When it comes to getting your business out there digitally, Google is the end all be all in digital marketing and advertising. To effectively and strategically market your small business, it is important to understand what Google is looking for. The better you can understand the intentions behind their algorithm chances, the more likely you are to keep your business smooth and relevant. Here are some of the best ways to make sure that your search engine optimization (SEO) is up to speed and current for Google’s latest algorithm shifts:
Evaluate Your Content
Google Panda is an algorithm that the company is using to evaluate website content. Google’s entire intention is to be as user friendly as possible. Because of this, they want to direct their users to a website where they will find all of their answers at once. If you search a question and have to look through two or three websites before you find your answer, odds are you will not be a happy customer. So what does this mean for you?
Basically, it is time to reevaluate your website. This means two things:
1) Bolster Your Content
Your website should have as much relevant information as possible. If you are a dentist, you should have a page of copy for all dental procedures, even if you do not necessarily provide them. The more information rich your content is, the more likely users are to find that they need on your website and the happier overall the user experience will be.
2) Make sure your website content is SEO Friendly
When you want to look something up, odds are that you are typing how you would ask: “Do I need a cavity filled?” or “How long do dental implants last?”. The idea is that you want to make seeing this information on your site as easy as possible. To do this, write subheadings in the form of questions that you believe your users are likely to search. By writing your content in a way that is easier for voice search and helps people find your website, you are more likely to get website hits and will have a better overall site and local SEO in regards to your Google rating.
Think Mobile Friendly
Another part of this algorithm change is that Google is now favoring mobile sites over desktop sites. What this means is that you should have both versions of your site optimized. It shouldn’t matter if someone is reaching you on a phone or desktop, both should be user friendly and easy to navigate. The easier your website is to move around, the better off you will be.
Links and Keyword Stuffing
Another algorithm update is Google Penguin. Google penguin focuses a lot on the quality of links that you are including in your website. Low quality links or duplicate links will trigger Google penguin and lower your overall SEO. Penguin will also be on the lookout for keyword stuffing.
What is keyword stuffing? Keywords are what people search the most, and should be included in your content if they can be done organically and naturally. For instance, if your keyword is “teeth” and your content reads: “To protect your teeth, you should visit the teeth specialists here at our dental firm, where we pledge to protect your teeth as best as we can”, this will trigger penguin. This is also relevant with location. For instance, if you are located in Miami, Florida, that only needs to be mentioned one time on your website page. Do not stuff the content by mentioning the city multiple times. While this does use the keyword multiple times, it is unnatural and clearly only written to get the hit of a keyword. Keywords should be spaced out and used only in contexts where they make sense and contribute to the overall value of your website.
Penguin also focuses on the quality of links. If you have links on your website that are dead or no longer work, it is important to them off of your page immediately. Dead links or links that are poor in quality will result in a hit from Google Penguin.
Improve How You Are Being Searched
With the Google Humingbird algorithm update, your rating will not be directly affected but how easy it is to search and find you will be. To help your search ability, it is important to look for search friendly words and phrases to incorporate into your content. Research what people are looking up and what is getting the most hits amongst Google users. The more you can tailor your page, content, and phrasing to what people are directly searching for, the better off you will be in regards to who is seeing your information. Hummingbird will especially help with your local SEO, which can be greatly affected by how you are searched.
When it comes to SEO, it is important to keep up on all the latest Google algorithm updates to stay current and relevant and to make any necessary changes as they surface. The more ready you are to adapt to the new algorithms, the better your website and business will stand in Google listings and the more hits and traction you will get.
