Periodically, Google releases a new Core Update for its algorithm and in the Seo community delirium is unleashed. Websites collapse, others gain positions, webmasters who batten down the hatches and modify everything. This scene always happen again, every time. But some reactions are exaggerated: to be relaxed, it is enough to have worked correctly until that moment. Those who are too frightened do not have a clear conscience.
In fact, these Core Updates that are so scary to someone, are only the tip of the iceberg – certainly the ones with the greatest impact. According to Danny Sullivan (Public Liaison for Search), in just 2018 Google released 3200 updates to its algorithm, often little fixes that help in building the great machine of the world’s number one search engine.
Google is a private company that sells advertising and its goal is to keep high product quality, to retain users and therefore advertisers. For this reason, it rewards websites that offer quality, correct and relevant information. In order not to be surprised by Google algorithm updates, it’s enough to always think about users and follow some simple guidelines.
Produce value-added content for users
No more copy&paste content. Content must be original and give something new and useful to readers. Do you want to write about a topic already seen elsewhere? Ok, but give your own interpretation, add data, bring value that I can only find on your website. Write naturally, without forcing keywords or headlines just because a plugin tells you to do that. An important value is also coherence:do not write articles just to make traffic, but always respect editorial line and website context.
Add relevant links and don’t cheat
The web is an open world. Make sure that each page is easily accessible through a path that starts from website home, otherwise you would have orphaned pages, invisible to Google. In the same way, link to authoritative sources that could offer a coherent deepening. Don’t be afraid to add these links in dofollow mode: it’s not a shame to link to other sites,but it represents a value.
Enrich with multimedia content
If you have the chance, enrich your pages with multimedia content, such as photos, infographics or videos. Visual attracts attention of users and helps to break the uniformity of a written text. Don’t have a video of your own? You could always embed a relevant video from YouTube. Again, it is not a shame but a value.
Respond to clear search intent
How many times have you Googled something, clicked on an article, and found something different? It’s very annoying and the algorithm tries to avoid these situations. User should always be at the center of your thoughts: write for him and Google will be on your side. Search intent is fundamental: analyze your audience,think about what they want to know and give accurate and clear answers. To answer some questions you do not need 10000 words, but two lines are enough.
Do not write false and incorrect information. This seems obvious to me. Try to always be transparent and explain who you are. On issues related to “your money, your life” area – those that relate to economic choices or to the health of a person – Google requires content to be produced by recognized experts, as a way to be sure that it can not harm people. But, in a less binding way, the concept of authoritativeness extends to every sector. You can not write about a topic you don’t know.
Write correctly and avoid automatic texts
Content is the king, but style is also important. You have to write correctly, without making major linguistic and grammatical mistakes. A typo can always slip away, but the goal must be to write clearly for user. Avoid automatic texts and translations because text may be wrong and of little quality. If you use them, check before posting, to fix style and make the text more human.
Take care of user experience and page loading speed
A website should be easy to navigate and fast. Google introduced Core Web Vitals for this very reason. Avoid elements that could distract or increase page loading time: user leaves the website if he can’t immediately find content that he is looking for.
Keep up to date with the latest Google algorithm updates
Follow Google’s official blog to be in the loop of latest updates. If you follow the guidelines we’ve seen, in most cases you shouldn’t be afraid of Core Updates, and you might even notice traffic increases. However, it is always useful to know what is changing and possibly make small changes to improve more and more.
