Sites Lose Rankings in Core Update
Why Some Sites Lose Rankings in Core Update. Google’s John Mueller says fixing technical issues and disavowing random spam links won’t fix core update-related ranking problems. The online blog, Search Engine Journal recently carried a post stating that Google’s John Mueller answered a question in the SEO Office-hours hangout about recovering from a core algorithm update. His main point was to rule out random spammy backlinks or technical issues as reasons why a site would lose search visibility after a Google core update. Then Mueller explained what a core algorithm is mostly about and where affected sites should focus their attention in order to better understand what kinds of changes might be needed. Website Lost Rankings in July 2021 Core Update The person asking the question related that they have three online pharmacies in Switzerland. One of the sites received a significant number of random spammy backlinks, backlinks for which they weren’t responsible. He mentioned that in a previous conversation John Mueller had reassured him that Google could deal with those links. Nevertheless, the site lost search rankings and traffic after the July 2021 Core Update, while the other two sites doubled their traffic and visibility. They tried fixing the site by addressing technical problems and also uploading a disavow file but the site never improved and continues with a reduced search presence. The person asking the question asserted his belief that they lost rankings in the core algorithm update because of those spammy backlinks. A Strong Loss of Rankings Takes Longer to Recover The next part of Mueller’s answer addresses those sites whose rankings took a significant hit. For those kinds of sites, they may have to wait. Mueller continued: “But if it was a really strong adjustment with a core update then you probably need to wait until the next core update to see those changes.” Disavow Files Will Not Help Core Update Issues Mueller next makes it clear that uploading a disavow file will not solve issues experienced from a core update. Mueller: “And because I don’t think it would be related to the spammy backlinks, I don’t think disavowing those backlinks would change anything there. It’s really a matter of us trying to figure out what the relevance of the site is overall. And that’s something that almost relies on the overall site’s quality.” Identify Issues Related to Relevance Mueller next underlined the idea of focusing on overall relevance. Mueller continued his answer: “And I imagine it’s tricky if you have multiple shops that are fairly similar in that it’s probably not the case that one of them is really bad and the other ones are really good. But it might still be something where you can use maybe user studies to figure out what are the differences, what are things that you could do to make it clear that this site is particularly relevant.” YMYL Sites Face a More Critical Algorithm Mueller next mentioned that sites that are in sensitive topics, known as Your Money Your Life (YMYL) sites, like those in the health sector, are going to face more a more “critical” algorithm. Mueller: “And I think especially with regards to websites like pharmacies, it is something where our algorithms probably try to be a little bit more critical just because …there’s just so much more involved. It’s not a random website that has a story and a funny picture. It’s like people’s health that’s involved.” Technical Issues Not Source of Core Update Ranking Problems The person who asked the question mentioned they were trying to fix 404 and other technical issues. Mueller followed up his answer to make it clear that technical issues do not play a role in ranking problems associated with a core algorithm update. Mueller said: “Especially with regards to things like 404 pages and technical issues, that would not be related to core updates. So core updates are really more about understanding your site’s overall quality and its relevance and less about technical issues and less about spam.” Affected by a Google Core Update? There’s a lot of information there that is helpful for identifying where to focus for improving after a core update and where not not waste your time. Some key takeaways from Mueller’s answer: >>> Uploading a disavow file is futile for fixing core update related rankings collapse >>> Fixing technical issues will not solve core update ranking problems >>> Overall quality and relevance to the topic are important areas to examine >>> A strongly impacted website may have to wait for the next core update to see an improvement >>> Google’s stance on core updates has generally been that there is nothing to fix. But Mueller also says that the core update generally focuses on relevance and overall quality, which is a good thing to know.
