Searchers just want you to be helpful

The March 2026 core update brought what Google describes as a design “to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.” This confirms the simplest truth in search: people use Google to get answers. 

Whether it’s solving a problem, learning something new, or making a decision, searchers want content that is genuinely helpful in their busy, on-the-go lives. If your content does that, it succeeds. If it doesn’t, no amount of SEO tricks, hacks, or magic bullets will get your content to show up on page one, let alone in AI Overviews.

How modern search systems surface helpful content

AI Overviews went from appearing for just 6.49% of queries in January 2025 to 15.69% in November 2025 according to a Semrush study. Depending on the source today, AI Overviews appear for 25-50% of queries.

It’s clear that search engines and LLMs are working together more efficiently today than just a year ago. Fast forward another year, and we can only imagine. 

For any SEO focused on creating helpful content and understanding user intent, it’s a truly exciting time to be in the industry. Your genuinely useful content can be surfaced in AI Overviews using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and query fan-out.

• RAG: Instead of just relying on what it “knows,” AI looks for relevant information across multiple sources before answering a query
• Query fan-out: One search query can be broken down into multiple related queries behind the scenes, helping AI and search engines build a more complete, useful response

Entire papers have been written on these two concepts alone. The TL;DR is that SEO today is about more than just keywords or counting backlinks. Modern search is designed to connect searchers with content that actually answers their questions and satisfies user intent.

Why this raises the bar for SEO in 2026 and beyond

These systems, and those still being implemented (see Google’s blog on TurboQuant), are getting better at recognizing and dismissing thin, duplicate, or superficial content. Pieces that simply restate what someone else has already said online, lack originality, and fail to demonstrate legitimate real-life experience will continue to struggle to rank. 

Depth, clarity, and expertise have always mattered, but SEOs who want to continue to succeed in 2026 and beyond are going to have to double down on these factors:

• Depth: This doesn’t mean write as much as you can on the topic. Gone are the days of fluffy, keyword-stuffed articles. Depth in 2026 means SEOs and content creators should address the searcher’s main question and related follow-ups.
• Clarity: Searchers are busy. They want quick answers. Make your content easy to scan and understand.
• Expertise: Demonstrate real-world knowledge and experience your audience can trust.

For many SEOs, this is a welcome shift. It’s not about just checking off boxes anymore. 

Sure, we still have to do those things. But the bar for what constitutes good SEO is being raised far beyond the basics. When search engines evaluate content today, they’re looking for signals that SEOs and content creators are providing real value to searchers.

Why visibility matters more than clicks for local SEO

Small, local, or service-based businesses that rely on SEO-driven leads for revenue can use these same strategies, too. While success isn’t measured using the same metrics as it was just a couple of years ago, the result of good SEO remains: Get the business recommended before the competition for as many searches as possible. 

Two years ago, this meant clicks. Today, it means visibility. AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI Overviews often recommend businesses without linking to websites directly, if at all. 

A few tools have been developed to measure AI metrics, but these can get pricey, and as Elizabeth Rule said, “Measuring visibility is like trying to measure a wave with a ruler.” 

This is why maintaining strong communication between stakeholders and the SEO team is so important. When success can’t be measured simply, a simple question of “how’s business going?” matters now more than ever. Beyond user intent, SEOs need to understand user behavior, mood, and temperament.

What ‘helpful content’ looks like in practice

Here are five tips to get you started on creating content that is genuinely helpful:

1. Answer follow-up questions

Think beyond the initial query. What will readers ask next? 

One of my favorite places to do research for this is the People Also Ask (PAA) section on SERP. For example, you’re writing about herniated disc treatment. Just Google “herniated disk treatment” and use the PAA feature to help you brainstorm more questions your audience may ask about the topic you’re writing. The more questions you click, the more ideas it’ll generate.

2. Show expertise and experience

E-E-A-T is an SEO hill I will die on because it works. Share your knowledge, case studies, testimonials, or firsthand insights. This builds trust when done right and when you’re creating for people, not search engines. 

This is what the helpful content update of 2022 was all about.

3. Structure content clearly

We’d all love to believe that everything we write is being read word-for-word. It’s not. People skim. They’re looking for an answer while they’re doing other things. 

This is why clearly structured web pages are so important on both mobile and desktop. Use headings, bullet points, and concise paragraphs to help readers quickly find answers.

4. Be authentic

Authenticity sounds like a buzzword (and maybe it is), but people can tell when you’ve used AI to write something or when you’re just publishing content for SEO.

Much as it pains me (an English major who loves to read long novels and write dissertations) to say, no one cares about your personal anecdotes or how many adjectives you can think of for your “superior” service. They just need an answer to the question they searched. 

Avoid fluff or filler. Real-world, practical content resonates better than generic advice.

If someone called and asked you, “How long does it take to change the water heater in my 1950s home?” You wouldn’t need 1,500 words to answer them. The content you create on the internet should be the same.

5. Ask ‘who, what, and how?’ about your content

If you’ve been paying attention to GEO/AEO/SEO for AI, this might sound familiar to you as a little something called semantic triples. This sounds intimidating at first, but it’s really just sixth-grade English. 

A semantic triple answers who, does what, for whom (or how). Remember diagramming sentences? It’s the relationship between the subject, predicate, and object. It can be any subject, predicate, and object:

• The plumber installs water heaters in Dallas 
• The bakery bakes wedding cakes for couples 

I first heard about semantic triples from Mike King during SEO Week 2025 when he broke down his concept of relevance engineering. If you haven’t watched his video on this topic, I highly recommend it.

The basic idea is that SEO is about your audience:

• Who are you talking to?
• What do they need?
• How do you reach them? 

A semantic triple answers these questions. It provides structure and clarity. It’s the “Who, What, and How” that Google told us about with the HCU documentation. It’s also genuinely valuable information for searchers.

Knowledge is your superpower. You’re the only person who can tell your story, explain your process, and show readers why your business or brand matters.

Helpfulness is the competitive edge

The most reliable SEO strategy remains the same with each new core update from Google: Create content that genuinely helps searchers.

Focus on the problems your audience is trying to solve, answer their questions fully, and share your expertise. Thin or derivative content won’t cut it in a world of AI-driven search and retrieval systems. 

Google and AI platforms are trying to do the same thing searchers are doing: find the most helpful content. If you respond to that need, your content will rise to the top, no tricks, hacks, or shortcuts necessary.