Do you own a website of blog? If your answer is yes, then you are going to be affected by Google algorithm updates. No one is exempt from an update. Google’s updates usually have cute, fuzzy sounding names like Penguin or Hummingbird, but they can really do a number on your site if you don’t know what they are. So how will they affect you, your rankings and search engines in general?
Keeping Up
You can look all you want, but you will never find a guide on Google algorithm updates and that is because there are always updates happening. There can even be hundreds happen over the course of a year. So if you are trying to keep track of every tweak and alteration then you will become overwhelmed and bogged down. Take a step back and think big picture. Typically there are big bullet points that Google is always highlighting and that is what you should be paying attention to. If those change then you will know and will be able to change accordingly. However, if you are noticing one area where Google is consistently changing then pay close attention to those kind of updates.
Taking Out the Trash
The good thing about Google algorithm updates is that they “take out the trash”. Updates typically target spammy sites or sites that practice black hat SEO tactics like link farming. Google is good about weeding out junk sites with poor, irrelevant content. Updates like Hummingbird helped in that it changed the way in which keywords were seen and valued which, in turn, provided more accurate search results.
Always Changing
There are always small minor changes going on in between the major ones. Those these algorithm changes may be small that can really affect your site if you are on the wrong side of the spectrum. But on the flipside, they can really boost your rankings if you are consistent in doing the right thing. My advice is to keep track and pay attention to Google’s trends. Sometimes you can kind of get a feel of where they are going and you can adjust accordingly. SEO is one of those things that is always changing and that you have to pay close attention to. Rankings can fall fast if you don’t keep up with your SEO.
Stay Alert
You don’t have to fear updates, but that doesn’t mean that you can ignore them either. These updates are good for the whole community of web surfers because they make it extremely difficult for black hat SEO sites to rank. If you are thinking about doing black hat or unethical SEO for your site then think again. It may work for about a month or so, but once another tweak or update hits then your rankings will tank. Keep it ethical and you’ll keep your site alive.
This is just a basic rundown of what Google algorithm updates are and how they work. Remember, relativity and quality will never go out of style, so as long as your site has at least those two components then you should be at least O.K. Do yourself a favor and try not to fall too behind if you begin to get hit negatively with updates. Correct the problem quickly and move forward.
Featured images:
License: Creative Commons image source