Google Launching Updated PageSpeed Insights
Google Launching Updated PageSpeed Insights. Google is launching a new version of PageSpeed Insights that aims to address many of the challenges of the existing version. One of the biggest problems with PageSpeed Insights is how data is presented. There’s no clear separation between lab data and field data. People who are new to PageSpeed Insights may not understand the context of the data they’re looking at, which makes it difficult to know what to do with it. Many “how to” blog posts have been written on the subject of interpreting the PageSpeed Insights report, which is mainly due to the confusion created by its design. The version of PageSpeed Insights that’s on the web today is using 10-year-old code, and Google says it’s time for a redesign. With the update rolling out later this year, Google hopes to make interpreting the report easier for developers so they can quickly act on the insights included in it. Google’s primary goals with the upcoming PageSpeed Insights revamp include: • Make the UI more intuitive by differentiating between lab data and field data. • Communicate how the Core Web Vitals assessment is calculated in the UI. • Modernize the look and feel of the UI by leveraging material design. Here’s more about what Google has planned for the new version of one of its oldest tools. Updates Coming to Google PageSpeed Insights Google is rolling out the following updates to PageSpeed Insights later this year: • Separation of field and lab data: Existing labels for “Field Data” and “Lab data” are getting replaced with text that indicates what the data means and how it can help. • Core Web Vitals assessment: Google’s CWV assessment appears as a single word “passed” or “failed.” The updated assessment will appear in a separate subsection with its own icon. • Labels for mobile and desktop performance: Google is changing the navigation menu at the top to include links for mobile and desktop on the report page. • Origin Summary: Google is moving this report section to a new tab, “Origin”, under the Field Data section. • Expand view: A new “expand view” feature adds a function to the field data section that allows users to view granular details for the Core Web Vitals metrics. • Page image: Google is removing the image of the loaded page from its current location. The image and thumbnails will both be available in the lab data section. Source: web.dev
Google Offers a Definition of Quality Content
Google Offers a Definition of Quality Content. Google’s John Mueller offered a definition of what quality content means that is surprisingly different than what is commonly understood. Google’s John Mueller offered a broader definition of what content quality really means. His definition expands on what it means to have quality content and can help publishers who are experiencing issues with content quality. Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness In general, when the SEO industry focuses on content quality they’re often focusing on improving things related to E-A-T, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. The definition of content quality that Mueller shared encompasses E-A-T and even goes beyond that. Content Quality is Important Content quality can affect a site’s rankings both positively and negatively. It can even cause Google to not trust a site and not display rich results from the website. Over the years the SEO industry has focused on author signals, the quantity of advertising on the page, and the text of the content itself. But what Mueller said about content quality encompasses those signals and extends even further. The question asked was “I know it’s been said before that making technical improvements is less important to SEO than having quality content.” John Mueller addressed the issue of quality content to explain that it’s more than just text. He said: “When it comes to the quality of the content, we don’t mean like just the text of your articles. It’s really the quality of your overall website. And that includes everything from the layout to the design. Like, how you have things presented on your pages, how you integrate images, how you work with speed, all of those factors they kind of come into play there.” Google has been saying for years that images are important and published developer pages about optimising images and how to use those properly for SEO. Many people in the SEO industry have discounted the importance of page speed but Mueller says that page speed contributes to how Google views content quality. Most importantly, he points out how all of it is presented on the page also has an impact on how Google views content quality. This is a big deal because it expands on the definition of what it means to have high quality content. Mueller continued his explanation: “So it’s not the case that we would look at just purely the text of the article and ignore everything else around it and say, oh this is high quality text. We really want to look at the website overall.” So, according to Google, quality content means far more than just the text. It includes the images, layout, how everything is presented, page speed and other factors, some of which relates to the user experience and how information is delivered to a site visitor.
