Last month, it was revealed that Google was rolling out its most recent algorithm update. Since the search engine giant seldom lets anyone other than its employees know when the new updates are coming out, this news was like a popular artist dropping an unexpected new album. It was understandable that many webmasters and content creators started scrambling to learn as much about the latest update as they could.
Will Website Rankings Fluctuate?
The most critical questions that were being directed toward Google were regarding site SEO. Most of them went along the lines of “What will my rankings look like after all of the fluctuation has ceased?” Although Google seldom answers these sorts of questions directly, they seemed to indicate that there would be no changes so radical that websites would need to be completely overhauled as a result.
What Is The Aim of the Update?
Like most of its updates, the result that Google seems to want is for its search engine to be able to interpret most intuitively what people are looking for with their queries. Also, this time around the company said that they would be trying to promote sites that were once undervalued. The best ways to continue to rank, according to Google, are to make your overall website experience better for the visitors. That means better quality content and ease of use.
How Can You Make Your Content Better?
If Google is accurate in what they’re saying about this update not requiring significant changes to website structure, then the best way to keep ranking highly is to continue providing the best UX. That means that your mobile sites need to be loading quickly since more people are using mobile versions these days than they are desktop or laptop.
Blogs Are Still Valuable
Blogs still yield tremendous value, regardless of whether you are running a business website or a personal one. If you want to rank, then you still need to provide content that interests your visitors, the people who want to read about what’s current or stimulating in your niche. Longer content seems to make sites rank highly these days, so if you or someone on your staff can write articles that are 1,500 to 3,000 words, that is ideal. Keep in mind, of course, that the content should be engrossing. You don’t want a couple thousand words of nonsense.
Traditional SEO Still Applies
Until Google says otherwise, “traditional” forms of SEO should still be in effect. That means keyword research, particularly long-tail keyword research. It means social media share buttons, clear calls-to-action on each page, and a clean and modern layout. There should be no glaring spelling errors or typos in your copy.
Above all, your website should be formatted for your visitors more so than the Google crawlers. If you’re tempted to try black hat SEO like keyword stuffing, you should know that Google has long since updated the algorithm to detect that sort of behavior. It’s best for you to provide the most valuable content instead, professional-quality pictures, videos that promote your brand, and articles that are so enticing that they are likely to go viral.