Last week (13th January 2020) Google announced an update to its core algorithm. The advice is much the same as all other core updates, the update reassesses content to improve search results – but how do you benefit from these updates?
WHAT DOES THE GOOGLE JANUARY CORE UPDATE DO?
Google is constantly changing the search results to ensure users get the best results for them. The difference to a core update is that a noticeable number of rankings will change all in one go. This will likely change the organic rankings of your website and your competitors.
Google algorithm updates such as these usually take a few days to roll out due to the significance of the changes. After this, the rankings will have changed to benefit some websites but also to push other down in the rankings.
HOW DO YOU BENEFIT FROM A GOOGLE UPDATE?
The general advice from Google is to focus on content. This is the content on the pages of your website that users can see. Offering the best possible content to your users should see your website being rewarded when an update rolls out.
Questions to keep in mind when improving the content of your website:
- Does this content answer the questions of my target audience?
- Is the level of detail suitable for your target audience?
- Does your content provide more value than other pages in search results?
The full list of questions and areas to focus on can be found here: https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2019/08/core-updates.html
ALWAYS E-A-T WELL
One of the most important things to remember is what Google refers to as E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness). Improving your E-A-T score can yield dramatic results when an update is released.
Expertise – Are you an expert in your field? Then this needs to come across in the content of your website. Answering questions and explaining technical terms is always a good place to start.
Authoritativeness – Become an authority on a subject by being cited by others. Having great content that others link to shows Google that you are worth ranking higher.
Trustworthiness – This is what many don’t prioritise, you must be seen as being trustworthy. This means your content needs to be trusted and linked to from trustworthy sources.
RESULTS
Making changes that prioritise E-A-T and deliver great content can make a big difference as you can see from these images of actual Colewood SEO clients:
If you would like to benefit from future Google updates, contact the SEO team at Colewood.
