Those without a well-built SEO foundation, may experience website performance issues because of Google’s updates – it’s time to get ahead! With the recent completion of Google’s spam update, core algorithm update and the latest Google product review, it’s important for organisations to adapt with reformed ranking factors and improve their SEO.
Google’s Latest Updates
The Spam Update – November 2021
This November, Google rolled out their fourth spam update of 2021. The update took 8 days to complete and worked to maintain quality search results. Google implement regular updates of this kind, keeping more than 99% of visits from search results spam-free – creating safer searches for everyone!
“We encourage sites to follow our best practices for Search,” Google announced on Twitter, followed by their webmaster guidelines. Websites that adhere to Google’s generic guidelines, shouldn’t have any concerns regarding these spam updates – so why has your website been negatively affected?
Following their announcement, Google suggested that the update will target guideline violations, specifically content spam. Considering this, a large ranking change to your organic Google Search results may have been a result of the most recent spam update.
The term “spam” generally refers to the installation of malware, phishing and failed cyber security; unfortunately, it’s difficult for Google to differentiate between hacked spam and intentional spam. If your site suddenly dropped rankings in November, check your site’s security and look for signs of a possible attack.
Moving forward into the New Year, you must ensure that your website is effectively secured against hackers to protect your brand reputation. The team at Bobble Digital implement innovative SEO strategies that adapt with Google’s ever-changing standards, guaranteeing optimised content.
The Core Algorithm Update – November 2021
With Thanksgiving and Black Friday around the corner, Google shocked the SEO community with the announcement of their core algorithm update. Several times a year, Google make significant changes to their systems and algorithms and it’s our job to keep up!
What is a core algorithm update? They’re designed to improve the quality of Google Search results by shuffling the search rankings of indexed web pages. Each core update modifies the existing formula in which Google ranks web pages, ensuring that search results are relevant.
Pages that perform less well in a core update are not necessarily wrong; they haven’t violated webmaster guidelines nor been subjected to a manual or algorithmic action. So, how can you assure that your website operates well?
Websites that drop after a core update “don’t have anything wrong to fix”, instead they should focus on producing the best content they can; which is what the algorithm seeks to reward. It’s important for businesses to reassess their content regularly to maintain SEO success.
If you were negatively impacted by the core update, ask yourself about your content. Does your content provide original information? Does it provide insightful analysis? Was your content written by an expert? It’s beneficial for companies to develop a compelling content marketing strategy as discussed in our blog regarding Google Trends.
Google proposes that organisations should self-assess their content for relevance, originality, and optimisation. Businesses would benefit from an audit of the drops they may have experienced. What pages were most impacted and what types of searches? This way, they can target the areas of the website that need editing.
Due to uncertainty regarding the next core algorithm update, we suggest that companies work to improve their content as soon as possible. Digital marketing experts can help you to produce a successful marketing strategy that produces consistent SEO content. The changes you make today will be rewarded in 2022 – don’t wait to optimise your brand.
Product Reviews Update – December 2021
Google Search is constantly working to show the most useful information possible, and the product reviews update is designed to do just that. On December 1, 2021, Google began to roll out the second product reviews update of the year.
This is the first major update since April 2021, changing how your product reviews rank in search results. Google have stated that those businesses that made changes between now and the last update, may now see improvements to their rankings.
The product reviews update aims to improve Google Search with the most trustworthy reviews. User feedback found that evidence such as visuals, audio and other links reinforce the authenticity of your review – increasing the reliability of that brand. As we move into the new year, organisations should utilise this information to benefit their business.
Google’s product review considers links to multiple sellers, giving the reader the option to purchase from their merchant of choice. It will be interesting for SEO experts to track successful websites in their niche and see if they are implementing this strategy to stay on top.
The product reviews update promotes review content that goes beyond templated information on Google Search. With nearly 9 out of 10 consumers consulting reviews online before making a purchase, digital marketers should invest time and effort into review content to improve their website rankings.
Working With Google Updates
As we come to the end of 2021, the world of Google ranking factors continues to change and adapt. Reflecting upon recent Google updates allows organisations and digital marketers to create a search engine optimised plan for 2022.
Recognising fluctuations in SEO content and making changes to your website based upon those changes will improve how your business operates online. Every business will benefit from SEO support – contact the team at Bobble Digital to ensure that your website thrives.
