The only consistent aspect of Google’s search engine algorithms is that they are always evolving.
Google released more than 500 updates to its algorithms. While some updates such as Google Panda, Google Penguin, and Google BERT have gained attention and discussion online, most of the changes have not been widely accepted or discussed.
More than half of the updates to the search engine algorithms will likely go unnoticed by you. That is until you experience a substantial drop in your organic website visitors. At that point, you’ll likely begin to look into the issue and ultimately uncover the small algorithm change that has disrupted your web traffic, conversions, and income.
While it’s impossible to plan for every detail, you can create a strong SEO foundation for your website that can handle the tumultuous changes brought about by search algorithm updates. And with https://ninjareports.com/website-audit-tool/ it will be much easier to control the main indicators of the site, which will allow you to be aware of the slightest changes and correct them.
The Importance of Basic Principles
Before we dive into the specifics of how to stay prepared for algorithm changes and protect your site from unexpected drops in organic traffic, it’s important to grasp one key idea:
Fundamental SEO concepts are generally stable and are not significantly affected by changes in the algorithm. So if you follow optimal SEO guidelines, you should generally be in good shape. Most search algorithm updates are unlikely to harm your site’s visibility, ranking in search results, or traffic flow from natural search sources.
Here is a list of important guidelines and optimal SEO strategies that you should follow:
1. Avoid black hat SEO practices
It’s obvious, but it’s crucial to avoid engaging in unethical SEO tactics. SEO experts try to fool Google using such strategies to get a quick edge. Although they might temporarily improve a website’s placement in search engine results, such success is fleeting and could result in severe penalties that are difficult to overcome.
These black hat SEO techniques include:
- Keyword stuffing
- Hidden text
- Hidden links
- Disguise
- Use of private communication networks
- Paid backlinks
- Doorway pages
To sum it up, it is much wiser to be patient and continually improve your site’s search engine rankings and natural visitor flow using ethical SEO strategies rather than opting for a quick fix and compromising everything.
2. Create content that is excellent quality and relevant to the topic
High-quality content is irreplaceable. Numerous updates to the search engine algorithms aim to address subpar user experiences. But if your website features outstanding and valuable content that encourages interaction, you can expect to navigate through those updates with minimal negative impact.
The key characteristic that your material must have is its relevance to your target audience and readers. This aspect is vital because the content that is not relevant to your audience’s interests can negatively impact various engagement metrics such as bounce rate, amount of time spent on a page, and average length of time a visitor stays on the page. , among the others.
3. Technical questions
Often, a website can be beset with technical difficulties. Should an update to the algorithm prioritize these technical problems, it could lead to a decrease in the site’s rankings and a reduction in its total volume of visitors.
These technical issues may include:
- 404 errors
- Redirects
- A confusing user journey
- Problems with the robots.txt file
- Crawlability issues
- Website security
- Slow loading speed
While these technical issues are important and can negatively impact your website’s ranking in search engine results, slow loading times can impact your site’s visibility, search engine rankings, and conversion rates.
In the optimal scenario, the web page should load within 1-2 seconds. You can use our free service to test your website’s loading speed and determine the time it takes to open it.
Maintain a technically sound website and you should be well prepared for numerous algorithm updates.
4. Keep your website information fresh
You should update your website regularly with new content and information. Therefore, it is important to dedicate time and energy to creating an editorial schedule and sticking to it as closely as possible.
Regularly releasing fresh content is useful for both search engine optimization and keeping users active, as well as increasing brand loyalty.
Also, make sure your website contains up-to-date information about your business, including its address, hours of work, and contact methods.
5. Prioritize delivering a superior experience to the user
Ultimately, it comes down to the user experience.
If your website provides a great user experience, it should protect against the adverse effects of most algorithm changes.
User experience is now an important factor in search engine optimization. With an increasing number of websites prioritizing top-notch content, the focus on user experience is expected to further increase in the coming period.
A positive user experience usually depends on several key factors:
- The quality of website content
- A navigation system that is simple to understand and operate.
- A fast-loading website
- An extensive network of interconnected links within a website.
- An easy-to-understand and navigable website layout.
- Tactical use of colors and other visual components.
Conclusion
Search engine algorithm updates are out of your control, but you need control over your website. By adhering to top-notch SEO strategies and recommended quality standards, you can ensure that algorithm changes do not have a detrimental impact on your website’s search positions and visitor flow.