How to create content in an era of search volatility
It’s safe to say that Google rankings are becoming more unpredictable. In fact, in 2024 rank volatility increased by 34% in the B2B industry. So, if you’ve noticed ranking drops or fluctuations in organic traffic, you’re not alone.
While SEO causes a lot of challenges, it also reinforces the importance of high-quality, expertise-driven content—something we’ve long advocated.
One thing that’s becoming even more apparent is how Google prioritises authenticity and expertise over generic, highly SEO-optimised content.
One of the most significant impacts has been seen by large platforms like HubSpot, which reported substantial drops in organic traffic—particularly for content outside its core areas of expertise. This suggests that Google is taking a stricter approach to evaluating relevance and credibility, rewarding businesses that focus on relevancy while devaluing more generalist content.
Getting SEO to work in your favour
For businesses that have always focused on high-quality, industry-specific content, SEO is likely to work in your favour. You might see some keyword rankings drop for keywords you never intended to rank for, for instance, we often see businesses rank for keywords related to their clients due to the fact they have a case study on them.
If this happens, take a new baseline of the keywords you actually want to rank for and track those separately.
However, those who have relied on high-volume, keyword-focused strategies outside of their organisation's core area of expertise and without providing real substance may need to reassess their approach.
At Roo & Eve, our content philosophy has always been grounded in:
Topical expertise – creating content that builds on your deep industry knowledge and positions you as a trusted source.
Quality over quantity – prioritising value-driven, engaging content rather than churning out articles for traffic alone.
Audience-first strategies – content that speaks to real customer needs rather than following search trends blindly.
And this is benefiting businesses right now. Within days of posting this blog on a client website, it hit #1 in Google:
These principles are now more important than ever as Google continues refining its ability to identify and reward content that aims to genuinely serve its audience.
Side note: While Google claims everything it does is to improve user experience, let’s be honest: It’s actually all about increasing ad revenue. That’s why some updates don’t always make sense from a UX perspective.
Future-proof your content strategy for B2B demand generation
The trend towards audience-first content reinforces several best practices that should steer your content strategy moving forward:
1. Strengthen topical authority 💪
Google continues to place more emphasis on businesses demonstrating expertise in their field. To build authority, it’s essential to create content that aligns with your core industry and addresses specific audience needs.
What to do:
Focus your content efforts on topics that directly relate to your solutions and business expertise.
Invest in in-depth resources, content clusters, and expert insights rather than attempting to cover a broad spectrum of loosely related topics at a high-level.
Regularly review and update existing content to ensure it reinforces your credibility within your niche. Where necessary, consolidate articles or rewrite and refresh them.
2. Quality over quantity 🎖
Publishing large volumes of content might not improve rankings unless that content provides genuine value. Google is rewarding brands that prioritise meaningful, well-researched content over frequent but superficial updates.
What to do:
Shift your focus from producing as much content as possible to ensuring every piece serves a clear purpose and forms part of an overarching strategy.
Create comprehensive, high-value articles that educate, inform, and address key industry challenges across the entire human argument.
Make sure you target keywords that actually align with what your audience searches for. (We see agencies get this wrong more often than you think. It all comes back to having domain knowledge and expertise. You don’t know what you don’t know.)
3. Prioritise audience needs over search volume 👐
Google makes it clear: content should be written for real people first, and search engines second. Businesses that continue prioritising search volume over user needs are likely to see diminishing returns.
What to do:
Base your content strategy on real customer pain points, questions, and concerns. And then naturally weave in SEO optimisations.
Use data, industry trends, and customer feedback to inform content development.
Ensure every article, blog, or guide is engaging, well-structured, and backed by expertise.
The importance of a multi-channel approach for B2B demand generation
One of the biggest takeaways from this is the risk of relying too heavily on organic search for traffic. Businesses that depend on Google rankings alone for lead generation are increasingly vulnerable to algorithm changes. We’ve talked about this in-depth here.
That’s why we always recommend a well-balanced marketing strategy that spans multiple channels. Here are some best practices to follow:
💡Audience-first organic SEO: Ensure your website remains discoverable through relevant, audience-first high-quality content.
💡Social community building: Get into direct conversations with your audience, key publications and more.
💡Direct outreach and relationship-building: Align content with sales efforts to engage potential customers more proactively.
💡Industry partnerships and community engagement: Leverage collaboration and thought leadership opportunities to strengthen visibility (e.g. industry publications like Finextra).
By diversifying your marketing efforts, you maximise ROI for content, reduce risk and ensure you’re reaching your audience across the different touchpoints they may interact with.
⚠Remember: One person may regularly go on LinkedIn but hate looking at their emails. But someone else may have the opposite view which is why it’s important to be present on all relevant channels.
Next steps for your content strategy
To stay ahead of Google’s search algorithm changes, businesses should refine their content strategies to align with best practices. This means focusing on:
#1. Develop content that reflects your expertise
Businesses should double down on creating content that reflects their specialism, rather than trying to cover a broad range of topics at a high-level. By building topical authority, you signal to Google that your site is a credible source within your industry.
#2. Maintain a high standard of quality
The days of ‘content for content’s sake’ are over. Focus on producing well-researched, insightful content that prioritises depth over volume. Google rewards thought leadership and content that provides genuine value to readers.
#3. Strengthen your topical authority
Reinforce your authority by consistently publishing expert-led content within your industry. This includes creating evergreen content, original research, and updating existing resources to maintain relevance.
#4. Regularly audit and refresh content
Content that was relevant a year ago may no longer be as effective today. Conduct regular audits to identify outdated material and update it to ensure continued alignment with your audience’s needs and Google’s best practices.
#5. Reduce your reliance on search
While SEO remains important, businesses should not rely solely on organic search traffic. A well-rounded content strategy includes a mix of search, social, email, and direct engagement to ensure consistent visibility and audience reach. This is the best way to generate leads too.
How to keep on top of Google’s volatility in 2025
At Roo & Eve, we continuously track search performance trends and industry-wide developments. By using tools like Ahrefs, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console, we monitor how updates affect rankings and adapt strategies accordingly.
We will continue providing insights and tailored recommendations to help our clients steer through any changes, refine their approach, and maintain a strong search presence for relevant topics.
If you have any questions about your content strategy, feel free to reach out to Kerry at kerry@rooandeve.com. We’re always happy to help.