Making your site Search Engine algorithm change friendly
Whilst web developers have no control over algorithm changes or updates, they can however make site amendments to offset any possible damaging effects and safeguard it against possible penalties and the ensuing drop in the rankings. As an ethical principle they should always adopt white hat SEO processes to protect their site against Search Engine penalties. There are however other legitimate industry appropriate practices that you can follow and implement to make your site more adaptable to changes in the SE algorithm.
The following recommendations are intended to work alongside your white hat protocols as an extended front line defence against algorithm change vulnerability:
Monitor Keyword significance
By keeping a constant check on results and by continual monitoring of keyword effectiveness you can make certain informed assumptions about keyword validity and value. It is not wise to assume however that traffic can be increased by ranking for more keywords. That premise could hold true if keywords are distinctly different but generally the assumption is questionable. Unfortunately, adopting new keywords can have the opposite of the desired effect by diluting and diminishing the potency of your current keywords. This could result in a loss of the traffic you already enjoy – so be ready to adapt to changes in traffic induced by targeting new keywords and be prepared to amend your keyword strategy accordingly. Remember that any drop in ranking in SERP would require you to take immediate remedial action to balance the keyword effectiveness equation and reinstate your superior rankings.
Optimise long-tailed keywords
Another keyword related issue is the indifference or oversight of the importance of long-tail keywords. Managing them more productively translates into creating better conversations with your customers who are already out there looking for goods and services to purchase. Though long-tail keywords do not generate as much traffic as their more profitable correlatives, they will give you a proportionately greater return on investment by attracting the specific customers you are looking for, thanks to the precise client specific- nature of the three or four word search terms they generate. They are also very valuable for fulfilling the requirement of businesses and website owners to have their content rank in organic searches. Consequently it is very worthwhile optimising for these keywords as competition is less than with other keywords and traffic fluctuations tend to be less as well.
Optimise value-added less competitive keywords
Something worthy of consideration is optimising or SEO for less competitive keywords. They are less susceptible to algorithm changes and updates. For example, if twelve sites are competing for a keyword the worst that can happen should Google rehash rankings due to an algorithm update, is a drop in rank order to twelfth position. That is much less damaging than being dropped to rank in the hundreds, which is possible with keywords that have many more sites competing for them.
Refresh content on a regular basis
It is taken as read that engaging, dynamic and authoritative content should be a key factor in your digital marketing strategy. That is only the beginning of the content narrative as gaps or time delays in posting new material can reflect negatively on your website and can actually consign it to obscurity for keywords that you used to rank well for. This can even happen without any algorithm changes at all. Though it takes new posts some time to perform well in the rankings, it is beneficial in general to introduce fresh relevant content to attract new traffic. Regular postings – on a weekly or monthly basis – are better at winning credibility and trust than a batch of new content items all posted at once.
Increase traffic with PPC
The utopian dream of free search engine traffic is just that as in reality the concept is not reliable. No one is guaranteed complete immunity from algorithm changes, however great their site or whatever protective measures they have implemented. The obvious route to increased traffic is Pay Per Click which matters to big Brands and drives revenue. It also helps you control your marketing budget spend and unlike organic can show results very quickly. PPC impacts specific consumer targeting almost at once and is a great mechanism for informing other marketing channels.
Look for superior backlinks
Google has become much more critical of ineffectual backlinks in recent times – a stand prefacing their current prescriptive demand for backlinks to high ranking relevant sites only. Webmasters beware – any other irrelevant backlinks to bad sites can be both damaging and costly and they can inflict severe penalties on page rankings. A vote of confidence in your site by highly rated external or internal links is a valued indicator to Google in determining your site ranking in the SERP. The quality of your backlinks are paramount in complying with Google algorithm’s demands since superb backlinks are more inclined to sustain their high rankings enabling the sustained flow of link juice to your site. It is imperative you guard against links from bad or disreputable sites. There are tools to help you assess who is linking to you. Should you come across an unwanted offending link simply request the webmaster to remove it at once.
Manipulate Social Media
Whilst traffic from Search Engines is vitally important to websites in general, it is important to recognise the need to diversify your traffic genesis or source. Though the traffic from Social sites is not targeted and conversions might be relatively low, these sites constitute a feasible and valuable flipside that can generate traffic over a prolonged period with sustained interaction and at practically no cost.
In conclusion, counteracting algorithm changes is a many faceted process. Implementing the tactics and techniques indicated above should help overcome some of the deficit exhibited by your website and lay the basis for discovering other ways of keeping your site algorithm friendly.
Our team of digital marketing experts and web design Belfast and web design Newry teams can help with any digital marketing, adwords, video production, social media, SEO, Magento or web design questions you may have.
