Recent SEO strategies emphasize the importance of being user-first. However, the term “user-first” may seem abstract and puzzling to many SEO professionals.

While SEO is often equated with Google optimization, simply focusing on Google does not necessarily mean prioritizing the user.

Understanding why Google values ​​the user-first approach becomes clear when examining Google’s business model. It can often be surprisingly difficult to prioritize the user first. Tokyo SEO Maker will explain about SEO strategies and the importance of putting the user first.

Why does Google prioritize user-first? First, let’s introduce Google’s business model. Google generates over 80% of its revenue from advertising, particularly from Listing Ads (Search Ads).

Reference: From ‘Surpassing First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange: Special Feature on GAFA – The Surprisingly Unknown Business Model and Revenue Structure of Google, and the Challenges of European GDPR Compliance (Prove Inc.)’

Listing Ads display advertisements relevant to search queries, and clicks on these ads constitute a significant portion of Google’s revenue.

This revenue model incentivizes Google to prioritize providing users with search results that meet their needs, as the more users search, the more ad revenue Google generates.

In essence, for Google to profit from users, it must prioritize displaying content that satisfies users’ needs in search results.

Google’s Policy

Google’s policy is explicitly stated on its official website. The core of Google Search Mechanics | Google’s Mission can be summarized as follows

• Provide the most relevant and trustworthy information
• Maximize opportunities for accessing information
• Present information in the most understandable format
• Protect privacy
• Only sell advertising
• Support the success of content creators

This policy emphasizes prioritizing relevance and ease of understanding to users in search queries, underpinned by trust and security.

Furthermore, How Google Search Works | Prioritizing the User states that

“ Google aims to prioritize users at all times, striving to provide beneficial and relevant information consistently. “ This commitment is evident in the extensive testing and improvements undertaken by Google, as they conducted over 464,065 tests in 2019 alone, resulting in more than 3,620 enhancements. It is clear that they are not sparing any effort in that regard.

How the Panda Update Encouraged User-First Approach

The Panda Update, first implemented in Japan in 2012, refers to an update that lowers the ranking of low-quality content.

Lowering the ranking of low-quality content inherently raises the ranking of relatively high-quality content. Hence, providing articles that satisfy users (i.e., user-first articles) became a top priority around 2012.

*While the concept of user-first existed before 2012, SEO practices prior to that were more inclined towards utilizing gray or even black hat techniques to climb in rankings. This neglect of users prompted Google to make significant changes.

User-First vs. Google-First

User-first and Google-first may seem similar, but they are entirely different. Failing to understand the difference may result in significant drops in rankings or a lack of ranking improvement during core algorithm updates.

Distinguishing User-First and Google-First

User-first entails creating websites and content with a focus on the user . This involves enhancing credibility, producing high-quality content, and considering user satisfaction by optimizing navigation.

On the other hand, Google-first refers to implementing strategies solely to improve rankings on Google search results .

For instance, if page load speed becomes a factor, improving website loading speed is a Google-first strategy. Similarly, if comprehensive content is deemed essential, enhancing the comprehensiveness of articles is a Google-first approach.

At first glance, Google-first may seem like it leads to a user-first approach. However, while improvements have been made, they are done because they fit into Google’s evaluation criteria, not necessarily for the benefit of users.

Ideally, actions should be taken regardless of whether they fit into evaluation criteria.

Examples of Actions to Take Even if They Don’t Fit into Evaluation Criteria

Here are a few examples of actions that should be taken even if they don’t fit into search engine evaluation criteria

Description 

Improving the description may not directly impact search rankings, but it remains crucial as it is displayed in search results alongside titles. Description quality can affect click-through rates and traffic.

Considering the potential for users to overlook excellent content due to poor descriptions emphasizes the importance of this aspect.

Structured Data . 

As of 2021, structured data does not directly impact search rankings. However, inputting details into structured data assists search engines in understanding the site and influences rich results.

It’s undoubtedly a recommended measure to take. Increasing the content displayed on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) provides users with more choices, which is beneficial.

Social Media

In Japan, when it comes to social media, Twitter and Facebook are particularly prominent. Both platforms are frequently updated and boast a large user base. Links from social media may not have an external linking effect or SEO impact, disseminating information.

However, social media can increase visibility to users. Unlike search-driven traffic, which relies on user-initiated searches, traffic from social media represents users who might not be aware of certain topics or keywords, thus expanding opportunities for information dissemination.

Significant Speed ​​Improvements

The speed at which a site loads is crucial. From an SEO perspective, once a certain speed threshold is met, further improvements may not yield additional benefits. 