The 3 Pillars of SEO – Authority, Trust, and Expertise
The Three Pillars of SEO – Authority, Trust, and Expertise. Earning the Trust of the Search Engines. Utilize the 3 Pillars of SEO – Authority, Trust, and Expertise. Authority is the strongest of all three pillars. The search engines will rank your site higher if you have more authority than other sites in your niche because they want to provide their users with the best possible experience when searching for products or information. So it makes sense that a website about fly fishing would be top of the listing than that which isn’t as authoritative on the subject. Trust comes second among these three SEO pillars, but it’s still essential. Think about how many times you’ve clicked through from Google only to find out that the promises in an advertisement were not what you were looking for. Expertise is the last of the three pillars, but you shouldn’t overshadow it by other SEO factors. Don’t make assumptions; gather as much information about your niche as possible to determine whether you have the expertise to provide quality information and content. The Fastest Way To Build Authority Through SEO It’s no secret that search engines are looking for ways to reward people who provide valuable content. The higher your site ranks in the organic results, the more likely you’re adding value to users’ lives. The faster they can find what they need and move on with their life, the happier both parties will be. You’ll also notice that the first pages of results usually have huge, high-quality news sites. It’s because these outlets produce relevant content daily and have invested time into earning authority. They’ve built up enough trust to where Google deems their information valuable; therefore, they’re ranked higher than thousands of blogs containing similar information but lack the volume or reputation to match them. The key is developing an SEO strategy that supports your business goals while simultaneously building relationships with search engines over time – all without manipulating rankings through “black hat” tactics like keyword stuffing. Once you do this, it becomes much easier for your site to rise in the ranks without waiting years before seeing positive results. Areas Where a Site Can Build Trust and Authority Google, Bing, and other search engines are always trying to provide the best results for their users. As a result, they spend millions of dollars on research to present valuable information to people searching online. One way that Google builds trust with its users is by creating what it calls “featured snippets,” or sometimes called a “knowledge graph.” A featured snippet appears at the top of some searches as an answer box containing content directly from your website, which you have optimized for specific keywords related to your business niche. The knowledge graph acts just like a featured snippet, except it contains direct answers extracted from Wikipedia articles rather than being explicitly customized for each user’s needs based upon the keywords they searched for. Determining Factors of Authority, Trust, and Expertise Determining what makes a high-quality webpage is as simple as knowing the search engine algorithm. While many factors go into determining your website’s value, here are the three main factors: >>> Authority provides information about how trusted and reliable you are online >>> Trust analyzes if users trust your site >>> Expertise measures whether you know what you’re talking about (and therefore provides valuable content) It’s no secret that Google wants to return results for search queries that provide the best, most relevant information to its users. That’s why being an authority on your topic is so essential for SEO success. If Google can’t trust your site as a source of accurate and reliable information, Google won’t show your site in search results. Create Trust With Quality One way to gain the search engine’s trust is to ensure that the content on your site is informative, valuable, and user-friendly. You can also earn trust by ensuring that you have a reliable website with well-written meta tags and titles, which help users easily find your pages through search engines. The more trustworthy you are as a business or blogger, the better it will be for ranking in Google’s SERPs. However, it may take several months to build up enough authority to start seeing some decent rankings. Always Update Your Content It is essential to update your content continually. If you don’t, the search engines will suspect that there isn’t enough activity for them to rank it as high as other pages on the web. They determine whether a page should rank higher than another one by looking at how many links point back towards that site and whether those links are recent or need further updates. Create High-Quality Content Search engines can recognise if your content is high quality or not and will be ranked accordingly. Therefore, it’s essential to create unique, relevant posts that are long and easy to read by users and search bots. A blog post should include keywords related to your niche but also should provide value to the reader. The more relevant content you create, the better your website will rank on search engines and bring in higher traffic. However, it’s also essential to avoid over-optimising keywords because too many of them can hurt your ranking. Opt for Google Advertising It’s no secret that Google is the most popular search engine on planet earth. With millions of people using their services every day, it has become one of history’s most prominent and most influential companies. But more than just a tool for simple searches, Google serves as an advertising platform – where businesses pay to display ads on top of organic results. Clean Up Your Mistakes Keeping your blog post content clean and concise is the best way to earn your search engine’s trust. Visitors will likely find their way to your blog because they are looking for a solution or information related to a particular topic. Link Building SEO is a tricky business. One
On Page SEO and Off Page SEO
What is On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO? Both on-page and off-page SEO are essential for effective Digital Marketing. In basic terms, digital marketing is a term that essentially covers all campaigns and elements that utilise online technologies or communications to promote the business or its products. Digital marketing can extend to a range of digital channels in a bid to connect with both existing and prospective clients. Digital marketing may be focused on lead generation and sales conversions, or it might target brand awareness and increasing the visibility among target audiences, including local SEO projects. A comprehensive strategy should achieve to do all of those things and much more. An Effective SEO Strategy If you own a website to generate business, then you know that search engine optimisation (SEO) is important. The goal is to improve your page range in search results so that it will more likely appear before your target audience. Common SEO tactics include implementing proper metadata, targeting the correct keywords, and creating high-quality, authoritative content. Two other vital parts of an effective SEO strategy are on-page SEO and off-page SEO. If you’ve ever wondered what these refer to, we’re digging into it in this article. Keep reading to learn about the differences between on-page and off-page SEO and how to leverage both versions for greater SEO success. On-Page SEO On-page SEO refers to SEO strategies you can control either on your website’s backend or through visible content on your website to help improve search rank. Here are examples of common on-page SEO tactics: >>> Optimise HTML code >>> Craft quality content >>> Implement relevant keywords—both short and long tail >>> Format metadata to improve visibility in search results Off-Page SEO In contrast to on-page SEO, off-page SEO refers to all the other factors that can impact your search rank, but these are ones that you usually can’t control. They include back links, customer reviews on other platforms, social media, and even link relevancy. You can’t control what consumers write on review aggregator sites, nor can you manipulate SEO on social media sites where you have an active account. And along the same lines, you don’t always control which website’s link to your pages. For example, if a website that’s notorious for spam or low-quality content links to you, that can hurt you even if you’ve done nothing wrong. What to Remember About On-Page vs Off-Page SEO While on-page SEO is weighted heavily by search giants like Google, it’s still important to pay attention to off-page SEO and periodically make strides to expand your reach in that domain. But remember that a strong off-page SEO strategy can’t offset a poor on-page one. So, before you worry about what’s happening off-site, make sure your website is optimised first.
Create Fewer Strong Articles or Multiple Articles?
Create Fewer Strong Articles or Multiple Articles? Google’s John Mueller was asked a question about creating keyword-targeted content. The question answered in the Search Engine Journal, is about keyword targeting and if all the related keywords should be included in an article targeting the one main keyword or if those additional keywords should be split off to target those keywords individually. John Mueller replied that: “You can do it, either way, it’s more of a strategic decision, I think. In general, what you are balancing is making pages that are specific for individual topics and making pages that are more general but where you have fewer pages. So you’re kind of balancing many pages versus fewer pages. And if you have fewer pages, generally those few pages tend to be a little bit stronger. Whereas if you have a lot of pages then it’s like the value is spread out a little bit more. So if there are specific topics where the competition is stronger then you want to have very strong pages, so maybe fewer pages. If you are targeting areas where the competition is not so strong then maybe having more pages is fine. So that’s kind of the balance that you would try to take there. If you’re starting out, probably having fewer pages is a good idea so that you can be as strong as possible in that area. And then over time as you see like we’re very good here, you can split off individual pages for more niche topics.” How to Make Google Prefer the Important Content The initial question was followed up with another one, this time asking that if the developer builds all this content how can he make Google give priority to their most important content with the transactional intent? His answer: “You can’t give any priority for them but you can help with internal linking. So within your website, you can really highlight the pages that you want to have highlighted more and make sure that they’re really well-linked internally. And maybe the pages you don’t find that important make sure that they’re a little less well-linked internally. Usually, with internal linking you can think of it as the important pages you would have linked from your home page and the less important pages are linked from like a category or subcategory page, something like that. So that when we look at your site we see, oh the home page is very important and the home page points at these five pages, so these five pages are almost as important as the home page and then from there kind of the value is spread out. And that’s kind of the way that you can help us to figure out which pages you think are important. It doesn’t mean we will always follow that. But it’s a good way to give that kind of information.” Many publishers have an important page for conversions and less important pages that are more informational that might drive traffic back to the more important page. But sometimes things go sideways and Google might begin preferring the less important page. As John Mueller indicated, internal linking patterns are one way to give Google a clue about which page is more important. And if those important pages are difficult to obtain external links into them then the less important pages can serve as link magnets that attract links to themselves and then link back to the important pages. That way the internal linking continually points to the important page in support of it.
Effective & Affordable SEO Services
Effective & Affordable SEO Services. Getting found in local Google search results has always been important, however, it has just become even more vital! With the explosion of mobile phones, mobile search has now actually taken over desktop search. Just starting up your own business? Maybe you are already running an established local business in but want an online presence and to raise the profile of your brand? Effective & Affordable SEO Services It’s critical that your business is found in search results, maps, and local directories if your customers are local. With the increased popularity of smartphones, searching for businesses that are convenient to a location has far surpassed traditional marketing like the print yellow pages. 87% of people who search for a local business are known to call or go to that type of local business within 24 hours. Direct Submit uses an effective and affordable search engine optimisation process that works. Remember, people are searching for what you offer and we deploy strategies that not only generate visitors but help grow your online presence and improve lead generation. We also work with a number of class-leading tools that help you rank higher and grow your local search visibility. Our local SEO process includes submitting and updating your business information and physical locations on Google, Bing & Yahoo along with countless other directories like Yelp and Foursquare. Citations are an online reference to a business that features the business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP). Having correct NAP details for all your listings across the Internet is crucial for local SEO. Google scans all these listings when searching for information about your business. The data is stored and used when determining ranking. SEO isn’t just black and white and what works for one project won’t necessarily work for the next. As an ethical digital marketing agency, we take a fresh approach to each campaign and our strategies take into account both Google’s ranking factors and the needs of your business. Better rankings will mean more traffic & your business will grow. We’ve been helping ambitious brands improve their online presence and search visibility since 2002. Don’t hesitate and call Direct Submit today on 0845 272 2350 or fill out our consultation request form for a free SEO consultation.
How Long Does it Take to See SEO results
How Long Does it Take to See SEO results? Generally speaking, we recommend sticking with an SEO campaign for at least 6 months, which should be enough time to see noticeable improvement for most niches. However, usually, it is possible to see at least some initial results within 2-3 months, especially if you are not ranking due to technical issues and/or poor optimisation – both of which can usually be fixed within the first month or two, depending on the size of the site and the depth of the issues. You need to wait between 9 and 12 months to see positive results from effective, detailed, and well-structured SEO work; creating it, implementing it, and then leaving it to work its magic whilst quietly observing it. This is why SEO is a long-term solution. SEO Requires a Realistic Timeline Frustrating as this may feel, the answer to the question ‘how long does SEO take to work?’ is: it depends on many different factors. There are multiple variables to take into account. Content, website design, domain name/ URL, onsite errors, domain age, page speed, the online competitiveness of the industry and target market are all but a few variable factors that will impact how effective a website is at ranking in search engines and how long SEO takes to work. SEO requires a team effort and a realistic timeline which allows for both long-term marketing strategy and short-term website tasks. Search engine analysts work meticulously to fix current problems, prevent future website issues, and improve website quality. Although it’s a long-term solution, and will take a lot of time, work, and patience, it’s an incredibly powerful, long-term solution to a long-term need. Our SEO service uses strategies that will help your website rank in search results raising your online presence. We drive growth, increase conversion rates, generate leads, improve sales, and help achieve core business goals. So, if you are keen to start focusing on your business’s SEO and do all you can to optimise your site in order to rank as highly as possible, contact us today. Given a little time, you’ll definitely see an increase in brand exposure, page views, and ultimately, sales.
