Google Algorithm updates aren’t always predictable and as SEO specialists this is something we have become accustomed to. One of the best tips we can share with you is to always expect the unexpected and always be as prepared as you can possibly be for the next Google Algorithm update. Although there are frequent changes being made, there are steps you can take to keep your website within the safe zone. Being one of the biggest factors of SEO, creating valuable content is one way you can ensure you survive the next Google Algorithm update. After years of experience monitoring the updates and adhering to them, we’ve established what content can keep you afloat. Here’s our top tips! ALWAYS CREATE EXCEPTIONAL CONTENT We understand creating content isn’t always the easiest of tasks, especially when you are managing other aspects of your business. However, when you do create content, it’s important you only produce exceptional quality content which will be interesting for your audience to read. Avoid writing numerous pieces of content which lacks in quality just for the sake of creating content. Ensure the content is well-written with no grammar or spelling errors. You don’t have to be a professional writer to create good pieces of content! DO NOT copy content from other websites or blogs. Be original and showcase what you know and can provide. Not only will your audience appreciate this but so will Google crawlers checking for duplicate content. If you want to be Algorithm Update Proof, this is the way to do so! UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE Do you know exactly what your audience needs? Learn about them! Take time out to think about who your typical clients/customers would be and the content you think they would be more inclined to spend time reading. What questions would they ask? The more time which you invest in learning about your audience, the greater equipped you will be to create content for them. The more you can appeal to your audience; the more people will recognise your brand and appreciate your content. Understanding your audience is the key to creating exceptional content which Google will always appreciate regardless of which updates come into play. PROVIDE YOUR AUDIENCE WITH VALUE One of the biggest factors which the Google Algorithm is essentially put in place to monitor is how well website owners cater to their audience. When you are creating content for your audience always consider what they actually would want to see or read. You need to first of all understand your audience as we have mentioned above, and then be able to predict what they would like to know about your industry. You could consider turning some frequently asked questions into content pieces and further educate your audience on topics you have an in depth understanding of. The best way to stay ahead of the Algorithm is to always keep user experience top of mind. Develop the trust of your audience by providing them with valuable content. ALWAYS WRITE CONTENT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND The golden rule when writing content is to ALWAYS keep your audience in mind. Those who read your content are the people who most likely will become your clients or customers. Whenever you write content, you have the opportunity to showcase exactly what you know and how you can provide solutions to their problems or the answers to their questions. The content you create is for your audience, so it should be apparent that they must always be in mind throughout the creation process. Content which is purely driven to appeal to the audience will always succeed throughout Google Algorithm updates. In order to survive Google Algorithm updates, it’s important to always ensure you provide your audience with an exceptional standard of content. Keep up to date with Algorithm changes and make your audience a number 1 priority when writing content. For assistance with your SEO, talk to our expert team at DGreat Solutions today.
5 MOST COMMON SEO MISTAKES___
As digital marketing specialists, we encounter many websites which demonstrate poor search engine optimisation qualities. More often than not, this is as a result of business owners hiring inexperienced SEO specialists or they have attempted to enforce their own tactics without enough knowledge. SEO is not as simple as some may perceive it to be. There are many rules and guidelines which must be followed to ensure websites are providing useful information to their audience. If SEO is attempted by someone with minimal knowledge within the field, you could experience a negative backlash from search engines, resulting in your online reputation being tarnished. With extensive knowledge in the digital marketing industry, we’ve identified 5 common SEO mistakes so you can avoid them. 1. RANKING FOR THE WRONG KEYWORDS A significant element of SEO is your keyword strategy. Ultimately, this is the basis of SEO and determines the quality and quantity of traffic to your website. We often witness websites which are ranking for keywords which are not relevant to their industry or are too generic to be ranked. This is not beneficial for your SEO and will not provide your website with any value. It’s important to conduct research within your industry and devise a strong keyword strategy which targets your ideal target market. Think about the types of searches your ideal client/customer would make, try to incorporate this into your keywords. Ideally, the longer and more specific your keywords are, the greater your chances will be to rank. If you are a local business, incorporate local phrases or keywords into your strategy. The goal is to rank for keywords which generate the greatest number of searches with the least number of competitors. 2. NOT INCLUDING TITLE TAGS/META DESCRIPTIONS Optimising your website for SEO isn’t just about including your keywords throughout your written content. There are many other factors which influence your rankings and how search engine crawlers filter through relevant information on your pages. You must include relevant title tags and meta descriptions on each of your pages to ensure crawlers can accurately analyse the content on your pages and rank it accordingly. Without title tags and meta descriptions, crawlers are unable to read your content and determine whether or not it is useful for your audience. 