Updates to the Google search algorithm can cause our rankings rise and fall
but how do we know when an update is happening in the first place?
And what can we do about it?
Details inside the vid!
Hey it’s Chia from Brand24 and today I want to talk about the Google search algorithm.
Google is notoriously low key when it comes to their search algorithm.
Most of their broader algorithm updates are spotted by members of the SEO community before
they’re confirmed by Google.
And with limited documentation available, it’s really hard to be 100% certain of what
each update is targeting, and whether it's going to impact our search rankings positively or negatively...
which is why we need to keep an eye on our web traffic on a regular basis, so we’re
able to detect indicators that a Google algorithm change is coming!
But before we continue, there are just a few things to keep in mind about the Google search algorithm:
When we say that Google is low key about their search algorithm, we mean that they don’t
really announce ANY algorithm updates at all.
Sometimes they’ll confirm it, but that’s usually reserved for bigger core updates and
often done through their Twitter handle @SearchLiaison.
So Google’s aversion to informing the general public about their algorithmic updates might
be related, in small part, to the fact that they update their algorithm so frequently.
They actually do it every single day, and sometimes multiple times a day, and the regular changes that
they implement can be so minute that we don’t even notice them.
On the other hand, when they make bigger and more extensive updates to their algorithm,
it’s usually not something that can be observed in a day.
It’s a process that can take weeks, so you really need to be tracking your search rankings
on a regular basis to be able to notice something out of the ordinary… and if you DO see something
unusual, like 19 different search results instead of the standard 10 for Page One…
then you know that Google’s up to something.
So, there are a few different ways you can detect an upcoming update to the Google search
algorithm.
And it all starts with keeping a close eye on your web traffic and your search rankings, which
is hopefully something that you’re already doing.
To better understand the way that Google’s algorithm works, try observing your search
rankings from different sides: search for your keywords on Chrome as well as other browsers,
using both regular and private mode.
You’ll probably see that you rank differently for the same keywords on different browsers
and in different modes, which is confusing but also not that surprising.
The main thing to understand here is that Google prioritizes personalization, so even
if you’re searching in private mode, Google will use cookies and other types of identification
data to show you the most personalized results that are relevant to your search.
This means that it’s hard to track unbiased results, which can be a little frustrating.
One way to bypass this is by using tools like SEMrush - it has a feature that lets you look
at your keyword rankings as if you were searching from a different location, which is really
helpful if you’re a digital marketing agency serving clients that are out-of-state or from
different countries.
Now, whether you’re observing things manually or utilizing tools, what you’re looking
for is fluctuations in your web traffic and search rankings.
A noticeable increase or decrease in your web traffic can have several causes - it might
be from direct traffic (there’s a video that talks about direct traffic and how to identify
where it’s coming from) but it could also easily be the result of a recent update to the Google
search algorithm.
At this point, you want to see if there have been any fluctuations in the search rankings
for your keywords.
There are a number of tools that can help you track this: Moz has their MozCast, Accuranker
has their Google Grump rating, while SEMrush has their SERP volatility sensor.
If you see large fluctuations in your search rankings, there’s a good chance that Google’s
search algorithm is getting a big update.
Keep in mind that these tend to go on for a while, sometimes weeks - and during this
time, your rankings can rise, fall, and then go right back to where they were to begin
with... so you don’t need to panic at the first sign of an update.
In the meantime, however, one way to stay proactive during a big algorithm update is
by making sure that your website measures up to Google’s E-A-T guidelines, which is
a fundamental part of their algorithm.
Google rewards websites that show Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness with
higher search rankings, so it’s important to ensure that your content demonstrates knowledge
and Expertise, since this helps your site build Authority, especially if you have plenty
of MENTIONS and quality backlinks to show that you’re a Trustworthy source.
You can read more about Google’s E-A-T guidelines inside their Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
(I’m putting a link to it below, in the description for the video).
It’s a little long, but it will give you some much-needed insight into Google’s search
algorithm and what it’s trying to achieve.
I also recommend following Google @SearchLiaison on Twitter.
Even though they don’t announce algorithm updates directly, they ARE in the habit of
sharing content that’s related to upcoming updates, like when they put out this article
“Ways to Succeed in Google News”, which was followed shortly by an algorithm update
targeting news sites.
Looking at the latest tweets from @SearchLiaison today, it looks like their most recent update,
the March 2019 Core Update, is focused on search relevance, as opposed to content quality.
And that’s it for this week — next time, I’ll be sharing a few best practices that
you can apply to make sure that your Google search rankings are ready for any algorithm update.
If you have any questions or something to add, just let me know in the Comments section
below.
And if you found this video helpful, feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our YouTube
channel where I will be explaining how to do even more in social media + digital marketing
each week.
Thanks so much for watching — I hope you learned something new, and I’ll see you
next time.
Bye!