No four words strike fear into the heart of marketeers and business owners alike more than “Google core algorithm update”. Google’s algorithms are a complex system used to crawl online data and web pages to serve the most relevant results. These algorithms then rank web pages according to a set of success criteria.
What is a Google Core Algorithm Update?
Whilst many algorithm updates only make minor changes and go unannounced, occasionally a “Core Algorithm Update” is announced; these updates have larger implications. For instance, the 2011 Panda algorithm update restructured the ranking criteria to prioritise content Google deemed high quality.
Prior to this update, many businesses had built a content strategy prioritising quantity over quality. Almost overnight this strategy became more damaging than rewarding to search rankings, costing unprepared businesses time and money.
Page Experience Update:
This time Google has its sights set on webpage experience and loading speed. Any SEO expert will tell you page speed ranking is nothing new, it was introduced as a ranking factor in 2010 with “Operation Speed Up The Internet”, which was then followed by mobile page speed ranking in 2018. Despite this, the Page Experience Update is set to shake up the criteria for webpage experience and loading speed, introducing three new metrics for success.
What does the core algorithm update mean for your business?
Core algorithm updates have a substantial impact on any business with an online presence. They often mean businesses must reassess their strategy or specific areas of their website. This specific update will give more weight to overall site performance and give high search rankings to sites that have taken the appropriate steps to improve their webpage experience.
Google had announced this core algorithm update a few months ago to give businesses and webmasters time to prepare, these changes are poised to go live from July 1st however this may change.
Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail
Now is the time for businesses to audit their website to prepare for the algorithm update. If you are concerned about the Core Algorithm Update having a negative impact on your web traffic or search rankings, contact us today to discuss how to best prepare for these changes.