Google is constantly updating its search algorithm to surface the most relevant and useful results for its users. Understanding how these updates affect your website and how you can optimise your site in response is crucial to maintaining a positive performance in search. Search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques are effective at improving site visibility, but Google constantly updates its search algorithms to target websites that utilise black-hat tactics to appear higher in search results. As such, it’s important to monitor changes to the Google core algorithm so that your SEO strategy continues to meet the needs of potential visitors. This article will explain what the Google Core Algorithm update means for your SEO strategy and outline best practices for sites that want to stay ahead of future updates.
What Is The Google Core Algorithm Update?
The Google Core Algorithm update is the latest refresh in the core algorithm that Google uses to determine a website’s search ranking. The update was first announced in mid-October and rolled out over the following weeks. The update is intended to improve Google’s ability to surface high-quality, relevant content in response to user queries. If your website is negatively affected by the update, you may notice a drop in search traffic and/or a decrease in referrals from Google. The core algorithm update is part of a wider shift in the way that Google approaches search, with a focus on the user experience and a reduction in the prominence of “black-hat” SEO practices.
Why Is The Core Algorithm Update Important?
The core algorithm update is a significant change to Google’s core algorithm, designed to improve the user experience in response to the significant rise in mobile searches. The update has been described as the biggest change to Google’s algorithm in a decade, so failing to shift your website’s strategy in response could spell disaster. The core algorithm update is expected to impact approximately 56% of search queries, meaning that if your site isn’t ready, you could see a huge drop in referral traffic. To stay ahead of this algorithm update and continue to attract the right audience to your site, you’ll need to make some changes to your SEO strategy.
Google’s Core Algorithm: An Introduction
The core algorithm is responsible for processing user queries and returning the most relevant search results based on the information within Google’s Knowledge Graph. The algorithm uses a variety of factors to determine a website’s ranking, including the website’s authority, the website’s load speed, and the relevance of the website’s content to the user query. However, it’s important to note that the algorithm is constantly evolving, with updates designed to improve the user experience and combat black-hat SEO practices. The latest Google core algorithm update is designed to improve the user experience by increasing the prominence of high-quality content. In addition, the update places less emphasis on the “link economy”, meaning that the number of external links pointing to your website (and their quality) has less of an impact on your search ranking.
The Importance Of Schema Markup For SEO
The latest algorithm update is a significant shift away from the “link economy” that has historically been the primary focus of search engines. Instead, the algorithm places more importance on the quality of the content on your website. To help Google understand the content of your pages even better, you can utilise schema markup, a structured data markup language that helps Google understand the content on your pages, improving how your site is featured across Google’s SERPs. The protocol is not new, but with the latest Google core algorithm update, it has become even more important for high-quality sites to appear above those with low-quality content.
Don’t Forget About Content Marketing
Along with improving your site’s internal SEO and utilising schema markup, you’ll want to continue to focus on building high-quality content that attracts the right audience. The latest core algorithm update is a significant shift away from a reliance on external links, but it doesn’t mean that you can forget about link building altogether. Instead, you may want to shift your focus from building links from low-quality sites to high-quality guest posts on authoritative websites. By producing high-quality content, you can attract links from authoritative sites that will boost your internal SEO and reinforce your authority as a source of trustworthy information.
Conclusion
The Google core algorithm update is designed to improve the user experience in response to the increase in mobile-based searches. The update places more importance on the content of your website, meaning that it is more important than ever to focus on creating high-quality content. To stay ahead of this update and continue to rank highly in search results, you’ll need to make some changes to your SEO strategy. The most important change you can make is to invest in improved internal SEO and use schema markup to help Google better understand your content. You may also want to shift your focus from building links through link building to guest posting on high-authority sites.