Once again, Google has decided to fix something that isn’t really broken. Their latest algorithm update was released a few weeks ago, in March, and, as usual, it has caused scrambling and upheaval. Never get comfortable with your SEO strategies, especially if they have been working well for you, because you can be assured that Google will, eventually, toss the proverbial monkey wrench into it. Everyone, sadly, must play by Google’s rules even if they are constantly changing them.
- While the latest Google update is not as exhausting as others have been, there are still major points you will need to address before you find your hard earned ranking in peril. The tweeking done this time is more content oriented as opposed to previous updates that had been focused on the technological aspects.
- As usual, many businesses took a hit. While still early, Search Engine Roundtable has surveyed hundreds of companies and found that nearly 60% of the businesses they spoke with have seen a noticeable drop in their search rankings since the update came out. In addition, the research discovered that nearly 50% of them have yet to recover from the previous Google update.
- The primary focus of this latest update is user experience. Google rewards ranking to sites that can clearly demonstrate what a potential customer is looking for. Also, start paying attention to your bounce rates because Google is. Lower your bounce rate and you will move up in the page rankings. At least that is what Google is saying right now.
- Be sure to test potential queries to see if your site is matching what searchers are looking for. Review your content to ensure that it is answering what questions a searcher might have about your company, industry or profession. Google’s new update is also taking into serious consideration the state of your branding efforts. To know you is to trust you says Google and that will lift you higher in their rankings.
- Despite it all, content, both text and video, are still the king and queen of the roost. Make sure it is of the highest quality, engaging and leads the customer where you want them to go. Finally, make sure your technical SEO is tight, integrate for voice search and don’t neglect your link building both inbound and outbound.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer
