Occasionally, Google takes to its blog to explain the behind-the-scenes operations. Sometimes these posts are general introductions to a certain topic, while other times, they update the industry on Google’s latest advancements. This occurred on September 10th when Danny Sullivan and Pandu Nayak released blog posts about reliability and quality on the SERP.
Let’s focus on Danny’s post titled "How Google Delivers Reliable Information In Search," as it highlights a paradigm on the SERP, which has emerged with the advent of “core updates.”
One of the key points from Google’s post is the concept of an evolving “authority profile” that classifies other sites.
What am I getting at?
The Case for the Authority Profile
While different readers may find various parts of Google’s post significant, the following portion stood out to me:
For topics where quality information is particularly important—like health, finance, civic information, and crisis situations—we place an even greater emphasis on factors related to expertise and trustworthiness. We’ve learned that sites that demonstrate authoritativeness and expertise on a topic are less likely to publish false or misleading information, so if we can build our systems to identify signals of those characteristics, we can continue to provide reliable information. The design of these systems is our greatest defense against low-quality content, including potential misinformation, and is work that we’ve been investing in for many years.
There’s a lot to unpack here.
One of the most striking phrases is this:
“We’ve learned that sites that demonstrate authoritativeness and expertise on a topic are less likely to publish false or misleading information.”
The essential word is “learned,” indicating a new process. Google has evolved in how it detects a site’s authority.
How is this done? Profiling.
I’ve been discussing this since the days of the Medic update, and it’s validating to see it being formally recognized.
Google indicates it can determine if a site is authoritative on a particular topic. The input from quality raters seems to be a substantial part of this process. Google profiles other sites against established authoritative sites.
“…so if we can build our systems to identify signals of those characteristics, we can continue to provide reliable information.”
I believe Google is creating an authority profile for sites, constantly updating the parameters that determine authority. It has a profile of what authority looks like, particularly within the Finance and Health niches, and continuously evaluates sites against this evolving profile. This may explain why the same sites repeatedly get affected by core updates. If a site lacks authority in one area, it will likely lack it in another as well.
For example, during the September 2019 Core Update, several loan sites were penalized. The common factor was the heavy use of sales language on pages meant to be purely informational. Lily Ray also noted that sites looking to avoid being hit by a core update should “avoid affiliate links or ‘salesy’ language in YMYL content.”
I believe Google determined that authoritative YMYL sites were devoid of marketing language on informational pages. When a core update was released, sites were assessed against this new aspect of the authority profile: tone.
This process could be described as Google profiling sites against a pre-established authority profile.
What Does the Authority Profile Mean Practically?
Now what? There are two major takeaways from Google comparing sites against an authority profile:
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Watch the Super-Authorities in Your Niche Industry Very Carefully:
Don’t wait for Google. Analyze the known authorities within your topical niche yourself. Evaluate what they are doing on various types of pages. For example, authoritative medical sites use direct and informational tones in their titles, while lower quality sites use more sensational titles.
Profiling known authorities on the SERP for topics your site deals with can help avoid negative impacts from core updates.
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Focus on a Core Topic and Branch Out From There:
Google is looking at how a site handles a given topic authoritatively, not just individual pages. Hone in on a specific topic, establish your authority, and branch out. Writing in clusters can develop topical authority that can apply to other relevant content on your site.
Don’t Get Hung Up Here
While the idea of the “authority profile” is intriguing, it’s not the only factor at play. Different types of sites may require different approaches. For instance, news sites cover a wide range of content that is constantly changing. So, while the concept of an authority profile is important, it’s essential to consider other factors and nuances in the ever-evolving landscape.
