When Google's latest iteration of its Helpful Content Update (HCU) algorithm took effect in September 2023, it devastated niche website publishers who relied on long tail searches to get traffic. (A long tail search is a very specific search phrase that focuses on topics with less competition.)

Their search engine results imploded to the point where niche sites that were making upwards of $10,000 per month have now lost more than 80% of their income.

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What happened to niche websites?

As an overview, Google frequently makes algorithm changes which guide how searches are conducted. The Helpful Content Update, initially implemented in 2022, was one such update.

Niche websites are small websites focused on getting traffic from search engines, which led to revenue from ads and affiliate products.

Such websites relied heavily on SEO tools, which would provide keywords or phrases people search for. Website publishers would then create articles based on those topics, with their websites rising in the rankings.

How niche publishers used to rise in Google rankings, search engine method

To predict rank in search engines, an SEO tool, like LowFruits.io calculates, based on a long tail search:

• How many people are looking for the term
• Its level of popularity
• Competition for the term, ie., who else is ranking for the term

If you could find a popular term that no one else ranked for, then you would beat the competition and rise to Google’s first page.

Google is now emphasizing "helpful content" over "search engine-first content."

To create helpful content, Google now advises that content providers should, "Put yourself in the shoes of a searcher. Look at the search results. What would you click on and find satisfying and helpful? How can you offer something that people would choose to click on and engage with?"

Google's new formula for rising in search is not keywords, but Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

According to Google’s AI Overview tool: E-E-A-T helps Google ensure that content is written by people who have the knowledge and experience to provide valuable information.

You demonstrate and improve your E-E-A-T by:

• Demonstrating that you have the expertise and authority to write about the topic.
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• Making sure your content is trustworthy.
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• Including information about how you gained your experience and expertise, your credentials, as well as who you are as a person.

The controversy around helpful content

​While Google has emphasized its desire for helpful content, what is not said out loud is that Google is now relying more on its (currently experimental) AI Overviews tool. Its searches also favour websites such as Reddit and Quora, which now come up on the first page.

Keyword rankings, as well as traffic, are declining due to the AI Overviews tool results showing up first.

There has been even been talk about how Google encouraged web publishers to produce, and used their content to inform the tool.

Given the changes to SEO, what is a solopreneur to do?

First off, SEO, even in its heyday, required a lot of expense, expertise, investment in strategy and tools. For example, SEMRush, the leader in SEO tools, charges $139.95/month at its lowest level. This is a significant investment for any business owner.

While some experts state that SEO is still relevant in 2025, dealing with the new algorithm requires constant experimentation, as well as expert knowledge. SEO takes a long time to become effective, and it is not unusual to take 6 to 12 months to get results.

The average solopreneur does not have the time or ability to wait for such results. And also, Google can change the requirements of its algorithm at any time, leading to a loss of gains in traffic.

Instead of SEO focus on:

• Forming relationships with those relevant in your industry, by creating partnerships which promote your content.
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• Emphasizing your physical location within your content.
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• Direct outreach such as community building or email marketing.
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• Showcasing your expertise by participating in podcasts, virtual summits and conferences.

Do not invest in an SEO tool if:

• Your SEO tool relies on predicting the popularity of long tail searches.
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• You are focused on ranking on Google exclusively. Due to the challenges with Google, Bing is now becoming a more popular source of traffic for website publishers. In addition, ChatGPT, Perplexity and other AI tools now have the ability to crawl websites and recommend them to users.
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• You intend to use the tool to determine what content or keywords are popular so your content will rank in Google.

All this to say that, given the changes in Google over the past two years, purchasing a tool that focuses on ranking within Google might no longer be worth the investment.

What software would you like me to review in future issues?
Let me know at: news@softwareroiguide.com​

Thank you for reading!​
Temi

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