Google Algorithm Changes and the SEO Marketer

Recent Google Algorithm Changes

2019 hasn’t been a big year for Google algorithm changes. There were a few core updates in March and June, but these updates didn’t have a widespread impact. 

The March 2019 update seems to have made some changes to the way health and medical sites are ranked, while the June 2019 update improved situations where a website had more than two organic results appearing in the same search. Both changes severely impacted some sites, but many didn’t notice much.

Previous Google Algorithm Changes

As Google has historically shown, they’re willing to make significant changes when deemed necessary. For example, Google’s Panda update launched in February 2011, which proved quite disruptive, aimed low-quality or thin content in search results. Before this update, a common SEO tactic was to stuff keywords into posts that were not well-written and watch them rise to the top of the rankings.

Another example of a major Google update is Penguin, which targeted the practice of link-spamming. Link-spamming is a technique where a website could have hundreds or even thousands of links pointing to it from other low-quality sites. Google then changed the way it rated inbound links, so quality links are given more importance. 

Both the Panda and Penguin updates significantly changed search results, and for the better. Websites that were of a high quality and promoted organically received a boost, thereby improving search results. To start getting websites to the top of these new search algorithms, some SEO marketers needed to change their tactics. 

For more information on the most significant changes to the Google algorithm and how you can avoid getting penalized by them, check out the Simplilearn algorithm updates guide. 

What SEO Marketers Can Do

It’s no simple task to make changes to your site based on Google algorithm updates. In fact, after an algorithm update, Google put out a statement saying, “There’s no ‘fix’ for pages that may perform less well other than to remain focused on building great content. Over time, it may be that your content may rise relative to other pages.”

As such, there may or may not be something specific you can do after these types of updates, other than focus on producing a great website. SEO marketers can no longer increase the usage of a keyword or create link spam to the website. Ranking highly in search results requires a more in-depth approach with a focus on value for the user. 

One of the best ways to rank well is to produce high-quality content. High-quality content, such as detailed blog posts or videos that provide value to the reader, are more likely to be shared and linked to by other sites. 

Imagine you’re the owner of a business that provides social media marketing services. On your website, you could publish a guide called “50 Benefits to Using Social Media for Your Business.” This guide should be comprehensive, answer common questions, and be well-written. Other sites could link to it as a resource, and readers may begin sharing it on social media. 

As more people share and link to it, this guide moves up the search engine rankings. Then, before you know it, you could be ranking for the phrase “social media for business.” Prospective customers could very well find your guide through a search and become a customer.  

SEO marketers still need to learn about the intricacies of aspects like keyword research, linking strategies, on-page optimization, and domain authority. But overall it is developing a quality website, and if you don’t have that, there are no tricks to help you. To discover what’s new in the SEO industry and what to be aware of, check out our guide on SEO in 2019 and the future. 

How to Keep Up with Search Engine Algorithm Changes

Just because it’s been a while since Google has released a major update to their algorithm doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. A good SEO marketer will make tracking these changes a regular part of their work so they can react accordingly to any changes they encounter. To stay up to date, there are a few resources you can use:

• Moz has a page that tracks updates to Google’s algorithm, including minor ones
• Search Engine Land also tracks these updates
• Follow Google SearchLiaison on Twitter for more information on updates

Do you have the required skills to be a SEO Marketer? Try answering these SEO Online Test Questions and find out now!

Become the Best SEO Marketer You Can Be

Ranking well in search results has become a time-consuming process, and getting to the number one spot can be a mystery, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. While you may have to work harder on the type of content you create for your website, you don’t have to worry about other sites cheating to get ahead of you. This levels the playing field and makes it more likely that the best websites appear the highest to searchers.

To produce better results for your website or that of a client’s, it’s essential to continually look for ways to improve your skills as an SEO marketer. A great way to do this is by keeping up to date on changes to the Google algorithm, but there are other methods as well. For instance, Simplilearn’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Training Course will transform you into a full-stack SEO professional. You’ll master the many facets of SEO, including keyword research, technical SEO, link building, analytics, and much more.

Just because we don’t know what Google is going to do doesn’t mean we can’t prepare. High-quality sites will always be a priority for search engines, so steer your SEO practices toward this goal, and you shouldn’t have to worry about what changes may lie ahead.