However, it’s undeniable that faster load times enhance the user’s search experience. Rather than simply being faster than competitors or not being slow, continuous consideration should be given to potential enhancements.

SSL Implementation

SSL implementation is part of search engine evaluation criteria. While it’s undoubtedly a measure that should be implemented, its impact on rankings is relatively minor. However, in today’s digital landscape, sites without SSL support are perceived as less trustworthy and not in line with what is expected of a site on the internet.

While some believe that all sites ranking highly in search results have SSL support, the correlation between SSL and search rankings is high, but there’s no direct causation. Sites naturally aiming for an appropriate online presence tend to implement SSL support, which indirectly contributes to higher rankings. Yet, SSL support has become a standard practice irrespective of its impact on search rankings.

URL Visibility

When we talk about URL visibility, we’re essentially discussing whether to include keywords in the URL or slug. Including keywords in the URL is part of the evaluation criteria for SEO, so it’s something that should be done from an SEO perspective.

Although it’s part of the evaluation criteria, its impact is minimal. It’s still possible to rank highly even if the URL doesn’t contain any keywords. However, by structuring the URL to reflect the content of the article, users can more easily imagine the content from the URL. This not only encourages clicks from search results but also makes the URL more shareable and referenceable.

Rather than focusing solely on whether it meets evaluation criteria, it’s advisable to consider the convenience for users.

Google’s User-First Evaluation

As mentioned briefly in the previous section, this chapter delves into the user-first strategies that Google evaluates.

As you may already know, SEO strategies don’t necessarily equate to user-first strategies. However, being mindful of user experience when designing a site or creating content is crucial for SEO.

Since all the answers are provided by Google, let’s focus on user-first strategies here.

Optimizing Content . 

Content optimization is crucial for SEO, as the saying goes, ” Content is King ” Google’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide covers almost everything you need to know about SEO.

While it’s a bit lengthy, if you’re serious about SEO, it’s essential reading. The Starter Guide covers various aspects, but when it comes to content, it emphasizes the following.

1. Making the site interesting and useful

2. Understanding what readers are looking for and providing it

3. Building a site that earns users’ trust

4. Demonstrating expertise and authority clearly

5. Providing the appropriate amount of content for the theme

6. Avoiding distracting ads

7. Using links effectively

Making the Site Interesting and Useful

Ensuring that the site is interesting and useful is a fundamental requirement. User satisfaction means providing content that is beneficial to users. Simply compiling general information or summarizing other sites may not be sufficient for adequate information provision, and if users already know the information, it can even be considered unhelpful.

Getting users to choose your site from among many others in search results means you need to provide content that offers something they didn’t know or hadn’t realized before. Therefore, it’s essential to carefully craft content with this in mind.

Understanding and Providing What Readers Seek

This is often referred to as user insight or understanding needs and wants, but the key is to correctly grasp what users are looking for. 

It’s essential to consider why users searched for those keywords and provide information accordingly. Ideally, the content should address the true purpose that users may not even be aware of, anticipating the background behind their search rather than just providing surface-level facts.

Building Trust with Users . 

Earning trust involves not just individual content but the entire site. It’s crucial to create a site that users trust, which includes clearly stating authors or organizations, indicating when the information was published, implementing SSL, and specifying site policies.

Establishing Expertise and Authority . 

In certain fields, expertise and authority are paramount. Particularly in medical or legal contexts, articles written by non-experts are often disregarded. 

To address this, having articles written by experts or at least reviewed by them helps establish credibility. Providing details about the author’s or reviewer’s credentials and background contributes to establishing authority.

However, it’s not just about having any expert; the situation requires trust in the expertise of the specific individual.

Providing an Appropriate Amount of Content Relevant to the Theme . 

While longer content is often considered advantageous for SEO, it’s not just about length. Overly lengthy content can confuse readers about where to focus, so it’s better to minimize unnecessary text. The fact that shorter content can still rank well suggests that it’s deemed relevant within the context of the entire site. Instead of thinking that shorter is always worse or longer is always better, it’s essential to consider how to optimize the entire site and plan user navigation accordingly.

Avoiding Distracting Advertisements . 

It’s best to minimize advertisements as much as possible. Users don’t visit sites to see ads, so from a user-first perspective, sites without any ads are considered superior.

However, it’s a fact that some sites rely on advertisements as a source of income. While having ads isn’t inherently bad, what’s detrimental is when they excessively compromise user experience.

Using Links Effectively . 

There are inbound links and outbound links. Inbound links are those received from external sites, but evaluating content also involves including outbound links from your site to external sources.

