Search engine algorithms change almost constantly. But your digital marketing plans don't have to.
The Google Search Status Dashboard, a tool used to monitor Google updates and adapt SEO strategies, recently reported an "ongoing issue" with rankings that lasted roughly five days. This event overlapped with the August 2024 Core Update, causing significant fluctuations in search results. MozCast, a website that tracks Google algorithm changes, recorded a temperature of 149.1° during this period, the highest ranking flux ever measured. According to Moz, Google reported an astonishing 4,725 algorithm "launches" in 2022, up dramatically from 350 — 400 in 2009. If you pay close attention to Google's ever-evolving algorithm, it might feel like you wake up to a new change every day. In reality, Google makes an average of 13 changes to its algorithm daily. Google's constant tinkering with the search results means SEOs have no choice but to stay at the edge of the latest SEO trends. The frequency of these updates has increased in recent years, making it even more challenging for websites to maintain their search rankings. Moreover, the increasing influence of machine learning on search rankings signals a shift towards AI-driven search, with significant implications for SEO strategies.
What is a search engine algorithm?
Search engine algorithms are the rules and calculations used by search engines like Google to determine the order of websites displayed in search results. These algorithms consider various factors, such as a webpage's relevance to the search query, the quality of the content, the website's authority, and the user's search history and location. Google reportedly changes its algorithm hundreds of times yearly, but only significant updates significantly affect search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns.
How do search engine algorithms work?
Search engines prioritize providing users with the most relevant and helpful information. Google, the most popular search engine globally, achieves this through complex algorithms that analyze various factors to determine the quality and relevance of web pages. These factors include the perceived quality of the content, the website's authority and trustworthiness, and even the spam history of the website owner. Google also considers the expertise of the website or content creator as a ranking factor. To determine expertise, Google's algorithm analyzes various signals, including the individual's online presence, published work, professional accomplishments, and the quality of websites that link to their content.
When a user enters a search query, the search engine uses bots to crawl and index websites to find relevant web pages. Crawling involves exploring the web to discover new and updated content, while indexing consists of storing and organizing this information on servers. The search engine then analyzes the content of these pages, considering factors like keywords, headings, and meta tags to determine their relevance to the search query.
Google's algorithm uses several key factors to determine search rankings:
- Relevance: Webpages with content closely matching the user's search query are considered more relevant.
- Quality: Google prioritizes websites demonstrating expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T).
- Usability: Website accessibility, mobile-friendliness, navigation, and page load speed contribute to a positive user experience.
- Context: Google considers the user's location, search history, and other contextual factors to personalize search results.
Types of search engine algorithm updates
Google frequently updates its algorithms to improve the quality of search results. These updates can be categorized into different types, each with a specific focus:
| Update Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Core Updates | Designed to improve the overall relevance and quality of search results. |
| Product Reviews Updates | Reward sites that publish high-quality product reviews. |
| Spam Updates | Identify and demote sites that violate Google's spam policies. |
| Link Spam Updates | Identify sites that engage in link manipulation for SEO purposes. |
| Helpful Content Updates | Demote sites that create content primarily for SEO rather than user value. |
For example, the May 2020 core update significantly impacted various businesses. One case study involved an affiliate site that experienced a 44% drop in traffic due to an aggressive affiliate setup and lower-quality content. This highlights the importance of aligning website content and design with Google's quality guidelines.
BERT update
BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) is a Google technology that enhances natural language understanding in search queries. By analyzing the context and relationships between words, BERT helps Google provide more accurate search results, especially for conversational or complex queries.
MUM update
MUM (Multitask Unified Model) is another Google technology that advances natural language processing. It can understand information across different formats, including text, images, and videos, and translate languages. This allows Google to understand search queries more comprehensively and nuancedly while considering various modalities and languages. AI Overviews, a feature powered by MUM, are triggered more frequently for queries with three to four words, often aligning with user intent. These overviews usually appear for low-volume keywords and primarily target informational searches.
How to prevent the negative effects of algorithm updates
Search engine algorithms constantly evolve, requiring SEOs to adapt their strategies to maintain search visibility. Here's how to mitigate the negative impacts of algorithm updates:
1. Focus on landing page quality
Creating high-quality landing pages is crucial for SEO success. This involves several key aspects:
- Relevance: Ensure your landing page content is relevant to your target keywords and aligns with user search intent.
- Content Quality: Provide valuable, well-written, informative content that satisfies user needs. Regularly update your website with fresh content to signal search engines that your site is active and relevant.
- User Experience (UX): Prioritize a positive user experience by optimizing page load speed, ensuring mobile-friendliness, and creating straightforward, easy-to-use navigation.
- Technical SEO: Implement technical SEO best practices, such as using lowercase letters in URLs, to improve crawlability and user experience. For example, Edelweiss Bakery, a small bakery in Florida, significantly improved its search rankings by partnering with an SEO agency that optimized its website's technical elements, content, and backlink profile. This demonstrates the importance of a holistic approach to SEO that addresses both on-page and technical factors.
- Authoritative Backlinks: To enhance your website's credibility and ranking potential, build high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites.
2. Don't rely solely on keywords
While keywords remain essential, over-reliance on them can be detrimental to SEO. Google's algorithms are becoming more sophisticated in understanding user intent and the context of search queries. Therefore, it's essential to diversify your keyword strategy and create comprehensive and informative content that addresses various related topics and long-tail keywords, which dominate Google searches. Additionally, conducting original research and creating unique content can significantly enhance your website's authority and search ranking potential.
3. Look for update warnings
Google sometimes provides advance notice of upcoming algorithm updates. Staying informed about these updates through official announcements, industry newsletters, and reputable SEO sources can help you prepare and adapt your strategies accordingly.
4. Keep calm and tweak your content
When an algorithm update occurs, it's crucial to remain calm and avoid making drastic changes to your website without proper analysis. Instead, carefully evaluate your website's content, user experience, and technical SEO to identify areas for improvement. Focus on providing valuable and informative content that meets user needs, optimizing page load speed, and ensuring mobile-friendliness.
5. React carefully
After an algorithm update, assess its impact on your website's performance. Monitor your website's traffic and rankings, and analyze user behavior to understand how the update has affected your visibility. Based on your analysis, make necessary adjustments to your content and SEO strategy, but avoid impulsive reactions that could further harm your rankings.
The takeaway
Search engine algorithms are complex systems constantly evolving to improve the quality of search results. SEOs must adopt a proactive and adaptive approach to succeed in this dynamic environment. This involves creating high-quality, user-centric content, optimizing website technical elements, building authoritative backlinks, and staying informed about algorithm updates and SEO best practices. By understanding the principles behind search engine algorithms and adapting their strategies accordingly, businesses can improve their search visibility, attract more organic traffic, and achieve their digital marketing goals.
