A unavoidable reality of owning a business in this day and age is often being at the mercy of Google’s algorithm to help you reach new customers. The dreaded, inevitable “algorithm update” looms large – what does it mean for your business? Do you need to make any major changes? What are the consequences of not staying up-to-date on the latest Google core update?
In digital marketing it can also seem that just when you’ve cracked the code on an algorithm, a new one comes along to throw a wrench in your plans. You (or your account manager) may have noticed a decrease in organic search traffic search over time following a Google core update. While these updates can seem like a personal attack, they are not intended to target specific sites. Updates are Google’s way of improving their service – making it easier for users to find the exact info they’re after and spend less time sorting through irrelevant information. If you feel that your business was impacted by this update, take it as a sign that it’s time to evaluate the content on your website and make some changes based on Google’s core advice.
Google’s Advice For Small Businesses
Google rewards websites who focus on quality content. This means that your business will need to provide original, comprehensive, insightful, helpful, non-exaggerating, and shareable content. Google’s developers recommend you ask yourself these questions (and more) when considering content quality:
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
- Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
- Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
- Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking in nature?
- Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
Another great way to review your website is to search Google’s quality rater guidelines with specific focus to E-A-T. In SEO terms, the acronym E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Demonstrating these three qualities in your content both on and off your site can potentially help improve Google rankings.
You may be asking yourself, “Do I need to make any immediate changes?” The answer to that is simply no. Don’t act too quickly or make any changes without analyzing your business’ data. Rule out other factors such as major site changes and seasonality. Compare similar year-over-year timeframes to get the real picture. Keep in mind that SEO success is a marathon, not a sprint. Changes made after one core update might not make an impact until the next update comes around. The best way to ensure longevity in high ranking search results is consistency – continuing to provide quality content, making adjustments when needed, and maintaining an up-to-date website that functions well and meets Google’s general guidelines.
While this may seem complicated and difficult to strategize around, the TrustWorkz team can help your business stay on top of all the latest changes. We will suggest adjustments to your strategy if needed. Contact us to chat about what these changes look like for your business!
