of content can prioritise trending topics over relevance to the audience, leave readers dissatisfied and searching elsewhere, or follow arbitrary SEO myths, such as targeting a specific word count—a practice Google itself calls a myth. Also, deceptive practices such as changing the publication date without meaningful updates or publishing content just to appear “fresh” do not improve rankings in search results and can undermine credibility. 

Focus on SEO 

If you’re wondering if SEO has any value at all, Google says it can be a helpful activity when applied to people-first content, not search engine-first content. When implemented correctly, it can help search engines better find and understand your content.  

Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T)

To determine whether a piece of content is helpful, Google uses a mix of factors to determine whether it shows experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, or what it calls E-E-A-T.

Trust is the most important of these aspects, and the others contribute to it as well. However, content does not necessarily have to cover all of these aspects to be considered helpful. For example, some content may focus heavily on experience, while other content may focus on expertise.  

Here are practical examples of each aspect of E-E-A-T on the specific topic of “How to build a raised garden”: 

1. Experience

Example: A blog post written by someone who has built several raised garden beds over the years and shares personal experiences, mistakes, tips for success, and practical photos from their own garden.

Why it shows experience: The author shares their first-hand knowledge gained through direct involvement with the subject and offers practical insights into the real world.

2. Expertise

Example: A post written by a professional landscaper or horticulturist with certifications in gardening or landscaping that explains the best materials, soil types, and design strategies for raised garden beds.

Why it shows expertise: The author has recognised qualifications, credentials, or in-depth knowledge of the subject that demonstrate specialised understanding. 

3. Authoritativeness

Example: An article about raised garden beds on a reputable gardening website such as the Royal Horticultural Society or the American Horticultural Society, citing research and expert opinion from professionals in the field. 

Why it shows authoritativeness: The content comes from a well-known and respected organisation in the gardening field, which gives the article weight and credibility.

4. Trustworthiness

Example: A gardening website that is transparent about its sources, regularly updates its content, and includes author bios with credentials and clear disclosure of affiliate links or sponsorships.

Why it shows trustworthiness: The website provides clear information about its authors and sources, discloses possible conflicts of interest, and creates transparency for readers.

See also: How to make your writing sound more natural

Why, Who, How

Another recommendation from Google is to evaluate your content in terms of “Why, Who, and How” in order to ensure that you’re in line with the various aspects of E-E-A-T. Let’s take a look at what that means. 

Why (the content was created)

Why is the content being created in the first place? Are you creating it to help people or to attract search engine traffic? The reason why you are creating content is important because producing content with the main purpose of manipulating search rankings is not only not rewarded, but is also a violation of Google’s spam policies. 

Who (created the content)

Where appropriate, you should add accurate information about the person who wrote the content. This can be in the form of a byline and can be linked to another page where visitors can find more information about the author.

How (the content was created)

It’s advisable to provide some details about the content creation process, as this can be helpful to readers. For example, if the content is a product review, you can build trust with readers by mentioning how the test was conducted. Or you can use terms like “automated, AI-generated, and AI-assisted content” to clarify how the content was created. 

If you rely heavily on automation to create content, Google recommends that you ask yourself if it’s clear to visitors—when reasonably expected—that automation, including generative AI, was used, how it contributed, and why it was necessary.

Create reliable, refined, people-first content with InstaText 

As mentioned above, Google rewards helpful, reliable, and people-first content written with high language quality and accuracy. Editing assistants can be a great help in creating such content.

InstaText is one of these tools. Using advanced language technologies—without relying on generative AI—InstaText does not create content from scratch, but improves the existing text. 

This ensures that the text is refined, originality and authorship are maintained, the author’s unique voice is preserved, and no false or inaccurate information is inserted—i.e. no hallucinations associated with generative AI—making your content more reliable.

If you’re an InstaText user, we recommend you explore our blog for new insights. If you’re not a user yet, you can try it out for free and see how it gives you full control over the editing process so you can create content according to your needs, preferences, and Google’s recommendations.  

“I am a translator and proofreader by profession and have tried many editing tools. It’s not an exaggeration to say that all the other apps I’ve used so far don’t come close to InstaText. It is literally innovative and revolutionary and has taken the editing game to a new level, leaving other competitors in the dust.”

— Dr. Ghodrat Hassani, Researcher in Translation Studies

“I work in marketing, where I also do a lot of content creation, so InstaText and I have become good friends. It helps me polish my English texts every day at work. Not only is it a proofreading tool, but it also makes the text sound better. The AI behind it works great. I used to use Grammarly, but Instatext does a better job for me.”

— Barbara Viskovic, Marketing And Public Relations Specialist

“It has been incredibly liberating to not agonize over every last word, secure in the knowledge that the AI has my back and will smooth out the occasional rough edge. That freedom alone boosted my daily word counts by more than 10%, which is gold dust!”

— Matthew Siege, Writer