Google Updates, We Adapt
Since there is essentially only one real search engine running the entire internet it makes sense that keeping up with the latest news and updates would be in your best interest.
As a small business owner it can be overwhelming to not only keep up with producing content that your audience wants but to also keep up with daily changes made by Google to improve their search engine.
That's why Google recently released an article about how websites can withstand the core updates made throughout the year.
The article is an excellent source that you will want to look over when you have the time but let's hit the essentials because ultimately Google is trending in the same direction and articles like this one just help reaffirm their mission.
Content is and always will be king.
There just isn't any other way to inform people without producing content.
Whether that's an article, a video, or a handwritten letter. You will always need to produce content in order to get people's attention.
The article has several questions to ask yourself when producing content to ensure that you are keeping Google's mission in mind.
A recent review of the article on Neil Patel's blog does a great job at breaking down these questions one by one and giving his feedback on each. Neil is the poster boy for digital marketing and his content is unbelievably helpful.
These updates are done regularly because really good digital marketers are constantly looking for every angle and advantage they can get.
Which means that at times they will game the system and rank their sites higher on Google because of a hole they found in the algorithm that Google uses.
So core updates are made to shut down these exploits.
These constant updates mean that new sites are continually gaining more importance because what was once ignored is now being focused on. If an update is made and your site goes down it does not mean it is a bad article or it has been penalized.
It could simply mean that there are new articles that have been recognized more seriously by Google.
Another great resource that Google linked to is their search rater quality guidelines.
A literal 166 page document outlining all guidelines that Google sends to people who work as their search raters.
These lucky individuals get to give Google feedback on their searching process and the pros and cons of their experience.
Using this feedback is how Google ultimately determines which changes to make to their algorithm.
Important to note that in the article Google mentions that they make the best efforts to inform their community when bigger updates are being made where webmasters might have to take action in order to improve their sites.
The smaller updates will not be as noticeable for many sites.
Especially if your are concentrating on creating the best content for your site and not trying to game the system by finding holes to expose.
At some point Google will find these and shut them down. Especially if there is a lot of attention gathering on exposing their algorithm.
If you are focusing on making the best videos and articles you can and your audience is enjoying your content then you will weather the storm of Google updates.
Google is always changing! If you know any good resources on keeping up with the changing times then post a comment below.
Share the article if you feel someone you know is spending too much of their time on site speed and not enough on their actual content! Like this post so I can know which content you enjoy and I can make more of it!