This is because users may be interested in references or sources when exploring a topic.

While some fear that sending traffic away from their site through outbound links may diminish their site’s value, in a user-first approach, appropriately using outbound links often proves advantageous. Moreover, it’s not recommended for a site’s health to lack external links entirely.

However, considering that the bounce rate within your own site is an essential metric, if possible, having sufficient articles on your site to facilitate internal linking is preferable.

Being Considered a High-Quality Site . 

Though dated back to 2011, Google has provided guidance on creating high-quality sites . While it’s been over a decade since its release, the guidance still offers valuable insights, likely indicating that its principles haven’t changed dramatically.

“1. Is the information presented in the article trustworthy? 

2. Is the article written by experts or enthusiasts with sufficient knowledge about the topic, or is it shallow in content? 

3. Does the site contain duplicate or redundant articles with slight variations in keywords for the same or similar topics? 

4. Is there any resistance to entering credit card information on the site? 

5. Are there any spelling or stylistic errors, or factual inaccuracies? 

6. Is the content genuinely what site visitors are seeking, or is it created solely to rank high on search engines? 

7. Does the article provide original content, information, reports, or analyses? 

8. Is the page providing substantial value compared to other search results? 

9.To what extent is content quality management conducted? 

10.Is the article written impartially? 

11. Is the site operated by an institution recognized as an expert in its field? 

12. Is the content created extensively through external commissions to many creators or spread across a large network of multiple sites, resulting in a decrease in the presence of individual pages or sites? 

13. Are the articles appropriately edited? Do they not give the impression of being hastily produced? 

14. For medical queries, is the site’s information trustworthy? 

15. Can the site’s name be recognized as provided by a reliable source? 

16. Do the articles provide comprehensive or complete explanations for specific topics? 

17. Do the articles include insightful analyzes or interesting information beyond the obvious? 

18. Is the page bookmark-worthy, shareable with friends, or something one would recommend to others? 

19. Are there not excessive ads on the page that hinder or distract from the main content? 20. Do the articles offer value worthy of being published or quoted in magazines, encyclopedias, or books? 

21. Are the articles too short or incomplete, lacking useful detailed information? 

22. Are both meticulously crafted content and less attentive content not mixed on the site’s pages? 

23. Is it anticipated that there may be dissatisfaction from users browsing the site’s pages? While it’s not necessary to meet all of these criteria, fulfilling the above 23 points indicates high-quality content.

Explanation of the Above 23 Points

Let’s delve into each of the 23 items mentioned.

Is the information presented in the article trustworthy? 

Providing accurate information is the minimum requirement for any article. While in the past, cramming keywords into inaccurate articles might have led to high search rankings, this is no longer the case. Search engines can’t determine if content is accurate or not, but users won’t trust sites with a lot of incorrect information, leading to long-term failure.

Is the article written by experts or enthusiasts with sufficient knowledge about the topic, or is it shallow in content? 

While this varies by field, content written by experts tends to be better received. This is likely due to the unique perspectives and insights that experts bring, as well as the inclusion of original information. While well-written content is preferred, articles with deep content are often highly regarded, even if the writing isn’t top-notch.

Does the site contain duplicate or redundant articles with slight variations in keywords for the same or similar topics? 

Writing multiple articles on the same theme within a site often leads to redundancy and failure. By adhering to one keyword per page and writing detailed articles on specific keywords, you can prevent duplication within the same site.

Is there resistance to entering credit card information on the site? 

Entering credit card information typically raises concerns. However, if a site is trusted by users, they’re less likely to resist entering their card details. For example, on platforms like Amazon or Rakuten, users often feel comfortable entering their card information. Similarly, it’s essential to consider if your site instills the same level of confidence.

Are there no spelling or stylistic errors, or factual inaccuracies? 

It’s preferable to correct any simple errors, factual inaccuracies, or outdated information in articles. While a few mistakes may not heavily impact a site’s evaluation, numerous errors can drive users away.

Is the content genuinely what site visitors are seeking, or is it created solely to rank high on search engines? 

While ranking high on search engines is crucial, it’s essential to provide the information users are genuinely seeking. Prioritizing user needs over search engine optimization is crucial for sustained success.

Does the article provide original content, information, reports, or analyses? 

Content uniqueness is crucial. Content lacking originality highly suggests that other sites might offer better insights, making it less likely to rank. Utilizing unique content, research, or analysis sets content apart and is highly valued.

Is the page providing substantial value compared to other search results ? 

Determining which page offers more value compared to others can be challenging. If both sites offer unique content, it can be difficult to determine superiority.

