Winners and Losers of Google's Helpful Content Update + 2 Weird Niche Sites

<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast, where Spencer and Jared analyze the latest news in SEO, digital marketing, and website building and offer their unique insight.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>You won’t want to miss this episode, especially if you were affected by Google’s Helpful Content Update. </p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>As the update has officially wrapped up, this week Spencer and Jared dedicate a lot of time to talking about its massive impact on the industry. They share common insights and important takeaways from 4 SEO experts: Lily Ray, Glen Gabe, Barry Schwartz, and Marie Haynes.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>According to the experts, this update, the 3rd and largest of its kind, looked at over-optimized content and the authenticity of reviews. It also potentially penalized websites with the blogroll on the homepage and sites using too many affiliate links with no context. </p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>User experience is another big topic, with Google appearing to penalize sites that are poorly-designed, sites with broken links and, perhaps most importantly, sites with aggressive ads and pop-ups.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>They also speak about how data reporters have not picked up on the volatility of this update, how niche site owners have been extremely affected, and how UGC seems to have been rewarded as opposed to SEO content.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>They discuss the importance of building a brand on multiple platforms, the importance of verifiable credentials, and the need for content from trusted sources that is truly helpful.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>Jared and Spencer then talk about the possibility of recovering from the update and self-assessing your site using <a href= "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/