How Does Google's Algorithm Update Impact SEO?
On average, Google updates their algorithms approximately six hundred times per year. Most of these updates are small adjustments, but they can have a major impact on your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) efforts.
By understanding Google's algorithm updates and their purpose, can help you improve your SEO strategy, helping you improve ranking or recover from ranking changes due to algorithm updates.
As Google introduces new and improved technologies and considerations into their search algorithms, they perform updates. These updates are to ensure improved page quality and relevance. Many of Google's quality assessments focus on the quality of your entire website, not simply one page.
In order to satisfy its own users, Google needs to provide the most relevant and best results possible. This means taking numerous factors into consideration, including technological advancements and user expectations.
Originally, Google released updates to reduce the chances of websites manipulating its algorithm. Penguin update is a good example, that was introduced to target spam link practices, while Panda protected against poor quality content.
Google still releases spam targeting updates, though they are now placing more emphasis on securing high quality content that adds value for its users.
On average, Google implements up to six hundred updates each year. They implement tests and changes on a daily basis, though most are very small. Core updates only occur up to five times each year.
Originally, Google carried out major updates at once, but since 2022 large scale updates and core updates have rolled out in quick succession. This is a relatively new trend and we are not sure if it will continue. These rapid changes are making it difficult for website owners to understand which update has impacted their site performance.
Google updates fall into a number of different categories:
Core updates can drastically impact your SEO strategy. The concept of Google SEO is to adjust your website, making your site favourable to the new ranking algorithm. When Google rolls out a new core update, it impacts its ranking algorithm.
You have probably spent a lot of time and energy optimising your website for SEO success, only to have Google roll out a core updates, and all your efforts appear fruitless. Core updates can eliminate the positive impact of a ranking signal to your site.
The biggest worry for website owners is that core updates can impose penalties, which can negatively impact your site and ranking. The Panda update, imposed automatic and algorithm penalties for websites that had thin content. Before this website owners could rank their pages without publishing a lot of content. Panda changed this, penalising websites that only had thin content.
In order to manage confirmed Google updates, you need a good understanding on how Google views your site, along with your selected keywords. Google may see you as an authority on one topic, but on on another. It is essential for you to identify where your site is falling short, analysing your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), and identify what Google is looking for.
Due to Google's ongoing updates, most businesses rely on experienced and professional digital marketing agencies to manage their SEO campaigns. Why? Because digital marketers stay updated with the latest algorithm updates, they know what is expected, and have the resources, knowledge, and skill to optimise your site for success.
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