Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a big part of a website’s success. Businesses know that being in the top 3-5 listings for their business category is key when a potential client or customer is looking for their service.
Nobody knows the exact SEO formula that Google uses to rank sites; it’s a well-kept trade secret. But many of us who are active in the web community can tell when changes are happening.
Just yesterday, Google confirmed that they have been spending the last week or so adjusting their algorithms. The impact of these changes is still shaking out on search engine results pages (SERPs), but so far what we know is this:
- The types of sites that were most affected by this update were sites that had multiple landing pages based on keyword variations. As an example, an insurance agency might target all the different types of insurance with nearby cities and make a separate page for each type. (e.g. car insurance champaign, homeowner’s insurance portland and so on)
- Some of the other sites affected were sites that are light in real content and high in ad content. (You know the ones I mean…the ones where you have to swipe away a half dozen ads to read the content you want.) Since Google’s main goal is to serve usable content to its users, this makes plenty of sense.
If there’s any takeaway to be had from all of this, it’s that Google is always going to be changing their search algorithms. The best way to keep your site properly listed and properly ranked is to keep your content fresh, relevant, and accurate. You can do this in a number of ways but the first step is prevention. You or your web developer need to perform an audit and make sure your existing site is clear of any issues that might harm your search results. That way you’re in good shape no matter what changes come your way.
