What are Google Core Updates and why do they matter for your website optimisation?
As a business owner, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest digital marketing trends - and core Google updates are no exception. Google rolls out periodic updates that can have major implications for your online optimisation strategy; if you aren't clued in on these changes, your website could suffer from ranking issues or worse - being de-indexed altogether! Understanding what these core Google updates mean and how they affect you is a must if online success is your goal. In this blog post, we'll explore all aspects of Google Core Updates including how to prepare for future releases and tips for maintaining steady visibility during their rollouts.
What is a core update?
Google Core Updates are major updates to Google's search algorithm that can significantly impact search results and rankings. These updates are designed to improve the quality and relevance of search results, and they can affect a wide range of websites across multiple industries.
Core Updates are different from regular updates, such as the addition of new features or changes to the search engine's interface. Instead, they typically involve changes to the way Google's algorithm evaluates and ranks web pages. The updates are aimed at improving the overall user experience by providing more relevant and useful content in response to search queries.
Why is it important to pay attention to a core update?
It's important to pay attention to these updates because they can have a significant impact on your website's search engine rankings and traffic. If your site is negatively affected by a Core Update, you may see a drop in traffic and rankings, which can hurt your business. On the other hand, if your site benefits from the update, you may see an increase in traffic and rankings.
To optimize your website for Google Core Updates, it's important to focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that provides value to your audience. This can include regularly updating your site with fresh content, optimising your site for mobile devices, improving page speed, and focusing on user experience. Additionally, it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest search engine optimization (SEO) best practices and to monitor your site's performance regularly to identify any issues and opportunities for improvement.
How to prepare for a Google core update
Preparing for a Google Core Update can be challenging because the specifics of each update are not typically disclosed in advance. However, there are some general steps you can take to help your website weather any potential impact.
Focus on quality content: Core Updates often prioritize high-quality, relevant content that provides value to the user. Make sure your content is informative, engaging, and up-to-date.
Optimise for user experience: Google places a high value on websites that provide a good user experience. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate.
Monitor your website: Regularly monitor your website's performance using tools like Google Analytics and Search Console. Look for any trends or changes in traffic or rankings that may indicate an issue.
Stay up-to-date with SEO best practices: Keep up-to-date with the latest SEO best practices and guidelines to ensure your website is optimized for search engines.
Build high-quality links: Google considers high-quality links to be an important ranking factor. Focus on building high-quality links from relevant and authoritative websites.
Don't make sudden changes: Avoid making sudden and drastic changes to your website around the time of a Core Update. Instead, focus on making gradual improvements over time.
Be patient: Core Updates can take some time to fully roll out, and it can take even longer to see the impact on your website. Be patient and continue to monitor your website's performance over time.
Core Updates are different from regular updates, such as the addition of new features or changes to the search engine's interface.
Analysing your website after a core update to identify areas for improvement
After a Core Update, it's important to analyse your website's performance to identify areas for improvement. Check your website's search engine rankings to see if they have been impacted by the Core Update as this will help you determine which pages have been affected the most. Using tools like Google Analytics can help you look for any trends or changes in traffic that may be related to the Core Update. Use this to look for specific pages or sections of your website that may have seen a drop in traffic. Use heat mapping tools or session recording software to monitor how users are interacting with your website. This can help you identify areas where users are experiencing issues or difficulties and where your website's content requires updating.
Your website's speed can also impact user experience. Using tools like Google PageSpeed insights will tell you if there are any problems with the load speed. If your website is slow, it can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings. If this is the case, try to keep dynamic content and videos to a minimum or lower down the page.
From an off page SEO perspective, check your website for any technical issues that may be impacting performance, such as broken links or duplicate content. Check that your website's backlink profile includes high-quality links from relevant and authoritative websites. Low-quality or spammy links can hurt your search engine rankings.
By analysing your website's performance after a Core Update, you can identify areas for improvement and take steps to address any issues. It's important to continue monitoring your website's performance regularly to ensure that you are staying on top of any changes in search engine rankings or traffic.
Summary
The importance of Google Core Updates for website optimisation cannot be overstated. It’s not enough to just understand how the updates work and to be aware that changes are coming; having a team of SEO experts monitoring your website for potential ranking shifts due to the updates is essential for increased visibility and long-term success online. Optimising your website requires an active approach, rather than a passive observation of what’s going on. To ensure its continuous success in the search engine rankings and continue to make the most of Google Core Updates, it’s important that you take proactive steps while they happen.
If you're short on time or need help with understanding how best to do this, don't hesitate to call our SEO team in Sheffield today. We have years of experience in harnessing the power of Google Core Updates to make sure your business ranks in the SERPs and benefit from these changes. Make sure your business isn't left behind - get expert guidance now!
