Every year Google handles around two trillion searches, sifting through over a billion websites. The algorithm it uses represents the best in software and gets updated all the time.
But why is that? Why does the Google algorithm have to change so much?
It all has to with Google’s ultimate goal: user experience. They want to give users the most relevant answers to their questions.
Google fashions itself as the good guy of the Internet. Its algorithm enforces law and order, striking balance between users and marketers making a living.
Keep reading, and we’ll get into more of the specifics.
To Keep Up With Users
People change. They dress differently. They like different things.
Think about it. Are you the same person you were a decade ago? The Internet wasn’t.
Back then, there was no Facebook, no Twitter. Phones flipped open. You had to text using the keys. The only way you got a keyboard was if you forked over $700 for a Blackberry.
Nowadays, everyone uses social media, often with a phone. Google’s algorithm updates reflect these trends. It employs hundreds of ranking factors to provide relevant search results.
To Make the Game Fair
The Internet has become something of a gold rush. Digital prospectors have flocked to the new frontier, trying to get eyeballs on their content. Not everyone is an honest Joe, though.
In the old days, Google ranked pages based on links and keywords. Seedy marketers gamed the system using exact match domains, spam sites that would outrank more relevant ones.
Enter Google Panda and Google Hummingbird. These updates penalized sites for their low-quality content, spam, and keyword stuffing. They forced marketers to change their strategy to get legitimate traffic.
Other updates like Pigeon and Penguin fought against crooked links and poor SEO practices. It shook up the SERP landscape, forcing many a marketer to rethink their plan.
Promote Better Quality Content
The primary aim of algorithm updates is quality. Google hates thin, spam, and ad-heavy sites. They value user experience over marketing revenue.
As a result, marketers need to stay in Google’s good graces. The best way to do so is with quality content.
The buzz phrase has always been “content is king.” But thanks to Google algorithm updates, marketing analytics show a new one brewing: “length is strength.”
Longer, more in-depth posts, the 2,000+ word variety, rank better. They provide greater knowledge and details, answering the user’s question and giving them more for their time.
On the flip-side, content farmers and spam sites, the kind that publish 300-word posts with high-powered links, lost rank. Their content only exists to leech money instead of helping users.
Understanding the Google Algorithm is Your Key to Success
The Google algorithm determines which sites get seen and which get overlooked. It updates itself to stay ahead of evolving search patterns and crooked SEO practices.
It cares little for marketers’ bottom lines. To increase yours, you have to follow Google’s rules. That means better, longer content.
A website audit will quickly tell you where your site’s weaknesses are. And to get your website auditing software you need SparkRoom.
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