DBE recently covered Google’s search algorithm Core Update in our June 8th What’s Hot Wednesday. We noted the update (which was global and applicable to all regions and languages) was designed to assess and reward website content considered more relevant to specific search queries.
Google has a long history of making algorithm updates. If you are an SEO nerd, check out this post in Search Engine Journal that documents Google algorithm updates all the way back to 2003. If you’re not a nerd, but are interested in a general understanding of the purpose of Google’s updates and how to align your SEO initiatives with them, please read on.
Google’s goal for its search ranking algorithms (yes, there are more than one) has consistently been to deliver the most relevant website pages to a search query on its search engine results pages (SERPs). Updates to the algorithms have typically focused on one or more of four basic factors:
- Content (e.g., this recent Core Update)
- Page Experience (e.g., the update from last year that included Core Web Vitals, Mobile Friendliness, Ad Experience, and other behavior signals)
- Link Profile (e.g., the Panda and Penguin updates that targeted and penalized websites with spammy links)
- Search Intent (e.g., BERT’s natural language processing algorithm that works to better understand and gauge the purpose of the search)
You may have also heard of Google’s “Experience-Authority-Trustworthiness” framework (often referred to as E-A-T) that is reportedly influencing the rankings of web pages using a combination of signals across all the above factors.
So if Google wants to keep its algorithm formulas secret, why does it publish/announce these updates when they are made? Because Google wants to continue to be successful in delivering relevant search results and needs our help to improve those results.
This is why DBE’s Real SEO practice combines Technical, On-Site Content, and Off-Site Authority signals to position clients’ websites to be found and ranked by Google algorithms… and why we have never been penalized by Google for black-hat practices in 20 years… and why we are never scared when Google announces its next update. We’re evolving our best practices right along with what we see Google is rewarding.
