Google announced a major core update in June. What followed was a complete upheaval of rankings and site traffic. Google did what it rarely does – notify Google users and webmasters about the rollout of an algorithm update.
Google has also ensured that in the future, the search engine giant will intimate the users in case of similar updates that change SEO and rankings. Additionally, Google has also released a set of advice for all SEO experts for making the best of all oncoming algorithm changes.
How many updates can you expect in the next few months?
What most webmasters and business owners do not know is that the search engine giant rolls out close to 600 updates per year. That translates to around two updates per day. Now, most of these updates result in minor and barely noticeable changes in the Google Search UI or rankings. However, at least two updates per year can lead to significant changes in the SERP and website traffic almost globally.
600 is just a ballpark figure that holds true for most years. In 2018, Google released 3,200 changes to the search algorithm! That is an astronomical number of updates, even for the most advanced search engine optimization experts like http://kickmedia.com.au/seo-brisbane/. It is impossible to predict how many updates Google plans on rolling out by 2020.
What can you do while facing a Google algorithm update?
According to several spokespersons from Google, fixating on the number of updates rarely does any good for an entrepreneur or website owner. They need to focus on the changes their key performance indicators (KPIs) are showing following any official algorithm update.
The metrics like organic traffic from the search engine, redirected traffic, CTR, bounce rate, conversion rate, dwell time per person, and average number of pages navigated from landing page can tell you all you need to know about your site’s health and performance.
What should you remember while prepping your content to sustain Google algorithm updates?
Google is infamous for being vague during each of their announcements. However, their advice did mention content strategy and content-based SEO repeatedly. That gives almost all SEO experts a clue as to the importance of website content, including images, videos, infographics, charts, and long-form text.
Here are a few points every content strategy should cover –
- Original information, research, reporting and analysis
Websites should be ready with value-adding and actionable content. No visitor wants to go over endless pages of drawling text. Look for fresh content that keeps the users engaged. It can be an exciting review video, guide video, a collection of user-generated review images, or blog content from social media influencers.
- Content that covers every aspect of a topic
Are you thinking about curating “how-to” guides for your products on your site? Then collecting all forms of content on how to use the product, its benefits, easy replacement policies, and a complete description is due soon.
You don’t want your users to check a product out on your site and then go to another site to test its usefulness. You may lose potential buyers unless you are ready to curate all product-related info in one place.
- Going beyond the obvious
Your blog or website content needs to talk about points that are beyond the obvious. We are sure there’s more to your business and products than what meets the eye.
Take your time to sit down with your SEO and content teams to come up with new ideas of crafting exciting and informative pieces that “educate” your consumers.
Draw in consumers into a discussion or debate by sharing your own analysis and opinions. Ending a piece with an open-ended question is always a great way to spark active discussions among followers.
- Avoiding plagiarism
Plagiarism is a big NO-NO for all sites looking to score significant traffic. Google actively penalizes any duplicate content on the web. It can be an unintentional duplication or an intentional inspiration.
Rely on a plagiarism checker before you publish your blog online for the Google bots to crawl.
If you are reviewing or referencing someone else’s blog/work, make sure to mention that clearly with his/her permission. Drawing your own conclusions and analysis will keep the Google penalties off your back.
- Focusing on the meta-data
Metadata is as essential as it was yesterday. Update or no update, you need to ensure that you have a descriptive meta description that covers the primary keyword variant. It should also include the basics of the entire topic.
Additionally, you should fill out the SEO title, SEO slug, user-friendly URL containing the keyword, and meta descriptions of all media components on your site.
We know it sounds easier than it is. It is an extensive task for any small team. Small entrepreneurs and startups benefit from hiring SEO experts, who can dedicatedly monitor these technical on-page SEO aspects of content.
- Correct information
You need to present yourself as a credible and trustworthy business. Offering the wrong facts in your content can tarnish your credibility significantly.
Presenting incorrect fact can give your competition to swoop in and do away with your loyal followers.
Before publishing, always do a thorough fact check with the help of your content team?
- Adding value to your business
Your content should not hand around the web, adding loading time to your pages. It should add some value to your business.
Good pieces not only attract traffic, but their internal links can direct potential buyers to specific products on the eCommerce site.
Google should be able to see your new piece as useful and interesting. It is one signal that the search engine needs to place your website above your competition.
Google is evolving to become more “human” with each passing day. The search engine clearly has a penchant for content that human readers find interesting. One way to generate captivating and informative content is by comparing your work to one of the most impressive blog/web content pieces you have read recently.
Having a tech-savvy content team is not always enough to ace the SEO game in the face of rapidly changing search engine algorithms. Mobilize your SEO team to take up the charge of on-site and off-site SEO elements for your content if you want the best results. After all, for once, Google has clearly indicated its preference and expectations from websites.
