As digital marketers, we are tasked with translating our strategies to clients every day. Whether it’s explaining Pay-per-click campaigns, or phone-answering best practices, we are always teaching rather than just ensuring things will work out. This means we believe in fostering transparency and spreading knowledge to build trust and successful business relationships. Today we are going to discuss a few frequently asked questions about Google Algorithm updates.
There are many Google algorithms out there focused on many properties, such as Google Maps, images, and organic search. This post will focus on the Organic Search algorithms. This may help further clarify our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. SEO is an ongoing and ever-changing process that builds upon already successful strategies, and evolves with search engine best practices.
What Are Google Algorithm Updates?
Google is an online beast. What started out as a search engine based out of Stanford University, has since evolved into a multinational technology company. A large part of online marketing is spent on optimizing websites for search engines to index and display to users. The end result is a user-friendly format known as the search engine results page (SERP). This page is built by Google algorithms that take many metrics into consideration when ranking sites to relevant searches. Algorithm updates help narrow down the results for a user based on factors such as physical location, website content relevance, and authority. They also help fight search engine spam and untrustworthy websites.
For example, if a user is searching for “Best dental marketing company near me”, the organic search algorithm should return websites that 1) are highly rated across the web; 2) include “dental marketing” on their website; and 3) are located near their physical location. This is a broad example that simplifies what is actually going on behind the scenes, but is a good representation of how the algorithm has evolved from the days of returning a result that was less relevant. Back before updates, you might have gotten more spammy results, such as a marketing company that had nothing to do with dentistry, but included the term “marketing company” thousands of times on their website.
Why is the Google Algorithm so Important?
With every new algorithm update, Google is pushing for rewarding websites that are able to answer a searcher’s specific query with thorough information. It’s important for everyone to see the value in every update as a push for more reliable sources of information. Without Google algorithms that update frequently, we might see less and less relevant results for our searches over time. In that world, searching for what you are looking for can be more time-consuming, lead to irrelevant/spammy results, and further help spread misinformation and fake news. I would not want to live in that world.
How Often Does a Google Algorithm Change?
Google has stated before that they release new updates to their algorithms as often as DAILY! This may surprise you, but with software that’s used by millions of people, there has to be a lot of upkeep and maintenance. Most updates are small tweaks to keep the search engine algorithms running smoothly. Other updates are major core updates that can shake up an industry or two. When the “Google Medic Update” rolled out last August, we were all hands on deck.
This update created major shockwaves in not only the medical industry, but across many industries as it was a core update to the existing Organic Search algorithm. Google rarely lets everyone know that these updates are coming, and when they do, they are vague about what to do post-rollout. It is up to digital marketers, SEO professionals, and marketing companies to plan, evaluate, and react accordingly.
How to Beat a Google Algorithm?
This is a great question asked often. The best answer to this was recently tweeted by Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst and search optimization guru, John Mueller:
That’s right, there’s no such thing as manipulating search engines! There’s no single magic formula to follow, but to “beat” a Google algorithm means to position your website in a way that makes it easier for search engines to consume. As long as we are building great websites with expert, authoritative, and trustworthy content for your local audience, your website will bring you new patients that are seeking your specific services. We can tweak content and build upon existing content to further promote the services you want to provide the most, and promote new services.
We don’t beat Google algorithms, we beat YOUR competitors by working with algorithms to build a great product and produce proven results.
How Dental Revenue Keeps Up?
As a dental marketing firm focused on internet visibility and online marketing, we keep up with general updates AND with algorithm updates pertaining to the medical and dental industry. We are constantly updating our websites, tweaking our strategies, and relaying information to our clients to remain ahead of the curve. This is crucial in the ever-changing world of internet marketing.
If you have any questions we didn’t answer regarding what we can do to build your online visibility, contact us today.