The New SEO

Google’s algorithm when it comes to page ranking changes regularly and you need to keep up. SEO keywords are no longer king. At least, not exclusively. What is more important now is your page’s reputation and the action of web traffic when they’re interacting with your site. Organic shares, prolonged time spent on your page and repeat viewers are all important when it comes to boosting your Google rankings. And here’s why.

Firstly, it’s basically impossible to stay on top of Google’s algorithm; it changes about 500 to 600 times each year. But we’ll introduce you to the basic principles. The algorithm is called PageRank, after a Google founder, Larry Page. It measures the relevance of each page according to a specific search and, of course, its functionality is the reason why ‘just Google it’ has entered the English language. We love the ability to reach any information at the click of a search button and that can include your business too … if you know what you’re doing. The trick is to get your site landing at the top of the first page of Google when relevant terms are searched.

Previously, great emphasis was placed on SEO keywords when it came to boosting your Google ranking. The idea being that you needed to include a certain number of keywords in your pages or articles and then, when searched, your site would pop up. Except that’s flawed, because someone could upload a page jam-packed with repeated popular search terms and no coherent content. Google’s algorithm has adapted in the face of ‘black hat’ SEO work along with the public’s increasing demand not only for information but for good quality information.

Actually, Google’s algorithm does far more than just find the relevant pages for our searches but that’s for another article. The important information to note is the shift from SEO away from keywords and towards web traffic. Google’s algorithm has always searched not only for relevant pages (yes, SEO keywords are still important) but for sites with the best reputation. And it is the change to the way these reputations are judged where changes have recently happened. Previously reputations were generally considered based on the number of links each page has from other pages. The idea being that good quality content will link to other good quality content. Google wants to make it harder, effectively, for pages to reach the top of its rankings based on SEO keyword tactics rather than merit. And now, they’re focusing almost solely on organic links.

If someone likes a post, they might share it on their Facebook page or link to it on their own website. These viral threads are what Google is now searching for, considering them proof that the website is worthy of more web traffic. Specifically, organic links. Paid for links or those shared on your company’s own social media accounts are not considered by Google’s algorithm any more. Whereas before you only needed to please Google to gain great rankings, these new algorithms have placed control firmly back in the consumer’s hands. And this is the way we think future updates to Google’s algorithm are going to go.

At the end of the day, our advice is to think of your target market when you’re creating your content. Yes, an awareness of SEO keywords is needed but a great piece of content should get the publicity and web traffic it deserves on merit. Changes to the algorithm are increasingly allowing this to happen, raising the bar higher when it comes to content creation in response to the public crying out for quality rather than quantity when it comes to the internet.