Don’t Let Algorithm Updates Keep You Up at Night

 

Joey Armstrong knows the stress that comes with a Google algorithm update for those who work in the SEO industry. There’s so much time and effort put into obtaining organic search results for a desired keyword that the thought of losing the fruit of that labor can be quite terrifying. However, Joey Armstrong is here to comfort marketers by explaining how following certain practices can help any SEO aficionado ensure that their website remains in the best possible position to succeed in the search engine results. 

 

Most SEO marketers are numbers people. They measure success by looking at not only the position their website appears in the search engines for a given keyword, but the number of clicks the site receives, the number of seconds people stay on the page, and the list of numbers goes on and on. The problem is that focusing solely on numbers can make reports look promising, but they can also hurt the overall business. There’s always other things to consider. For instance, once a person makes a click to call, how is the sales team performing? Do they think the leads are targeted correctly? Do people get what they expect from the business? There’s a lot of factors to consider that may not be quantified in a number.

 

Every algorithm update in history has one thing in common. It was done with the Internet user in mind. The goal has always been to make updates that benefit the consumers of the search engines rather than help the businesses who compete for space in the search engine results. With that fact in mind, businesses must make every marketing decision based on what their audience cares about. The update penalizing websites that are not mobile responsive is a good example. With most people consuming the Web via smartphone or tablet, it’s important that a website appears visually attractive on those devices. Companies that cared about the experience of their users had made their websites mobile friendly long before the update occurred.

 

The best way to rank for any term is to have content that people truly benefit from. The best version of an answer to a common question will rank well. Stuffing in keywords without any true substance behind them will only result in penalties and upset consumers. While no marketer knows exactly what the next update will have in store, simply focusing on enhancing the user experience in every aspect of a marketing strategy can lead to sustained success.