Google’s search landscape is a mess right now. If you’ve spent any time looking for a tutorial lately, you’ve probably hit a wall of generic, thin content that claims to offer a rich step by step guide but actually delivers nothing but fluff. It's frustrating. You want answers, not a history lesson on why the "how-to" was invented.
People are tired.
The reality is that "rich" doesn't mean "long." It means helpful. In 2026, the algorithms—and more importantly, the actual humans reading your stuff—can smell a fake from a mile away. If your content feels like it was squeezed out of a template, it’s going to fail. We need to talk about what actually makes a guide work, because most people are getting this entirely wrong.
The Problem With Most "Step by Step" Guides
Most creators think adding a bunch of stock photos and bolding every other word makes a guide "rich." It doesn't. Real rich step by step documentation requires something most writers are too lazy to provide: technical nuance.
Think about the last time you tried to fix a software bug or cook a complex Beef Wellington. If the guide says "Step 4: Cook until done," you're going to lose your mind. What does "done" look like? What does it smell like? What happens if the crust starts to brown too fast? This is where the richness happens. It’s in the edge cases.
I’ve seen dozens of sites lose 40% of their traffic in a single core update because they focused on keyword density instead of user frustration. You have to anticipate where the reader is going to mess up. Honestly, if you aren't telling the reader what not to do, you aren't providing a rich experience. You’re just reciting a manual.
Structured Data Is the Secret Sauce
We can’t talk about this without mentioning the technical side. Google loves Schema. Specifically, HowTo structured data. This is the literal code that tells a search engine, "Hey, this is a sequence of events."
But here is the catch.
If your code says one thing and your page says another, you're toast. I’ve seen developers try to "game" the rich results by putting keywords in the supply or tool fields that aren't actually in the text. Don't do that. It’s a fast track to a manual penalty.
Why Schema Matters for Discover
Google Discover is a fickle beast. It feeds on high-quality imagery and clear utility. When you use a rich step by step format backed by clean JSON-LD, you’re basically handing Google a pre-packaged gift. It makes it easier for them to display those little "How-to" carousels that drive insane click-through rates.
But don’t just dump code on the page. You’ve got to make sure the images used in your steps are high-res. We’re talking 1200px wide at a minimum. If your "rich" guide has blurry screenshots from 2018, no one is going to click it, and Google certainly won't feature it in Discover.
How to Build a Rich Step by Step That Actually Ranks
Let’s get into the weeds. If you want to rank in 2026, you need to abandon the 1-2-3-4-5 mentality. It’s too rigid.
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Start with the "Why."
Before you tell someone how to calibrate a 3D printer, tell them why the standard calibration usually fails. Give them the "Insider Secret." This builds E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) instantly. You aren't just a writer; you're a practitioner.
The Visual Hierarchy
Images shouldn't just be there for decoration. Every single image in a rich step by step article should serve a purpose. If I can’t understand the step by looking at the picture alone, the picture is a failure.
- Use arrows.
- Circle the button I need to click.
- Show the "Before" and the "After" clearly.
Sometimes a 10-second looping video (a GIF, basically) is worth more than a thousand words of explanation. I once worked on a project where we replaced a 500-word section on "tying a knot" with a simple, high-quality video loop. The time-on-page tripled. That is what Google considers "rich."
The "Expert" Trap
There’s this weird trend where people try to sound "professional" by using big words and passive voice. Stop. It’s boring.
If you’re writing a rich step by step for something technical, like setting up a local LLM or fixing a leaky faucet, speak like a person. Use words like "Basically" or "Look, here’s the deal." It builds a connection. When a reader feels like an expert is talking to them rather than at them, they stay longer. And guess what? Dwell time is a massive signal for search engines.
Nuance Over Simplicity
Don’t oversimplify things to the point of uselessness. If a step is hard, say it’s hard. "This next part is a total pain, and you'll probably have to try it twice." That single sentence adds more "richness" and authenticity than any AI-generated transition ever could. It shows you’ve actually done the work.
Avoiding the "AI Content" Death Spiral
We’ve all seen it. The articles that start with "In today's fast-paced digital world..."
Yuck.
If you want your rich step by step content to survive the next three years of search updates, you have to kill the fluff. Every sentence must earn its place. If a sentence doesn't provide a fact, a direction, or a necessary piece of context, delete it.
Google’s 2024 and 2025 updates heavily targeted "made-for-advertising" sites. These are sites that churn out "rich" guides that are just rehashed versions of the top 5 results. To avoid being lumped in with them, include original data. Mention a specific tool you used that no one else talks about. Share a personal failure you had while testing the steps. This "Information Gain" is the primary ranking factor now.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Content Today
If you’re looking at your old guides and realizing they’re a bit thin, don't delete them. Refactor them.
First, go back and add "Pro-Tips" between steps. These are little call-out boxes that offer extra value without cluttering the main flow. Second, check your headers. Instead of "Step 1: Setup," try something like "Getting the Environment Ready (Don't Skip This)." It’s more engaging and descriptive.
Finally, make sure your mobile experience is flawless. Most people are looking at your rich step by step guide while they are actually doing the thing. Their hands might be dirty, or they might be looking at a small screen in a server room. If they have to squint to see your diagrams or if your pop-ups are blocking the text, they’re gone.
Immediate Next Steps:
- Identify your top 3 performing "how-to" pages.
- Audit them for "dead wood" sentences that add no value.
- Add one original, high-resolution photo or video to each step.
- Implement JSON-LD HowTo Schema using a validator to ensure zero errors.
- Add a "Troubleshooting" section at the bottom that addresses the three most common mistakes people make when following your guide.
This isn't about gaming a system. It's about being the most useful person on the internet for that specific topic. If you do that, the rankings and the Discover traffic will follow naturally.