Evaluate Google Updates With Semalt: Discover Simple Analytics That Help Initiate The Right SEO Metrics
Several times in a year, Google makes the significant changes to its search's algorithm. These changes are known as "core updates". The whole point of these major updates is to ensure that you get the content that you are actually looking for. In addition to the core updates, there are smaller, hardly noticeable updates to the Google's algorithm almost every day, which can still affect the ranking of a website from time to time.
So that you are prepared for both large core updates and smaller updates in the future, we will show you how to recognize whether a Google update has an impact on the ranking of your website and what measures you can take to ensure that you are successfully positioned to the Google SERPs. And finally you will discover How to increase the traffic to your site every season.
What are Google Core Updates?
Basically, a core algorithm update describes the general, comprehensive updates to the Google algorithm. These updates typically have a large impact on many websites.
Usually, the small changes to the algorithm are made weekly to improve the search results. Many of these changes have little effect on a page's ranking. The search results get better and the users continue to receive the most relevant search results, just as they are used to from Google.
In an article, Google commented on the level of the demands on the websites in the SERPs. As the competition grows stronger every day, a great focus will continue to be placed on the quality of the content. The questions' list for the content, which was first published in 2011, has been adjusted.
Here are some basic questions about "Content and quality questions":
- Does the content provided, contained original information, reports, researches or analyzes?
- Does the content contain an essential full or comprehensive description of the subject?
- Does the content offer insightful analysis or interesting information that is not obvious?
The most important updates until 2019
In the following overview you can see Google's most relevant updates from the last few years and some of the associated changes to the ranking and the search's algorithms.
Since 2019, Google has taken the reins in hand and claimed the naming of the updates for itself. All the future updates from Google are now officially announced and also named directly by Google itself.
An update was officially confirmed by Google on Twitter under the name September 2019 Core Update. The official Google Account - Google Search Liaison - regularly announces the important changes and provides a lot of insights and information about your own search and ranking algorithm.
How do I know if I am affected by a Google Update?
To find out whether you are affected by a Google update, you can check various criteria and simply observe whether the update has an impact on the ranking of your website.
- Monitor the most important keywords for existing content in your ranking monitor
- Monitor the traffic in the Google Search Console
- Watch the traffic in the Google Analytics
- Check the positions of your competitors in the ranking
- Check the first search results page for the new websites since the update
- Check the search intent for the relevant keyword.
Analysis and Treatment - How to Position Yourself Successfully After a Google Core Update
Once you have felt the effects of the last update, one thing is particularly important - keep calm. Don't rush anything and keep a cool head.
After a Google update, various problems can arise that can affect the ranking of a website. To make it easier for you to solve the problems that arise, we want to show you which treatments can help in the different situations.
After analyzing your situation, the results are varied. We have summarized the six most common from our project experience:
- Keywords have slipped from the top 3 positions in the SERPs to the second page
- Traffic in Google Search Console and Google Analytics is stable
- Traffic in the Google Search Console and Google Analytics drops
- Keywords drop from the first page to page 3 of the SERPs
- Newcomers position themselves on the first page of the SERPs
- The most important competitors are also slipping in the rankings
Keywords have slipped from the top 3 positions in the SERPs to the second page
Background: Since Google is constantly working on the evaluation of the quality of the first page in the search results, it is crucial to find out which ranking factor dominates the first page for the keyword.
Treatment: Observe the ranking for the keyword or keywords for at least one week. Often times the result will normalize after a week or so and you will get back to your original position.
You won't be the one or the only one who has suffered a drop in the ranking. If the ranking does not normalize after a week, check the first page for the newcomers to the relevant keyword. What content do the newcomers as well as the veterans offer that they have not yet offered?
Another crucial ranking factor is the backlinks. Analyze how many backlinks your competition has and, if necessary, start with the link building's measures in order to have your content linked from the other relevant websites.
Check the click-through rate (CTR), as this metric is also a ranking factor. Compare the CTRs from the past - this is also possible with the free Search Console - with current data. If the CTR has dropped sharply, the Google update can have an impact on the point of view of the search intent.
To increase the CTR, you can optimize the content along the search intent if the needs of the user are no longer adequately satisfied. If necessary, adjust the title tags to get more clicks on the organic search results.
Other Google ranking factors are page speed and the mobile usability of the websites. Avoid long loading times, which could affect the performance of the page and damage the ranking. You should also ensure that your pages can be easily displayed on the mobile devices.
The title tag as a page title is one of the most important factors for a successful ranking in the search engines.
Traffic in Google Search Console and Google Analytics is stable
Background: After many Google updates, the traffic flow is normal at the first glance. This is because every update on Google has winners and losers on the corresponding keywords.
Treatment: Find out who your last update winners and losers are. Use Google Analytics and the Google Search Console for this. Then you identify the commonalities of the winning and losing sides and adapt your "loser content" according to the winner.
