Whether you have an eCommerce business or any other service portal, these guidelines will affect you and your business in a big way.
Google Search Engine has grown a lot since its inception and over the years we have witnessed many changes. Online marketers have been adapting to newer policies ever since. No doubt search results are better now, but every update somehow brings a few changes that make online marketers revisit their strategies.
Let’s take a closer look at the brief history of policy updates from Google –
2010 – 2013
There were three major updates from Google during that period –
Panda (Feb 24, 2011) – works on websites and webpages with stuffed keywords, duplicate and spam content. It removes such websites from SERPs.
Penguin (April 24, 2012) – Targets websites with spam links as well as links with little to no relevance to the content. If Google finds such websites, they take them down.
Hummingbird (August 22, 2013) – This update was designed to help Google understand the search queries better. Google pushes down websites with keyword stuffing, irrelevant and low-quality content.
2014- 2017
Mobile (April 21, 2015) – With this update, Google priorities mobile-friendly websites and pushes these websites in Google Search ranking.
Rank Brain (October 26, 2015) – It is an extension to the Hummingbird Algorithm update, helping the search engine giant understand queries better. Google gives a high-quality score to websites that have better UX, query-specific relevance, and quality content on the page.
2018 – 2021
Medic (May 4, 2018) – Targets medical and other website industries like education, law, and finance with a decision-making power that could affect human life.
Bert (October 22, 2019) – This update allows Goggle to pinpoint content written with no focus and context. It also targets websites with poorly written content.
Things to do to Avoid Major Impacts
Google never explicitly explains how these websites are going to work, function, and take effect. Even though Google algorithms is shy about revealing every bit of information about the policies, there are few things you can do to stay in the game.
Always Focus on Original & Quality Content
You should and must have original content on your websites and make sure it’s not duplicate with any other source. It should be of top quality with proper grammar across the entire website. Avoid keyword stuffing in the content. This thing would not take your ranking anywhere. Always go for quality over quantity. Simply hire professional content writing services if you’re not sure about the quality of your website’s content.
Clear the Clutter from The Website
Irrelevant and spam links used to work before, but not anymore. Sticking to the old ways might be harmful to your online business. Always remove spam links from your website as soon as you find them. If you don’t, your website will sink down gradually. Remember, it’s only good links that always help. Keep them.
Always Post Relevant Content
Do not post any random content on the website, ever. Whether it is a written content or an image/video, randomness will not work. Make sure everything on your website is relevant to the information provided. Update your website with more user-centric content so they remain on your website for a longer period.
Local SEO is The Key
Focus on making your business strengthen locally and local SEO is the best to do the job. It is suitable if your products and services serve locally or have any targeted demographic. Optimize your local searches and make sure you stay on top of Google Maps and Location-Specific Searches.
Get a Responsive Website
You are missing a lot if you do not have a responsive website. Since 2015, Google started a mobile-first approach. With this, responsive websites that work on mobile and tablets rank higher than those that lack this feature.
Pay Attention to Webmaster Guidelines
Always keep yourself updated with the latest webmaster guidelines. Change nothing on your website, based on rumors. Read thoroughly from start to finish and then plan accordingly. In case you understand nothing, you can check for simple explanations from reliable sources.
Google algorithms updates are to stay, and changes are bound to happen. They might affect your business a little, but if you stick to the core values such as relevancy and originality, you can totally survive.
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