3. WRITING POOR QUALITY CONTENT Posting poor quality content to your website can be seriously damaging to your SEO. Content which is considered ‘thin’ meaning it’s too short in word count, poorly written or unoriginal, can impact your search engine rankings. Google favours content which can provide searchers with value and isn’t just written purely to increase its website’s rankings. If writing blog posts isn’t your forte, you could invest in hiring a copywriter to create content for you on a regular basis. This will ensure your content is of a high standard and meets SEO guidelines. When writing blog posts, aim to have a word count of at least 600 words to ensure your content isn’t too thin. Avoid plagiarism at all costs and write content which is insightful and provides value to avoid being penalised by search engines. 4. NOT OPTIMISING YOUR WEBSITE FOR MOBILE Over half of all search volume results come from smart phones. This means the optimisation of your website on mobile is just as important as it is for desktop. Most of us now tend to search for items or services we need on our mobiles and if your website is not responsive or takes too long to load, you could lose a significant amount of business. Not only is it frustrating for searchers, search engines use mobile responsiveness as a method of ranking as they aim to provide a seamless experience possible for searchers. Check the responsiveness on your website and click through each page to ensure everything is running efficiently. You can test your mobile speed by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. 5. IGNORING SEARCH ENGINE UPDATES One of the most important things to consider regarding SEO is the frequent updates which are made to search engine algorithms. Algorithms are consistently updated to ensure websites are providing valuable information and adhering to their rules and regulations. If you are not abiding by these updates, your website could be penalised, and you could lose your top-ranking position. Ensure your website is always updated to reflect new algorithm updates and maintain your positive SEO. SEO is an intricate technique to master and without correct knowledge and implementation, your website could suffer. Ensure to avoid making the common mistakes listed above to maintain your search engine rankings. Need help with your SEO? Talk to our expert team at DGreat Solutions today.
You can spend hours upon hours implementing SEO tactics, have amazing Google rankings but the second you disobey Google’s ranking factors, all your countless hours of hard work can be reversed. As we all know, Google’s algorithm is constantly changing which makes our job as SEO specialists slightly more tedious. Changes to algorithms can greatly impact businesses and their revenue which is why it’s so crucial to always keep updated. Change is inevitable and something you must be accustomed to especially within the online world. The best thing you can do is stay in the loop and learn how to best prepare for the changes which do occur. We have identified five common negative Google ranking factors and how you can manage them. DUPLICATE CONTENT There are various definitions of what duplicate content can be perceived as by Google. The first form of duplicate content is essentially reproducing content which is already visible on other websites. The second form of duplicate content relates to your own website and having the same content shared across your own domains and URLs. To resolve this issue, ensure you have only one domain name and set up 301 redirects to combat this in the event you do have duplicated content within your own website. Also remember to always keep your content original and relevant to your audience. DUPLICATE META INFORMATION Similarly, duplicated meta information can also be detrimental for your SEO. You should always ensure each of your web pages its own individual meta descriptions. Having duplicate meta descriptions may not directly impact your SEO rankings however they do impact your CTRs (click through rates) in search results. Google prioritises content which has high CTRs which leads to higher rankings so ultimately meta descriptions really do matter. To avoid any issues with duplicate meta description, always keep your meta descriptions as unique and original as possible. TOO MANY OUTBOUND LINKS Having outbound links on your website can be beneficial for your SEO, however having too many can decrease your website’s credibility. By having too many outbound links, this can potentially be viewed by Google as ‘black-hat SEO’ tactics which are unethical and can damage your reputation. The best way to avoid being penalised for having too many outbound links is to always use outbound links in moderation. PAGE LOADING SPEED Page loading time is so important because it directly corresponds to the user’s experience. Google rewards those who make extra effort to ensure their websites are functioning efficiently and have good page loading speed. A website which takes too long to load, is at risk of enduring high bounce rates. You can test your website’s speed by using Google’s Page Speed insights. This will reveal which speed your website is currently tracking at on both desktop and mobile. If your website is falling within the red zone, you will need to make changes to increase your page loading speed. Simple changes such as optimising large images can significantly improve your loading time. LOW DWELL TIME When SEO specialists refer to your website’s dwell time what they are referring to is a metric created by Google which measures user engagement. It includes the time each user spends viewing your website, bounce rates and CTRs. Having a low dwell time reflects poorly on your website and it can impact its ‘user friendly’ element. Ideally you want users to be engaged the second the click on your website and find value from the content you provide, being able to easily click through each page. The best way to avoid any discrepancies from Google for having a low dwell time is to ensure your website is easy to navigate, it is optimised for an enhanced user experience and provides valuable content. Google has an endless number of ranking factors, each aimed at providing searchers with the best websites possible to answer their queries. If you don’t adhere to these ranking factors, you can lose all the hard work you have invested into your SEO almost instantly if you do not resolve the issues which have been brought to light. By addressing the five ranking factors stated above, you maintain your SEO and avoid being penalised by Google.