Since Friday, there has been some chatter in SEO forums about a supposedly Google algorithm update. It’s not big, and no one’s sure yet what’s really happening. However, it looks to have affected several businesses as they flock discussions on dropped rankings, irrelevant search results, and zero conversions overnight. Some have even turned to digital marketing expert Barry Schwartz for answers; to which he said that it could be Google testing out bits of an algorithm update.
It makes sense as search engines like Google have hundreds – if not thousands – of micro updates every year. Most of it is so small it’s barely detectable. But several, like the recent Phantom Update, can shake businesses. For those who have not yet recovered from its menace, it may hurt your results should Google decide to implement core updates soon. As the Phantom is focused more on overused, duplicated, or thin content, work on those first before turning your attention to other aspects of your campaign.
I believe this ‘update’ has nothing to do with Panda, as echoed by other SEO consultants like myself. It could be the beginning of a core update, but as changes are still small and there’s no significant buzz, it’s hard to tell. If your site or keywords were affected by it though, DO NOT PANIC. I’m here to help. Here are a couple of recommendations to get your site back up and converting.
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When it comes to ranking, SEO professionals seem to be on a debate: one side says it’s not important, while the other still believes in its efficacy. I happen to be half and half. For one, rankings are still vital because it’s how your customers find you. Ask yourself: do you even bother with the second or third page results when you do a query? If the answer is no, it’s the same for your users.
In fact, a 2013 study shows that websites on the first page of search get 32.5 percent more traffic. More visitors mean more chances of getting clicks, leads, and sales. So if your website rankings suddenly went down, less people would be able to see your offers. The problem with Google nowadays is that it’s NOT announcing its updates, unlike previous years. That leaves many SEO consulting firms, webmasters, and business owners in the dark as changes are unexpected and sudden.
We now have two options: one is to remain focused on quality and providing users with fresh, original, and informative content; two is to consider Google ranking factors to enhance your site, while being search engine-friendly.
Several of Google’s ranking factors put an emphasis on on-site elements. Why is that? Most problems usually begin at the root. Just like losing something valuable, you are usually advised to retrace your steps to uncover bits you might have forgotten. The same could be said for losing rankings.
Here’s a short list of what to look out for when checking your SEO on-site factors:
Other important factors to take note of are the following:
In general, if your website is NOT mobile-friendly, you could be losing business and revenue opportunities. People are doing more and more of their activities on mobile devices. From shopping, research, getting directions, even dating – it’s hard to ignore how significant our smartphones and tablets have become in our lives.
If your site is already mobile, here are a couple of points to ensure maximum user experience on any device:
Do users feel like they’re playing a game of cat-and-mouse whenever they access your page? Don’t make it hard for them. The best websites are those that remove friction for visitors. While people enjoy a good mystery every now and then, that same is NOT true for online elements. Make it easy to use, navigate, as well as understand. Here’s a checklist to help you get started:
The technical aspect of your website affects everything: from your site speed to the way your content is displayed. It’s essential to regularly check on them to make sure you have updated tools and knowledge.
Do you own a small local café or convenience store? Check that data such as your store name, address, and phone number (more commonly known as NAP) are consistent on the Web. Nothing frustrates a person more than to find out that your address on Yelp is different from that on your website.
After you’re done looking at your on-site factors, it’s time to analyze your off-site elements to determine any lurking problems. But where should you begin? Here are four aspects to target first:
Exploring both on- and offsite factors will allow you to nail down the true cause of your decreased rankings. Don’t immediately assume that it’s due to an algorithm change. Remember: search engines like Google are making updates all the time. If your website is focused on quality and positive user experience, you should have less to worry about.
This is a good question. You have two options: hire a professional SEO consultant to do the website audit for you OR use the various tools online to help you do the work faster. Some of these tools are free, while the rest have premium versions that offer more features.
Google offers two great tools to start you off with: Google Search Console (previously called Webmaster Tools) and Google Analytics. Both provide awesome data to spot errors, watch for traffic, track conversion and many more. These are recommended for both pro and beginner digital marketers.
Begin your website audit with Woorank, a popular website review and SEO tool. To view comprehensive details about your backlinks (as well as do smart competitor analysis), try Ahrefs Backlink Explorer. You can use the basic features for free; but to get the most out of their services, I recommend signing up to their Pro versions to access cool stuff like downloadable reports, broad data analysis, and quick customer support.
To check your site speed, Pingdom has a free tool that’s handy for both web developers and webmasters.
Worried about your content? BuzzSumo is one of the most in-depth tools you can use to check for key Influencers in your industry, as well as their most shared content. Find what and where they are sharing their juiciest stories. If you want to improve your content by the intelligent use of keywords, nothing is better than SpyFu SEO and Keyword research tool. Know what words rank and how far ahead are your competitors when it comes to the most sought-after terms.
If your digital marketing team has a PR campaign, why not combine it with your SEO efforts? Linkbird Content Marketing is the best tool in the business. Their system makes it easy and quick to plan, implement, and evaluate your website’s progress. Plus, you can effortlessly reach out to target leads in just minutes.
These are just several of the tools our team has tried and loved. Feel free to give them test.
Search engines will always have updates – it’s all a matter of finding out WHEN and WHAT they are. Instead of panicking, breathe in deep and know that as long as you maintain ethical SEO practices, you’re good. Search engine optimization may be evolving quickly; but there are other factors in digital marketing (such as conversion) that also require attention.
Avoid dwelling too much on things you can’t control. Rather, focus your attention on things that you can. Move on from this predicament and know that whatever problems you may encounter on your website, SEO consultants like me, will always be here to help you out.
Some great advice here Al, and some nice looking tools to try out! I often find myself chasing the algorithm updates – they gives us SEOs something to get excited about and help to validate the hard work that we do, while hopefully clearing out some of the spam that we often frustratingly see having a positive effect on competitors. Something that I have always done is to mark significant algo updates using annotations in Google Analytics, as this allows you to spot patterns and identify whether a website improves or loses ground after a particular update. Once you have this knowledge you can react accordingly.
Thanks for that tip! 🙂
Chasing algo updates is really frustrating and tiring. However, I find that focusing more on quality and putting users first makes it less challenging once the system is up for a change. I believe that search engines like Google just want to help people. And if we as SEO experts have the same goal in mind, we’ll feel less worried about changes.
Thanks for sharing. So I recently started using this tool call Rank Tracker Tool. It tracks keyword position, alexa ranks, competitors etc. So far so good.
Thank you Shelly! Checking keyword rankings and competitor is always helpful! I and my team are always open to check new tools that might help us.
Excellent post however , I was eager to know if you can write a litte more on this subject?
I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a bit further.
Many thanks!
Is there anything in particular that you’d like me to focus on, Mariam? 🙂 I’d be more than happy to elaborate on something specific for you. Thanks for stopping by!
I couldn’t resist commenting. Well written!