How to Adapt and Embrace Changes to Google’s Algorithim

SEO is one of the most progressive fields in the world. Everything about it is centered on change and if something refuses to improve, it is then deemed obsolete and dropped. That’s how the world of SEO goes and that’s why everything about it is bordering on the cutting edge. Just recently, Google updated its algorithm with Penguin which we talked about in a previous post.

The reason why Google has continued to dominate its competition is because they’re always changing; Google is always making things better for itself as well as for the consumers who rely on their products and services.

Changes are scary because they often herald the dawn of an unknown path, especially for SEO specialists who try to rank their pages as well as promote their content. However it is clear that change is good and staying on top of the game is easy if you know what to do. I have specific guidelines that I follow whenever Google announces some changes to their algorithm. I keep up with these changes to ensure the quality of my content as well as keep my SEO game on point. This is good for my website because it helps me make the right moves for both my website and for my clients. You can make your own guidelines to suit the needs of your site but these 3 examples are a good place to start.

Relax, it’s just an update!

Now I know it may be a little too much to call Google’s continuous evolution “just an update” but that’s all there is to it. The thing about Google’s changes is that sure, they announce it ahead of time but the details are often conveniently left out. That’s understandable as they may be working on adding or refining features. Even SEO’s industry leaders are somewhat clueless as to what Google plans to change with their algorithm updates so it’s definitely understandable if you’re clueless as well.

It won’t help worrying about something that you have no way of knowing about. That’s a waste of energy and effort. You can use the resources that you would normally use for predicting the upcoming changes into making your content better. Maybe even double check if your website is mobile friendly. In short, there are more things you should worry about. The best approach to an update is to prepare for it by optimizing and double-checking the things that you have now.

Anticipate and React

The wait and see approach is essentially the best thing that you can do in a situation such as Google updating their algorithm. The next big step is reacting to the changes. However making drastic changes may negatively impact your website. You can rest assured that your website will not be negatively affected by any changes to Google’s algorithm if you’re doing SEO the right way. This is another reason why I think that Black Hat SEO is a big no-no because while they may be effective in the short run, it is ineffective and counter-productive in the long run. Most of Google’s changes will definitely negatively affect websites that rely on shady SEO strategies; but that’s all there is to it. If you’re practising SEO the right way then there’s no need to panic.

Google’s changes are always a response to their consumers as well as feedback from SEO specialists from around the world. In other words, their changes are always for the betterment of their users. Google’s changes are always designed to continuously challenge SEO specialists to make their websites as good as possible in terms of content, user-experience and performance.

This is why it is better for you to wait, anticipate and react to Google’s changes instead of preemptively doing some changes on your own.

Research, Study and then Act

The last big step in my thought process is research. The best possible place for people to gather information about Google is of course, from Google itself. Google’s Webmaster Blog runs aplenty with information about SEO and most importantly, about the changes that they are trying to implement.  The things that you have to look for during an update are what the updates were trying to target. If your website is hit by the updates then all you have to do is look for things that you need to change, the things that you can improve and the things that you can add to make your site better.

Also, SEO is a field that’s mainly trial and error. In short, we’re almost always running in blind so the best way to go about making changes to your website is by doing it one step at a time. Trying to fix your problems by trying to fix all of them all at the same time may not do you any good. Go slow, there’s no need to rush and fixing one problem at a time is the best thing that you can do.

So why is focusing on one problem at a time better than just trying to fix everything all at once? It’s simple. Doing so will allow you to see how your website react to any changes one step at a time. This will allow you a clearer picture on the things that you are doing correctly as well as the things that you can be doing better.

Key Takeaway

It is understandable to be a little scared whenever Google rolls out an update to their algorithm. However there is no need to be afraid if you’re doing SEO the right way by focusing on churning out quality content as well as for a satisfying user-experience then you’re doing SEO correctly.

Like I said, there’s no need to be antsy whenever Google updates their algorithm. Don’t panic, be reactionary and then research and you should be fine. Give special attention to your users because if they’re happy then chances are you’re doing things right.