According to Google itself, work on improving search algorithms is ongoing. Some minor edits are made almost daily, but they do not have a global impact on search results, so the Internet giant does not focus on them, limiting itself to formal information. At the same time, the company periodically, several times during the year, carries out a large-scale update of the main algorithm, which, of course, in theory can affect a large number of sites, both improving their performance and moving it down significantly.
They prefer to tell the public in detail about such innovations at Google, because in this way webmasters who encounter the loss of pages of positions in the search results receive all the necessary data to ultimately deal effectively with the problem. One of the last major updates, Google introduced this summer. What has changed and what nuances should be paid to site owners, according to the search giant itself. About this in this article.
A new take on existing content
Google emphasizes that the deterioration of positions in the issuance after a massive update of the algorithm is completely normal. In the vast majority of cases, such pages did not violate any rules and did not fall under the “sanctions” of the search engine. The thing is that Google algorithms began to evaluate content differently.
It is logical that some sites the system begins to rank lower, while others, on the contrary, rise in the issuance. How this happens can be demonstrated with a simple example. Suppose there is a list with the best films of 2018. Then it is updated, replenished with paintings that appeared on the screen in 2019. As a result, some of the films of the last year lose their positions. Does this mean that they have become bad? No, more worthy applicants for high places in the list just appeared.
Content is the main thing
As mentioned above, sites that, after the update were lower in the search results, did nothing reprehensible. It is expected that their owners will want to return the lost. What should you focus on? What measures should be taken to re-rank Google algorithms above current positions? According to experts of the IT giant, it all comes down directly to the content. The better it is, the higher the site’s reward, which in this case is expressed in improving positions in search results.
When posting materials on Google, it is advised to consider the following important features, which can be divided into several categories:
- quality;
- authority of the source;
- presentation;
- content value.
The first includes the uniqueness of the content, a deep and comprehensive review of the topic, the presence of various additional useful information, etc. According to experts of the web giant, ideally, the user should have a desire to keep the page in bookmarks or recommend to a friend, because it contains all the necessary information on a specific issue and even more, and the material itself is worthy of publication in the media or books.
The second category is related to how much you can trust this content. Does it look authentic? Is the information provided an expert opinion? If so, is the author listed? Do the materials on the site contain factual errors that are easy to verify even for a specialist in the relevant field?
Information can be arbitrarily reliable and accurate, but will the user believe it if the content contains spelling or stylistic errors, and he himself, judging from the outside, seems to be whipped up? The question is rhetorical. Similarly, an excessive amount of advertisements acts, which in the end only distract the user and prevent him from correctly perceiving the content.
It is also worth checking if the site looks good on mobile gadgets, because the share of such traffic has grown rapidly in recent years. All of the above belongs to the third category.
Do not forget about the value of content from the point of view of the user and in comparison with other sites. Is it possible to say that similar resources from search results do not provide as much useful information? This category also includes how much the content looks designed specifically for people. Does it seem that they are just trying to tune the site to the current Google algorithms, putting them in the forefront, while users are relegated to the background? As a result, the system can rank such pages below.
To get a more objective assessment of the content from the point of view of the user, the company advises attracting people who are not directly connected with the resource. This will allow you to find problem points and quickly eliminate them. It’s also worth reading the reviews of the so-called Google “appraisers” - specialists who determine how relevant, in their opinion, are the results of search results, that is, whether the current algorithms work well. By understanding how they define quality content, webmasters can use this to improve their site.
How much to wait?
Suppose a certain resource sank significantly in the search results after updating the basic Google algorithm, as a result of which work was done to improve the content to meet current requirements. How much time will pass before the site returns to its position? There is no definite answer. The company emphasizes that, in theory, a jump up can occur only after the next major update, but no one guarantees this. In addition, search engines rate content differently than people, which also needs to be considered. For example, from their point of view, linking pages is important. There are other criteria for evaluating sites that are not disclosed. Google recognizes that current algorithms are far from ideal and require refinement.
