Category "Algorithm Updates"

Understanding search engine algorithms is paramount in the constantly evolving landscape of digital marketing. Especially with giants like Google constantly updating their guidelines. Recently. Google released a “Helpful Content Update”, which holds great sway over how content forms the backbone of any website becomes evident. 

A firm grasp of these updates ensures that businesses stay ahead in the SERPs, offering their audience not just content but valuable insights. What do you need to know? 

Understanding Google’s Helpful Content Update

Google’s recent algorithm change is an emphasis on the quality and genuineness of content. Dubbed the “Helpful Content Update”, its primary goal is to prioritize content created for users, not just search engines. This is part of a broader initiative by the search giant to put a people-first approach into their algorithms. The crux of the matter is that original, helpful content is being rewarded, while SEO-first content might find itself sidelined.

This new signal by Google aims to minimize the visibility of low-quality, unoriginal content on its search platform. It’s a response to a burgeoning industry that sometimes prioritizes search visibility over genuine, quality content. While the update is sitewide, it doesn’t spell disaster for every page of your website. Is your content genuinely helpful? This will impact how it ranks.

Implications Of The Updates

The ripple effect of this update is evident: websites with a high volume of unhelpful content may find their rankings affected. However, this doesn’t imply a blanket penalty on all content. Google’s approach is automated, focusing on a website’s general content trend rather than isolated instances. This automation means that while a site might be flagged, high-quality pages on it might still rank well, given other quality indicators.

If you’ve been on the right track, producing quality, original content, you’re on the greener side. Such sites might see an uplift in their search rankings. However, for those impacted, it’s not the end. Google’s algorithms are always refining, and with the right changes, websites can regain their lost stature. This continuous evolution is why updating content regularly is crucial.

The Balance Between Automation & Manual Oversight

With this update, it’s clear that Google’s approach is largely automated. But, it’s not entirely devoid of human touch. Google’s systems identify and evaluate content, determining its utility for the end user. This isn’t a manual penalty but an algorithmic change. As such, it’s imperative to note that no one at Google is personally analyzing your website.

Although the primary process is automated, the influence of manual quality raters cannot be ignored. They help refine the search algorithm by providing feedback on search quality. Their guidelines often serve as the north star for SEO professionals and content creators, aiming to align with Google’s vision of a user-friendly web.

Authoritative & People-First Content Creation

Today, creating content isn’t just about what ranks. It’s about resonating with your target audience. Delving into the genuine interests and needs of users ensures you’re in line with Google’s vision. A pivot towards authoritative, people-first content, like insights for service-based industries, establishes a website’s credibility and trustworthiness.

The age-old adage of “quality over quantity” rings true. Diverse content, curated for real users and not just bots, is the need of the hour. Businesses must now introspect, moving away from a sole focus on SEO and towards providing true value and information to their audience.

Crafting Original Value-Add Content

Originality is the cornerstone of this new update. Google rewards fresh, firsthand content that offers unique insights, information, or research. Creating value-added content sets businesses apart from their competition, fostering a sense of trust with users. By providing something unique, you become an authoritative voice in your niche.

At SEO Locale, firsthand research and interviews with clients allow the creation of authentic, valuable content. Such a strategy, aligned with healthy website content practices, ensures that the output not only satisfies Google’s algorithms but also addresses the needs of the audience.

Showcasing Expertise On Your Website

A significant pillar of quality content is its authenticity and credibility. When users visit a site, they’re seeking information from experts. Therefore, showcasing expertise isn’t just a preference; it’s a necessity. Content should be written, reviewed, or approved by authorities in the subject matter.

This assurance, bolstered by proper linking and user-friendly content reinforces the trust of users in your content. It’s not just about stating your expertise but demonstrating it through in-depth, knowledgeable content.

Sharing Trust To Boost Credibility

Beyond quality content, trust signals are indispensable in building user trust. This includes testimonials, user-generated content, badges, certificates, and media coverage. By incorporating these trust signals, businesses can further assure users of their credibility and expertise.

Trust isn’t just built through words but is reinforced with authentic feedback and recognition. These elements work together, providing a comprehensive, trustworthy user experience that aligns well with Google’s vision.

Google’s Warning For Content

Artificial Intelligence has come a long way, aiding businesses in numerous domains. However, a sole reliance on AI might be a misstep when it comes to content creation. AI-generated content lacks the genuine human touch, emotion, and firsthand experience that truly resonates with readers.

With Google’s new update, you want to create authentic content that is unique to your website. AI can be helpful for making your plans and ideas stronger, but it must be employed by experts who can maximize its benefits. 

Contact Us For Expert Management Of Content & Digital Marketing

Google’s updates might seem intimidating, but with the right guidance, they can be a blessing. At SEO Locale, we specialize in tailoring strategies to help businesses thrive in this evolving landscape. With a team of experts ready to assist, we offer a suite of Philadelphia internet marketing services. 

For businesses looking to make the most of these changes, partnering with our SEO company in Bucks County ensures a step in the right direction. Contact us today for an expert touch on your content creation!

How BERT Can Impact Your SEO Score

Google regularly unleashes new pieces of software that impact how its search engine performs. One of the most exciting, for many software engineers, is BERT. Short for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, it encompasses many different functions. Primarily, it helps search engines understand complex word searches that rely heavily on word context. For those who write SEO or have SEO involved with their website, you might wonder how BERT is going to impact your SEO score. Here’s what you need to know.

How BERT Helps Searches

Because BERT can read a search query in two different directions – as opposed to other search algorithms – it is more capable of reading and comprehending what the sentence actually reads. For example, there are many words in the English language that have two meanings. Those words can even adopt different meanings when used with other certain words.

Machines have a difficult time understanding this because they don’t always have the full context. Unidirectional search engine algorithms are only capable of reading a search query in one direction. This doesn’t allow them to comprehend context because they’re unable to refer to an earlier part of the sentence after completing the entire sentence.

BERT can. While BERT is still learning context and ambiguous words, it stands at a much greater chance of being able to accumulate answers for sentences that use natural conversational speech.

Transformers is another crucial part of BERT’s design. Transformers deal with keeping track of the ‘who’s somebody’ in conversation. When having a normal conversation with someone, you may refer to a friend of a friend. That ‘who’s somebody’ can be difficult for humans to keep track of throughout the flow of conversation. For a machine, it’s even more complex.

However, because BERT’s software revolves around keeping track of transformers, it’s better at understanding exactly what the conversation is about.

It May Impact International SEO

One benefit of BERT is that it can actually correlate certain words in a different language while compiling a search for another language. Even though BERT may not understand the foreign language, per se, its system and deep-learning allow it to make those connections.

This is great for websites that use international SEO. They can use certain keywords that will help them rank higher on sites in different countries.

SEO Overall Impact

Is BERT going to impact SEO as a whole? Yes and no. While your overall SEO score may not change drastically, the more that BERT learns, the more you’ll have to pay attention to your SEO. This is because BERT may be able to better tell if a source that you link to is relevant or not.

Because it understands context better, it may start to realize that the sites you’re using for your links are actually not relevant at all. This may mean that you just need to hone your skills in nuance SEO writing or just make sure that you’re always linking to credible sources that Google enjoys the most.

Otherwise, you shouldn’t expect BERT to impact your score too much. As the software becomes more intelligent, however, it may eventually have a larger impact on SEO scores. As such, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on how BERT develops.

Contact SEO Locale for expert SEO services today. Having issues with the BERT update? Need a white label SEO partner, we can help!