How to Optimize Your Website for Past as Well as Future Google Core Algorithm Updates

Google is continually improving and refining its algorithm in an effort to improve its search results. In 2019, Google has released two core updates, which are large updates that can be jarring to business owners as rankings can fluctuate wildly after a core update drops. In addition to larger core updates, Google typically makes as many as 300 smaller updates per year. With so many updates coming so quickly, it is hard for small business owners to understand how to react to all these updates. Small business owners typically ask us if they need to create more content, less content, build more links, stop building as many links — the list goes on. 

Small business owners ask these questions because they view each algorithm update as independent of one another. In reality, it is more helpful to think of algorithm updates as a series of connected dots. Even larger core updates are typically refinements of older updates. For example, both core updates from 2019 are extensions of Google’s March 2018 “Medic” update. The Google Medic update got its name because of its disproportionate impact on websites in the healthcare vertical. Most small business owners focused on which websites were impacted by the update rather than what Google was attempting to accomplish, which was to create higher-quality search results for people using Google’s search engine. That is the key takeaway: all of Google’s algorithm updates are geared towards creating a better user experience for people who use their search engine. 

The Medic update was all about EAT (expertise, authority, trust). Content created by authors with low levels of expertise and minimal authority in their field did little to earn Google’s trust. The reason medical sites were so heavily impacted was that many writers in the medical field had little in the way of credentials to satisfy Google. Both of Google’s core updates in 2019 were refinements of that Medic update. Now that we know Google values high levels of expertise, authority, and trust, and seeks to consistently deliver the highest quality search results rather than lurching back and forth randomly with each update, it makes it much easier for us to follow a consistent path to improve our online visibility in the search results. Below, we will outline the three most important things you need to do in 2019 and beyond to create lasting results for your SEO efforts.

1. Searcher Intent

Your first and most critical task is to understand the intent of searchers who want to find products and services in your vertical. A deep understanding of how your potential customers look for your website and what they want once they get there will provide long lasting results that will catapult your digital marketing success. This understanding will put you in alignment with Google’s stated purpose of providing outstanding and useful search results for their users. Google is in the business of providing answers to users questions. Now that we know this, we can create great content on our websites to answer questions posed by potential customers. As you create more and more content that improves the lives of customers and potential customers, Google is more likely to show your content in its search results.

The first step in understanding searcher intent is to understand how to get to your website. Searchers will either search for you via keyboard search or voice search. Keyboard searches involve potential customers typing in keyword phrases and then clicking on your search result in Google. If you do not have a good understanding of the kinds of phrases people type in to get to your website, we advise you to check your Google Search Console account or check out a number of third-party keyword research tools to see which keywords you or your competitors rank for already. We found this free webgrader that will pull every keyword for which you and your competitors rank. We suggest that you focus on keywords that contain your city name and/or services. For example, if you run an HVAC company in Albuquerque, searchers will most likely type in “Albuquerque HVAC company” or “HVAC company Albuquerque.” If your business is not to geo-specific, we recommend that you focus on your products and services only.

Voice search is becoming more and more popular as technologies such as Alexa, Google Home, and Siri make voice search more accessible. We recommend you optimize your website for more conversational phrases such as “Find an HVAC company near me” and “Which HVAC companies are open now?” Building FAQ pages and creating blogs to answer common questions are the easiest ways to optimize your website for voice search. We will provide tips below for you to improve the structure of your blogs, so stay tuned for that. Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s up our game and make sure we’ve optimized our website to account for machine learning.

2. Understanding the Role of Artificial Intelligence

Trying to maximize your websites potential to feed Google’s machine learning program called RankBrain may seem even more daunting than accounting for algorithm updates. The good news is that Google’s RankBrain is simply another way for Google to create an optimal user experience so people come back and use their search engine over and over again. There is simply a difference in how you will optimize your website. Put yourself in RankBrain’s position; its job is to consume reams and reams of data each and every day and quantify, organize, and spit it back out to help users find the best possible search result. To help your website stand out in the crowd, I recommend that you utilize the following strategies.

• Improve click-through rate: Click-through rate measures how many people click on your website in Google search results when given the choice. Most websites have a click-through rate between 1% and 2%. Although that may seem very low, the good news is that if you are able to improve your click-through rate by 5%, that could mean an increase of 50% in terms of traffic. The most effective way to improve your click-through rate is to create a more compelling description tag. The description tag appears below the clickable link in your search result. Check out the screenshot below to see an example of a description tag. Description tags help users understand what it is you do and why they should click on your search results. With so much riding on your description tag, we felt it was critical to give you four tips to improve your description tag.
  • Make sure your description tag is 155 characters or less. If your description tag is longer than 155 characters, it will get cut off as it is in the example below.
  • Your description tag should actually describe the products or services on that page of your website.
  • Provide a clear call to action in your description tag.
  • Most importantly, create copy that explains to searchers what it is you sell or do and why they should buy from your website.

3. Create Long-Form Website Content That Users Will Love

When we tell small business owners that the ideal length of their blog posts needs to be 2,000 to 2,500 words in length, we are met with nasty glares. That is because most websites create blogs that are well below 500 words in length. Although shorter blogs were acceptable years ago, users now demand extremely detailed content that provides specific steps to help them solve specific problems. Longer content gives you the space needed to create those step-by-step instructions that your potential customers need to solve an immediate problem. Reading your blog post may very well be the first interaction they have with your brand. Because you took the time to help them in their time of need, they’re more likely to come back to you in the future. It is also more likely that they will read additional content you create that has equal depth. Because this content is also super useful, it will increase time on page dramatically. Time on page is another ranking factor that Google uses to determine which content is most useful. If you do not have the time to create a 2,000-word blog post every week, don’t worry. It is better to write a single 2,000-word blog post a month than to create four smaller, less impactful blog posts a week. Once you gain experience writing these more detail blog posts, you will not want to go back as you’ll receive positive feedback from readers.

Now it’s time to get out there and do it. Take the time to do keyword research, optimize your website so RankBrain will love it, and write longer blog posts that potential customers will eat up. The last and most important tip we will give you today is to get started immediately. These tips should work for now and as future algorithm updates roll out. Thank you for taking the time to improve your business. I wish you the best now and in the future. 

BIO

Adam Stetzer holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has published on the topics of Internet marketing, absenteeism, employee and customer satisfaction, productivity and safety, and culture. He has founded several technology firms, and is currently CEO at HubShout, a white label SEO reseller firm. In his 25 year career he has worked with companies such as General Electric, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Verizon, AT&T, Ford, LendingTree, American Express and ChevronTexaco. Adam has advised over 1,000 small business owners and blogs frequently.

• • https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamstetzer/