Google made big waves in 2011, as founder Larry Page stepped up as CEO and brought with him a slew of decisions, of which some were praised, some criticised and some that made little sense (the Motorola buyout comes to mind).
The latest flurries of panicked reactions are to Google’s announcement of a new search algorithm. If you’re worrying about how this is going to adversely affect your blog, stop now.
“Fresh” Personalised Content
The latest change quite simply seeks to make the “freshest” or newest searches more relevant.
Which means that if you’re blogging about something current, in a personal way, recounting a first-hand experience or providing information or products that are what people are looking for and can connect to right now, then this change should, in effect, benefit you.
Users want to read stories like yours and Google’s algorithm aims to compile the sheer volume of content being produced online to give users what they want. If you’re already doing all the right things, then there’s really no need to get yourself in a twist and attempt to adapt to Google’s latest changes by looking for new methods.
The importance of metrics or lack thereof
If you have heard of and calculate your blog’s “search engine visibility index” and the numbers are disheartening, don’t let it get to you.
In his article on AdAge, Kevin Ryan rather aptly describes them as “about as reliable as a sundial at midnight”. There are simply too many variables and it attempts to point in the direction of an unpredictable answer.
The demand for information online is dynamic and constantly growing. So checking visibility reports as often as every day is simply tedious, especially considering that it’s not precise enough. It’s simpler and definitely more satisfying in the long run to simply continue producing content that people can connect with.
In conclusion, adjustments and changes to the way the web giant’s search algorithms function have been made almost continuously since it first developed. Keep producing new, interesting, original content as you have.
Your consistency is what draws people back.
The more people that read and share your work across social networks, the greater your visibility. And who knows, by next week, Google’s next search algorithm will introduce a change that will work in your benefit!
Following the positive feedback received from Google Instant which searches while you type, Google have recently released Instant Preview with the primary goal of reducing searching time for users.