Traffic in the Google Search Console and Google Analytics drops
Background: After the latest Google update, you emerge as a loser and lose your website's visitors. On which pages is the traffic falling? Are there specifics pages or is the entire website traffic falling?
Treatment: Regardless of whether you are dealing with the specifics pages or the entire website is affected by the update; first adjust the content of the pages that are experiencing the greatest losses. By analyzing the search intent and your keyword data, you should carry out a semantic optimization of the content.
Keywords drop from the first page to page 3 of the SERPs
Background: Since Google is constantly working on the evaluation of the quality of the first page in the search results, it is crucial to find out which ranking factor dominates the first page for the keyword.
Treatment: It is very likely that the quality guidelines were adjusted by the update. Check the newcomers again on the first page of the SERPs and adjust your content accordingly. As already mentioned, pay attention to the search intent, the existing backlinks but also the internal links.
Newcomers position themselves on the first page of the SERPs
Background: The established pages were replaced by the newcomers from the first page of the SERPs.
Treatment: Check what content the newcomers are offering and adapt your content accordingly. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Improve the existing content with the valuable additions that provide your visitors with a significant added value and lead to a desired conversion.
The most important competitors are also slipping in the rankings
Background: After some core algorithm updates, there is an industry-wide change in the ranking positions, as the Google algorithm has a greater influence on certain content than on others.
Treatment: Check out who the industry winners are and analyze how your content is different. Adapt your content accordingly, expand it and offer more detailed information on the topics than your competition.
How to increase your traffic in the next season
The seasonal SEO measures deal with the annually recurring events that have an impact on the search and the purchase behavior of the users. This includes, for example, the events such as Christmas & Easter or the summer or winter time.
Plan your seasonal SEO measures early
Plan SEO measures for selling the seasonal products early and increase the website traffic when the search volume is highest.
If you do not have any user data when you publish the new pieces of content, you can use the free data from Google Trends or the Google Ads Keyword Planner as a guide.
Let's start with an example.
Frostig GmbH has established itself on the market as a provider of water ice and wants to bring a new type of water ice to the market.
Frostig GmbH is planning to publish a new content 35 weeks before the new season so that users can find the new water ice variety in the search engines at the height of the next summer season.
95% of all the ranking signals of a website are only recognized after approx. 35 weeks.
The content for the new type of water ice will be published in November. From this point, Frostig GmbH collects data from its website visitors in order to carry out step-by-step optimization of the website - which packaging size is most often searched for or which country the most visitors come from.
After several optimization measures, the website achieves a top ranking precisely when the search volume is highest.
Use Google Trends for the seasonal SEO measures
The search engines reveal your search trends. Use Google Trends or the Google Ads Keyword Planner, for example, and display the search volume trends, the related topics and the similar search queries for your keywords.
In this way you can see in which months of the year the search volume for a search term is highest or lowest. Compare the past few years in history to develop an eye for the seasonal events.
You can also use the planner's keyword ideas and the similar search queries from Google Trends to add the relevant keywords to the content of your website and update your relevant topic.
Keyword: Predictive SEO
Think about tomorrow today and tap into the potential of recurring events. Plan and create the content that covers the annual repetitive searches. You don't need clairvoyant skills for this.
Your advantage: If you optimize your website in advance for the topics and the search terms that will be relevant in the future, you will gain a decisive lead over your competition.
The targeted updating and expansion of the content for the upcoming events also signals to the search engines that the site is being worked on. Regular content updates are an important ranking criterion, especially for the urgent searches.
Use the time with the highest search volume
Achieve a high reach with your seasonal SEO measures when the demand for a product increases and the ratio between the search volume and number of the search results is still low. This increases the likelihood of the good rankings and the high click-through rates.
But what happens if I create the content for a new product that is not yet available?
Do not worry!
If you are a shop owner and you do not have the advertised product in your range, please describe when it is likely to be available. This way you don't disappoint your visitors and the potential customers.
Use this situation to your advantage.
For example, you can offer your visitors a newsletter subscription to keep them up to date on the upcoming changes and offers. In this way you can win the new leads at the same time.
Data evaluation for the seasonal SEO measures
Evaluate the data collected from each season and compare it in order to publish the content that the users are looking for at the right time. Carefully evaluate the data you have collected and compare it with one another.
When comparing, make sure that the time intervals between the seasons remain the same.
In concrete terms, this means: Do not compare the months of January to May in season 1 with the months of March to July in season 2.
For example, if you are concentrating on the summer season, you should compare the data from May to August for each season.
Conclusion
The updates to the search or the ranking algorithm bring the changes that the website operators should prepare for. Every update has winners and losers. So that you are one of the winners, do not lose touch with the competition, you should stay up to date and regularly evaluate your rankings in the search engines. Also, you can check your website effectiveness with Semalt AutoSEO. It's important to always plan the SEO metrics as early as possible. Because, this will allow you to always be ahead of the competition during each season.