Staying ahead of the curve is the name of the game regarding Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Understanding how the Google algorithm and its regular updates affect your website’s ranking is vital to staying ahead of the competition.
With a bunch of search queries being put into Google each day, it’s important to take into consideration factors such as keywords, phrasing, and location in SEO. Whether you’re looking to jump into Los Angeles, Chicago, or Denver SEO, the algorithm is what matters the most. We’ll help you understand the finer points of Google algorithm updates and how they can affect you.
What Is the Google Algorithm?
You’re probably familiar with Google’s algorithm, even if you know nothing about how it works. Whenever you search for something online, Google’s algorithm is hard at work figuring out what websites have the most relevant and authoritative information for your query.
Websites that are consistently relevant, referenced by other websites (backlinks), and have authoritative, original information perform better and rank higher on Google’s algorithm. Whether you own a small or large business, a strong internet presence is essential to growth and building a reputation.
To do so, business owners employ SEO strategies that optimize their site’s layout, information, and back-end configuration to appear higher on the rankings. The closer a site is to the top, the more likely a user will click on it.
What Are Google Algorithm Updates?
Unfortunately, even an algorithm designed by one of the largest corporations in the world isn’t impervious to manipulation. People have found multiple ways to circumvent and hijack the algorithm’s tendencies and figure out what it favors, artificially boosting their ranking.
As such, Google likes to throw a curveball now and again, supplying regular updates to the Google algorithm to prevent irrelevant and unsourced information from hitting the top of the search page. These updates usually roll out 4 times a year, shifting how a website needs to optimize to perform well and (hopefully) rooting out fraudulent websites hijacking their way to the top.
To avoid such manipulative behavior, Google will often be intentionally vague about the changes they’ve made, making it difficult to understand precisely how to make your website rank higher in the search results.
Also Read: SEO Vs PPC, SEO Is Your Online Business’s PPC Alternative
How Does the Google Update Help or Harm Websites?
Depending on what changes Google makes, the algorithm can either help or harm a website, which is why intentional business owners need to stay on top of the latest trends and changes to optimize their websites.
Let’s look at the most recent changes to understand better the modifications Google makes.
The latest Google Algorithm update cracked down on repetitive, keyword-stuffed posts with little relevance to the user’s query. In addition, experts have confirmed that the following factors positively impact a website’s ranking:
- Content relevancy
- Backlinks
- Loading speed
Relevance
You should know and understand the most critical aspect of the Google algorithm is relevance. Good content gets good results. If your website consistently pumps out highly relevant, authoritative information, you will perform better in the algorithm.
If you’re just getting started, the most crucial first step towards performing well in the new update is carefully considering the niche you choose.
Consider the following questions:
- What is your content proficiency?
- What topics do you love writing about?
- How can you promote a product through your website?
These issues are vital to assessing the niche in that you have to compete, how you may have interaction your target audience, and, most significantly, how you may force conversions.
Good content material is the trademark of a great website, and Google is based on many metrics, along with stay time (the quantity of time a person spends on a web page), to assess how relevant, correct, and engaging the content is. Of path, you by no means want to take the pitfall of making your content material sensational, full of clickbait, or unoriginal.
A high click rate with a low dwell time is not a recipe for success. Doing so may offer short-term success, but be warned that Google’s updates constantly shift the playing field, weeding out keyword-stuffed, overdramatized information.
Keep it short. Keep it clean. Focus on crafting a user-friendly layout for your readers, and you’re on your way to thriving in the new algorithm updates.
Also Read: Should I Use SEO vs. Google Ads: The Battle for Your Digital Marketing
Backlinks
The bonafide marker of authority, backlinks are, as the name indicates, a link back to another website or page. They allow the reader to find additional information they may want or need by visiting another website or page.
Imagine you’re the owner of a company selling ties, and you craft the handiest article on how to tie a Windsor knot using super helpful infographics. Other websites linking to your article lend authority to your website every time someone is directed there from another webpage, giving you credibility as Google’s chosen authority on the elusive Windsor knot.
The more well-reputed the initial referring website is the more positive weight that backlink carries for your website. As such, backlinks are the backbone of authority and will likely remain an important metric in SEO performance for years to come.
Loading Speed
Believe it or not, loading times are becoming more important as a website performance metric. You’ve probably experienced the annoyance of waiting for a web page to load, possibly even closing the window out of frustration.
Every time someone clicks off a webpage before it loads, the algorithm takes note and demotes the website in SEO ranking. Since almost 2/3 of Google searches are on mobile devices, Google wants to reduce user frustration regarding slow-loading websites.
While loading a few milliseconds faster than your competitor isn’t going to make a significant difference, ensuring your website can load quickly on a mobile device is essential.
To increase your website speed, optimize your images and invest in a website-building platform that can cater to mobile. It would be best if you also fixed broken links and site errors where applicable, taking advantage of the Google Webmasters tool to test your website’s stability.
Also Read: How SEO Can Help Your Marketing Efforts in the Long Term
The Bottom Line
A Google algorithm update is a significant change to the algorithm, determining whose websites rank higher on search engine results based on various factors with differing weights.
As of the latest patch, factors such as content, strong backlinks, and page experience are essential to stay at the top of the search results and draw prospective customers to a website.