However, while there may be unique information, there’s often room for improvement in terms of overall site quality, such as reducing duplicated content and enhancing usability.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that sites offering value will be recognized.

To what extent is content quality management conducted ? 

Content requires periodic review even after publication. Over time, information can become outdated or inaccurate, making thorough quality management essential. Some site administrators recommend reviewing all content every six months to align with user-first principles.

Is the article written impartially ?

Articles overly biased towards specific products or companies may be perceived as manipulative and receive lower ratings. This applies particularly to affiliate marketing, but impartiality is critical for all articles. Biased articles, especially if they rank highly and attract readers, can lead to misinformation.

Is the site operated by an institution recognized as an expert in its topic ? 

This aligns with the concept of EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). 

For topics like healthcare or legal matters, content authored by professionals or reputable institutions is highly valued. 

Knowing the source of information is crucial; articles on medical topics by unlicensed individuals, for instance, are generally not well-regarded.

Is the content excessively produced through external outsourcing to numerous creators or spread across a large network of sites, resulting in decreased presence for individual pages or sites ? 

While mass content creation isn’t inherently negative, quality is paramount. Quantity can compromise quality, potentially disadvantaging users. This applies even if the content is consciously spread across multiple sites. Mishandled mass production can ultimately result in wasted time and effort.

Is the article properly edited? Does it not give off an impression of being hastily produced ? 

It’s certainly beneficial for articles to be created quickly. However, rushing through without following the necessary steps is problematic.

It’s essential to ensure there are no typos, factual inaccuracies, and that the content meets the standards set during the planning phase, including checks by editors.

For medical-related queries, is the site’s information trustworthy?

Trustworthiness is crucial, particularly in medical-related content. It’s safe to say that it’s better for unreliable medical content not to exist at all.

While trustworthiness is essential in all YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) fields, it’s particularly critical in medical-related content. Even for sites not in these fields, being deemed trustworthy is vital.

Can the site’s name be recognized as being provided by reliable sources? . 

This is somewhat challenging, but information should come from trustworthy sources. Statistical data, for instance, should ideally originate from government or research institutions, rather than personal blogs.

Whether the content is provided by reliable sources or not is also relevant to content evaluation. While recognizing the site’s name depends on factors like its popularity and field, extra caution is warranted, especially for media-operated sites.

Does the article provide comprehensive or complete explanations for specific topics?

This pertains to the concept of MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive). It means providing explanations without omissions or duplications.

Don’t assume that readers find the article complete; it’s essential to strike a balance and avoid excessive repetition or unnecessary details.

Does the article contain insightful analysis or interesting information beyond the obvious?

If the content is too general, there’s little reason for readers to visit the site. To prevent this, it’s necessary to deliver original content with unique insights and analysis.

Creating content that readers bookmark, share with friends, or recommend is challenging but essential for increasing user recognition and improving overall site evaluation.

Is the page overloaded with advertisements that disrupt or divert attention from the main content ?

As mentioned earlier, users don’t visit sites to see ads. While ads are common, the main content should remain separate. If ads hinder content consumption, users will likely leave the site, so it’s best to avoid excessive ad placement.

Is the article worthy of being featured or cited in magazines, encyclopedias, or books?

Think of it like Wikipedia. It should contain detailed information on specific keywords.

Wikipedia has many comprehensive articles with high relevance to keywords, making it easier to evaluate. Creating pages with such relevance and comprehensiveness can enhance the overall site rating.

Is the article not too short, incomplete, or lacking useful detailed information?

This also aligns with the concept of MECE. Being too long, too short, or having omissions or repetitions when explaining keywords will have negative effects. It’s essential to provide sufficient explanations while incorporating unique information to make the article useful.

Are there both meticulously crafted and neglected contents on the site pages?

Users tend to have higher satisfaction when attention is paid to details such as content, ads, internal links, and figures to facilitate understanding. It’s clear that sites with multiple high-satisfaction pages are more likely to be evaluated positively than those with only one highly satisfying page.

Are there anticipated complaints from users browsing the site pages?

Even if users have complaints, they often don’t voice them. By checking basic aspects like slow loading, incorrect or outdated content, small fonts, or overly close buttons, you can ensure a high level of site satisfaction.

Summary

Google aims for a user-first approach, but it’s not perfect yet. Therefore, continuous updates are made to improve accuracy and aim for high user satisfaction. Content that prioritizes user satisfaction is what gets evaluated positively, so it’s crucial to be mindful of the user-first approach. Instead of blindly checking sites, organizing the information provided by Google can make site improvements more efficient. So, please consider it as a reference.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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