Ranking Algorithm Updates – What Are They?

You’ve probably heard the term “Ranking Algorithm Change” or something similar before if you’ve ever dealt with a marketing agency or digital marketers. It’s a term that’s used to signify when Google or other Search Engines have changed how their ranking algorithms rank websites. But what does this mean for you?

What Are They?

Algorithm Updates happen most days, but they are tiny and generally you won’t see much difference, but every once in a while, Google will roll out a major update which can impact sites in a variety of ways. These bigger updates generally focus on certain things, in the past we’ve seen algorithm updates that have impacted sites who don’t have mobile friendly websites, and updates which have penalised sites with low-quality/spammy content.

Recent Major Algorithm Updates

Site Diversity Update – June 6th 2019 

The Site Diversity update impacted sites with multiple organic listings on one page to give more variety & diversity.

June 2019 Core Update – June 3rd 2019

Core updates happen a few times a year. This one impacted sites previously affected in other core updates.

March 2019 Core Update – March 12th 2019

Google confirmed a third major core update since they began using that label.

Medic Core Update – August 1st 2018

The Medic update mainly targeted health & medical sites, it was rolled out over the course of a week.

To see a full list of Google Ranking Algorithm Updates, please see here

Why Do They Matter?

While the small ranking updates shouldn’t have too much of an affect on your site & rankings, you should be aware of the major updates and the possible implications they can have.

These bigger updates can make or break your rankings, as we’ve seen countless times, for example, the Daily Mail lost 50% of their traffic from Google’s most recent major algorithm update. If you go onto the Daily Mail‘s site, you can see they’re not abiding by SEO best practices. That should show you how important making sure your website follows SEO best practices and Google’s guidelines.

How to Optimise for Ranking Algorithm Updates

While we can’t guarantee your site won’t get negatively impacted by an algorithm update, we can advise on the best practices to follow which should minimise any negative impact.

• Make sure your content is unique and relevant to your site/industry.
• Don’t spam keywords into your pages and content, this may have worked in the early 2000’s, but not anymore.
• Make sure your website is mobile friendly, as Google now gives priority to mobile optimised sites.
• Don’t build your SEO from Black Hat techniques such as link spamming and cloaking.
• Follow Google’s guidelines, as these are the best ways to get your content to rank.
• Gain natural links from reputable sources, rather than paying for them.

By following SEO best practices, you’ll minimise the risk of your site being deranked, and also reap the benefits when a major update comes around, as Google will see you’ve been following their guidelines.

At Square Media, we can help optimise your SEO by following Google’s Guidelines. While we mainly work in the following areas; Corby, Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough and Leicester, but we’re more than happy to work with customers all across the UK. Get in touch with us today to find out more about our services and how we can help you.