Google Link Spam Update July 2021
Google Link Spam Update July 2021. A new Google algorithm update that will aim at spam links will is rolling out right now. What will be the core of that update and what website’s will be affected? On 26th July 2021, Google announced a new update concerning spam links. According to Duy Nguyen – a Google search quality analyst, the change is going to be wide and include many languages. So what’s the new spam links update about? Google wrote “in our continued efforts to improve the quality of the search results, we’re launching a new link spam fighting change today — which we call the “link spam update.” This algorithm update, which will rollout across the next two weeks, is even more effective at identifying and nullifying link spam more broadly, across multiple languages. Sites taking part in link spam will see changes in Search as those links are re-assessed by our algorithms.” The latest update’s job is to identify spam links and ignore those in the evaluation of the website they lead to. It means that a website that has many low-quality back links won’t be penalised, but instead, all those links will be ignored. However, in fact, this may cause such website’s to lose their ranks in search results. It’s the continuation of the approach brought to the Google search engine by Penguin 4.0. “In our continued efforts to improve the quality of the search results, we’re launching a new link spam fighting change today — which we call the “link spam update.” This algorithm update, which will rollout across the next two weeks, is even more effective at identifying and nullifying link spam more broadly, across multiple languages. Sites taking part in link spam will see changes in Search as those links are re-assessed by our algorithms”. Guidelines for the linking process remain the same: Affiliate links are ok. In other words, if someone willingly places your link on their website for commercial purposes – that’s perfectly fine. Google encourages to tag such links with rel=”sponsored” attribute. Sponsored links and guest posts are also fine unless they violate link scheme guidelines. What not to do: > Don’t buy links transferring PageRank – in general, don’t buy links that are not sponsored posts, it won’t pay off. > Don’t go for large-scale link exchanges (“I’ll link to your site, you’ll link to mine” thing. A few such links won’t affect your website, but don’t go all-in for that tactic. > Don’t overdo links in sponsored and guest posts, be especially careful with anchors. One link is totally enough. > Don’t use automated link creators. > Don’t require a link as a part of a Terms of Service, contract, or other cooperation of this kind, especially when not allowing third-party to qualify the outbound link. If you see ranking declines in Google over the next two weeks, it might be related to this new link spam update. Make sure your links are natural and in accordance with Google’s webmaster guidelines. Work on improving your website, so it can naturally attract new links over time.
Choose a 5-star SEO Agency to Promote Your Business
Choose an SEO Agency to Promote Your Business. With searchers moving online, more and more people rely on search engines to provide relevant, helpful, and informative content. As a result, Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is now one of the most effective tools for businesses looking to grow online. Working with Direct Submit gives you access to our SEO expertise and considerable experience. Choose a 5-star SEO Agency to Promote Your Business A Digital Marketing company who use their knowledge and skills to transform your website into an engaging, effortless and exciting storefront, and raise awareness about your brand through several key SEO methods, including: • Keyword research, analysis & identification • Website structuring • Backlink building • Cross-linking • Producing well-written content • PPC and AdWords campaigns • Directory management • And more! Collectively, these aspects of SEO help boost your rankings by engaging your target audience and pushing organic traffic. Further, if key elements are missing, such as proper meta descriptions or consistent contact information, your business may unnecessarily remain behind the competition and have trouble reaching its full potential. So, if you’re looking for help in netting those top-ranked positions in the organic search results without having to spend fortunes on paid ads. You’ve come to the right place. Direct Submit is a 5-star rated SEO agency with proven results. We help North East & UK businesses generate low-cost, high converting leads on Google to maximise ROI and increase sales. If you want to reach the top quickly using risk-free strategies that are proven to work as a long-term investment, our highly rated SEO services are just what you need. Contact us today on 0845 2722350 and get your online marketing project moving.