Google reportedly made over 3000 changes to its search algorithms in 2018.
Some changes are small and don’t really affect the search rankings at all. But some are more obvious and change the way users interact with search results, which naturally has lead to some hot-under-the-collar responses from SEO experts.

So far in 2019, there have been large updates in March and June. Smaller updates are likely but won’t be announced in the same way as these large core updates. While the changes will affect every website differently, there are a number of factors that are going to be congruent to all websites.

What has changed in Google Search in 2019?

• Most websites did not show significant changes in traffic after the previous updates in 2018, although there were some that were older that suffered.
• Quality content - in other words, interesting and useful content - is still a key factor for Google rankings. This does not mean a vast quantity of content though!
• If you have recently changed domains but relaunched with the same content, you will have seen the negative impact of the algorithm changes in your traffic results.
• Long form lists will have dropped in the organic search results ie. “100 Ways to…”
• Sites that publish new, quality content regularly tend to do better in search results.
• Updating and optimizing content is still really important, but shouldn’t be undertaken as a stand-alone activity.
• Authoritative brands and websites are ranked because users like the content they provide. This causes the links from these sites to carry more weight. Links continue to be a factor to consider.
• Links only provide a relevance rating when Google can identify what the page is about and what the users like about the page through the keywords and links on the page.
• Google is focusing on user satisfaction/user experience more and more. Thus your site needs to think about what the user will be searching and how the site will answer that search query.
• Featured snippets (under People Also Ask in search results) are increasing in popularity, focusing on your keywords.

Keys to SEO Success

Your website is a multi-purpose tool. Not only should it be a sales tool, but it needs to focus on being search engine friendly and user-focused. Google is continually changing the way users are interacting with search results. A lot more focus is given to certain types of content that are not necessarily just keywords. Your website should be a source of profitability for your business.

Google Ads take into account your expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. This determines what ads will be served to searchers. These days the search results are links to websites, but also display ads, text ads, video ads, featured snippets, images and your Google My Business page. DMM has previously given you the reasons for focusing on your SEO.

Achieving success is an ongoing process since there are frequently new things to consider. Right now, the user experience on your website is the number one focus for SEO experts. With this in mind, Dynamic Multi Media have created a guide to help you work through your website’s user experience and see what your clients see.