The simple answer to how much you should try to stay in tune with Google algorithm updates is ‘very little’.
This might seem counter-intuitive but the truth is that Google updates its algorithms multiple times a year, as you can see from Search Engine Land’s attempt to follow them.
Google itself is mostly close-mouthed about what exactly the changes are, and quite often website owners see their traffic falling (or rising if you are very lucky) for no discernible reason. But if Google’s updates are so unpredictable, how can you keep your traffic up?
You simply need to run a top-quality website. One thing Google is dedicated to is providing the highest quality of user experience. This means if you focus on the same goal, you’ll be ‘in tune’ enough to get that organic search traffic you seek.
Your traffic might fall for a short while but SEO is a long-term game. Therefore, you should evaluate your traffic data from several months and compare it to the same period the previous year to see the true pattern.
Did your level of organic traffic drop in February-April? What does it matter if it’s up now and the total number for the first seven months of 2018 is already higher than in the same period of 2017? It’s this ‘big picture’ data that shows whether you are doing your SEO right.
Does It Mean Google Algorithm Updates Don’t Matter?
Google algorithm updates do matter, especially the major ones, like mobile-first indexing. If you want to succeed in your SEO strategy, you need to learn how to recognize a truly important update (these ones Google usually takes time to explain).
Minor algorithm changes can be overlooked for sticking with your long-term SEO strategy oriented on improving user experience.
Best Internet Marketing Practices to Boost Your Website No Matter What
1. Have more than one website to build up links
Running a couple of websites (or more) can boost your SEO as you’ll have a reliable source of backlinks. However, bear in mind that each website has to be good and unique.
Therefore, you’ll need to develop two sets of content and find a hosting service for two websites. Having one host will be more efficient and will make multiple website management easier.
This tool is most useful for businesses with several brands. You can also do a separate website for every product if they differ or one for each targeted audience. This way, you’ll be able to maximize SEO targeting.
2. Translate your website
Obtaining a high Google ranking is hard, but only if you target an English-speaking country. Translate your website into Spanish, French, or Italian, and you’ll see that keyword optimization provides much better results much faster.
Therefore, if you can, you should expand your business globally and have your website optimized in other languages. This won’t bring your traffic up too high, but it’ll give you a boost and open the road to a new market.
3. Maintain your website in top-condition
Broken links, 404 Errors, broken images, and outdated content are deadly enemies of your website. If you want to rank high with Google and keep visitors returning to your site for more, you have to ensure it’s in the best possible condition.
To achieve this you should ‘spring clean’ your content at least once a year. Make a list of all your URLs and see how much traffic each link gets using your web analytics tool.
Then add social media shares per page and backlinks. When you’re done, cut the useless pages that are dragging you down and redirect to more relevant ones if possible. This will allow you to keep your content in top shape.
Use tools like Broken Link Check and similar to find any other errors or broken links on your website and fix them fast. Check the site every few months.
