Google Updates in 2018
Software engineers developing applications together in office
For a cleaning and restoration company, successful online marketing is key in attracting new customers and retaining the old and loyal ones. In order for digital marketing to be a successful tool, it must be used properly. How? Become really, really good friends with Google. The trick with this is that volatility in requirements for a good search ranking is high. It takes an attentive person to be aware of changes and to respond appropriately.
Google steadily and quietly makes changes to its algorithms—about every day. These changes rarely affect search rankings. Occasionally, Google will roll out massive changes (like the notable Penguin and Panda updates) that significantly alter the search criteria for a top-notch website. This post will explore the different updates in 2018, what they mean, and how they can affect your cleaning and restoration company.
- Mobile-first index
Google has confirmed that a new mobile-first index will be leading the search requirements. To support an increasing number of mobile users, Google is experimenting with requiring a mobile version of a website to be crawled and ranked, rather than the desktop version. Currently, this update does not have an official name. Google has announced that this index is being used jointly with the original desktop index, but assuming the update rolls out smoothly, the company will eventually switch to just one method—mobile first.
How will this Affect Site Traffic?
Hopefully, it won’t. Google executives have announced that the purpose of this update is not to punish already high-ranking sites. It is to champion sites that are being under-recognized. This will merely increase user experience as more and more people embrace mobile searches.
However, in the coming months, it will be important to have an easy-to-use, high-quality mobile site. Great content and ease-of-use are a must. Make sure quick links are in place and working properly. If you don’t have a mobile version, crawlers will continue to search your desktop version, but if you’re interested in piloting a mobile version of your site (it’s probably about time), contact Spot on Solutions for details and help.
- March 4th update
This update is described by Google as a “core” update. Websites started seeing impacts in the week following the update. However, many changes have been a positive increase in site traffic. Although details on this update are limited, we know that it involves rewarding high-quality sites more than they are currently being rewarded. Although Google claims this update isn’t meant to punish certain web behaviors, it will be positively reinforcing great content.
Google continues to remind the SEO world that the only surefire way to rank high and increase site traffic is to work hard to consistently have meaningful, relevant, and appropriate content for your target audience. So, while the Google world continues to shift and move and breathe with new updates, rest assured that if your website contains exceptional content, you and Google will be on the same page.
