How to Survive Search Engine Updates

Losing website traffic is frustrating, bothersome, and can cause business owners to pull their hair out trying to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.  And every time Google adjusts their search engine algorithm it sends business owners scrambling to modify their sites to comply with all the changes.

Instead of struggling to restore your traffic each and every time Google implements a change, think about staying ahead of the game and effectively bulletproofing your website against any unexpected plunges in visitor traffic.

Here are six steps to help you survive whatever algorithm changes the search engines might concoct in the coming months.

1. Focus on Content. 
The algorithms search engines use take hundreds of factors into consideration when determining which sites to rank first in query results. Among them are page quality, relevance to a search query, and the number and quality of inbound links. The relative importance of these factors fluctuates as search engine algorithms become more sophisticated, resulting in the changes that can throw even the SEO savvy webmasters for a loop.

You have to remember what search engines value most: Providing high-quality results for their users.  So before you publish any content to your site, make sure it's substantive, authoritative and thoroughly researched to maximize its value in the eyes of your customers as well as the search engines.

2. Avoid "bad" Backlinks.
A backlink is any link to your website from another website. It can be tempting to resort to easy-to-implement but low quality backlinks that drive traffic. But be aware that search engines are on the lookout for schemes such as the "10,000 backlinks for $10" packages you'll see advertised across the Internet, and could possibly penalize you in future algorithm updates.

Instead, publish authoritative content that people will want to share on their own sites and on social networks, which will naturally result in relevant backlinks to your site.

3. Invest in Your on-line Social Presence. 
Google spokesman Matt Cutts said that Google is using social media signals, including links from Twitter and Facebook "shares," as a ranking factor influencing where sites fall on its results pages.

That means if you aren't active on social networking sites, figure out where your readers like to hang out and set up profiles there. For best results, commit at least 20 minutes a day to sharing content and connecting with your followers on those sites.

4. Reveiw Your Website Structure and Navigation.
Although the definition of what good site design is has changed over time, the general principles behind proper structuring haven't.

Whether you're building a new site or improving an existing one, maintain a "shallow" navigation structure so all pages can be accessed in three or fewer clicks. This not only makes your content more accessible to customers, it helps search engines crawl them. Make sure to eliminate duplicate content across pages and add internal links between pages so users can easily move through your site.

5. Diversify Web Traffic Sources. 
The old saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket" counts double for your traffic generation strategies. If the bulk of your traffic comes from search engines, you're in a precarious position if algorithms change in a way that lowers your rankings. You can protect your business website from this by diversifying traffic sources.

In addition to researching which keywords optimize your site for search engine ranking, build an email list, add social sharing buttons to your site and become more active on the social media sites where your readers spend their time.

6. Stay current on SEO-related news. 
This year, there have been several Google updates that aimed to reduce the presence of low-value "content farm" sites on search result pages, affecting an estimated 12 percent of all its search queries. Those changes occurred in addition to the hundreds of minor updates that search engines make every year to try to refine the quality of their results.

Consider investing some time to become more educated about SEO or seek out an expert. You can subscribe to or follow various blogs, forums or news feeds to get a better sense of how frequently search engine algorithms change.  By studying these trends and making projections, you may be able to anticipate and prepare for future changes.

Implementing these simple steps can help keep your business website busy and put you in a more proactive position when it comes to future algorithm adjustments.

Leave a Reply