The Ultimate Google Algorithm Cheat Sheet – 2023
For online retailers, it can seem that getting found on Google is an insurmountable challenge. The Google Algorithm changes daily – at least in a minor way – and major changes happen a couple of times a year. Keeping up with all the changes seems like an impossible task. That being said, ignoring the impact that Google and other search engines have in providing customers with a way to find you – means ignoring the role they play in driving traffic to your website.
Google’s algorithm determines which websites are displayed in search engine results pages (SERPs). It also determines the order, based on a variety of factors such as relevance, popularity, and authority. Small online retailers need to understand how Google’s algorithm works so they can optimize their websites and content. Doing so helps sites to appear higher in the search results, increasing the chances of being discovered by potential customers.
By understanding the algorithm, small online retailers can also avoid being penalized by Google for violating its guidelines, which can result in lower rankings or even being removed from the search results altogether.
What Do We Know About the Google Algorithm’s Ranking Factors?
There’s only so much we know about Google’s ranking algorithm because Google won’t reveal its top ranking factors. In other words, no one’s entirely sure what boxes to tick to secure a first-page ranking. That said, here’s a rundown of the ranking factors we do know about:
- Page speed: Google search changes concerning page speed might affect you if your website is slow to load because slow websites offer a poor user experience.
- Content relevance: Although you shouldn’t stuff your website with keywords, you should use some relevant keywords and create relevant content around those terms.
- Site design: Your website should be user-friendly and easy to navigate.
- Link quality: If you want to rank on Google, then ensure you only link to informative, relevant content. Irrelevant links may be affected.
- Mobile-friendliness: Google uses the mobile version of your website for ranking and indexing, which means “mobile-friendliness” is a ranking factor.
- HTTPS status: Generally, Google prefers secure websites since they’re more trustworthy. HTTPS is more secure than HTTP, so having an SSL certificate can help your ranking.
- User engagement: Finally, Google search changes might negatively affect websites with high bounce rates and few return visitors because the pages may be low quality.
(Source: neilpatel.com/blog)
How to Succeed With Google’s Algorithm
Ready to tackle Google’s algorithm and boost your page rankings? Try these 13 Google search hacks.
- Optimize for mobile
- Audit your inbound links
- Boost user engagement
- Decrease site load time
- Avoid duplicate content
- Create informative content
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Don’t over-optimize
- Improve site navigation
- Increase page security
- Update and refresh old content
- Monitor your website metrics frequently
- Use external Google Update Algorithm trackers
For more detail about each of these 13 Google search hacks – see the full article (link below)
Here’s the link to the full article at neilpatel.com: The Ultimate Google Algorithm Cheat Sheet
