Google should be the best friend of any SEO expert. It is a crime to miss any update from Google, as being into Search Engine Optimization, Google is your friend, philosopher and guide. In case you have missed out on the latest official update by Google, then make sure you have a peak and get to know what the talk of the town is – Google has just provided webmasters with a few strategies about how to handle algorithm changes and survive in the digital hemisphere.
Each day and every day Google is making one or more changes to improvise on the search engine results. Most of the changes might not be noticeable, but it does a lot to improve the effectiveness of the search. In 1 year, there are around 3,200 algorithm changes. That’s quite a number for sure! So, in this article, the focus is not just about 1 algorithm update, but how to make the entire site compatible with Google’s core updates.
Alerting the SEO experts
Google makes changes and then announcements about their core updates, but one thing remains constant and that is they focus on CONTENT. When Google comes up with an update, digital marketing experts in India and all around the world sit up and take notice. Therefore, in this article things are written down in a simpler way for everyone around the globe to understand how to survive and thrive the algorithm changes without losing sleep.
Content and quality analysis
Duplicate content is out and so is regurgitated content – Google is looking for fresh content, more information and please no repetitions! If the content is original, informative and research based then you are going good.
Thin content won’t rank high – The content needs to be complete and comprehensive and Google will provide the website with high rank. So, when a user searches a topic, Google will quickly pick up the informative article and you will arrive at the 1st page without much work. Thorough pages answering each and every query about the topic in a detailed manner will get an advantage.
Know the competition – Even if it’s content, general research is never enough. If the competitors are doing better research, then Google will switch sides! Adding videos and statistical data, flow charts help a lot to get into the good books of the search engine.
Hyperlink Strategically – Even if you plan to hyperlink a text, DO NOT copy paste the text. Draw your own conclusion and create your own unique text and then hyperlink if necessary. It creates a good impression to the readers and Google too prefers things to be unique and useful.
Headlines, the head of the content – 80% of the internet users read the headline before clicking on and reading the rest of the article. So, the headline needs to summarize the content and yet be catchy enough to get the attention. DO NOT ALWAYS FOCUS ON KEYWORDS, user-experience is equally important, if not more!
Don’t use Click-bait – Avoid using exaggerating and shocking headlines as it might get a high bounce rate, but when the users are going back to SERP listing, then Google quickly understands that it was a click-bait and the content wasn’t up-to-the-mark! It was just a trick to get attention, nothing more.
Google follows your site if it’s bookmarked, shared or recommended – Instead of following SEO blindly, ensure that the visitors love the website, the content, the services and products. If the users love you, then Google will start loving you too!
Quality content above all – Before submitting the content, think about it! Will you want this content to be published in a book and showcase it to the public? If the answer is ‘yes’, then probably it’s quality and worthy enough to be liked by Google.
Expertise analysis
Be trustworthy – Content that comes up with no ‘author bio’ or ‘publisher name’ is not regarded as trustworthy and the best way to showcase your expertise is to cite the sources. An expert will have their name on the page and also link their bio to the page.
Work on your brand – You are an expert when you are better than your competition. So, build your brand and get more visibility.
Be updated with information – Not everyone knows everything, but an expert should know every single thing about the business. So, be updated with everything related to your industry and your content should talk about it.
No fake news – This will damage your reputation. Better to provide no news than fake news. Google will catch you and you will be penalized even if it’s the smallest mistake ever.
Credibility matters – Ensure that your informative content is so good and well-written and also consistent that the user is comfortable to trust you with their money and life. You will get to understand if you are on the right track when you have the same visitors repeatedly coming to your website or signing up to your newsletter.
Presentation and production analysis
Grammar, spelling, style and font MATTERS – Please no grammar and spelling mistakes will be pardoned. The content should be simple to read and the layout must not be confusing. In fact, the content should be a reader’s delight!
Images, videos, custom graphics is essential – It’s not just about writing, the overall experience should be a great one with images, videos, customized graphics and so on. Just good content isn’t enough, visual stimulation in the form of graphics and videos can do wonders for the site. That’s the reason why web designers and graphic designers are still working in the digital arena.
Avoid excessive inbound and outbound links – Focus on creating a wonderful experience from the individual page. External links are quite distracting and the actual page might just get ignored because of the numerous hyperlinks in the content.
Cut down on the ads – Advertisements might get you money, but it can slow down the site and visitors might just skip your page. User-experience needs to be a priority, not the advertisements and its monetary benefits.
Is the content responsive? – Almost 60% of people search on Google via a mobile device. So, if your content is not responsive and mobile friendly, then it will surely go unnoticed and users will skip!
Comparative analysis
Unique content – Select a keyword, but before writing focuses on the 1st page of Google and find out what’s written. If you plan to beat your competitors then you need to write unique content and bring in points that are exclusive and generate superior quality work. You need to provide Google with a good reason for ranking your site above your competition.
User-friendly content – Do not go for SEO-friendly content. Focus on user-friendly content and soon Google will figure out your site and rank it ahead of all others. Why? Because even Google prefers to make users happy with search results.
