As the internet's leading search engine, Google constantly refines its algorithm to provide the most relevant and helpful results for your queries. They changed the algorithm for many reasons, but it seems recently that they really had to step up and change their algorithm because of a lot of abuse they started seeing from people who use AI for their content and optimization.
These changes can sometimes feel disruptive, particularly for those who rely heavily on search for business or information. However, understanding how the algorithm works and why it evolves allows you to adapt effectively and stay ahead of the curve. If you know what (broadly speaking) changed and what didn't, you can adjust your campaigns accordingly and even profit from these changes as others struggle to adapt!
So let's learn a bit about the algo, what changes happened (that we know of at least), and how to adjust to fit in with the changes in 2024!
Understanding the Algorithm
Algorithms are something that most affiliates have at least some experience with. It determines how well your ads work, how much you need to optimize them for them to reach the most people, and how much it costs you to reach the right audience.
To make it simple to understand, imagine a complex recipe with many ingredients – that's essentially what Google's algorithm is. These ingredients, called ranking factors, determine which websites appear at the top of your search results. While the exact recipe remains a secret, Google provides general insights into the factors it considers.
Here are some key components:
- Relevance: Does the webpage content directly address the user's search query?
- Quality: Is the content trustworthy, accurate, and well-written?
- User Experience: Is the website mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and free from intrusive ads?
- Backlinks: How many other websites link to the page, indicating its authority and value?
But there are many more factors that determine the ranking of your content. The tricky part is that most of them are completely hidden so that users can’t abuse the system in any way, or at least they are limited by how much they can abuse the system, which is why changes happen.
Why Does the Algorithm Change?
Google is always trying to find the best way to deliver the right content to its customers. We as advertisers might not like it, but they are after getting the best experience for the people who use Google as their top priority.
This means that they are trying to limit any fishy, unoptimized, and slow pages and push more legit, useful, and fast ones instead. This is done through something called an algorithm. This algorithm considers all sorts of parameters and creates a unique way of scoring and ordering pages based on a specific query.
We never know exactly what the algorithm takes into account and how much each of the aspects influences the hidden score. This is done so that exploits are harder to find and nobody knows how to beat the system. Even with that in place, some affiliates find ways to break the system and gain an unfair advantage. This is why Google, and other platforms, change their algo every once in a while.
Here are the main reasons they use to change the way it functions:
- Improving User Experience
Google tries to provide users with the information they need quickly and efficiently. Changes might prioritize mobile-friendly websites or favor content that directly answers user queries.
- Combating Spam and Manipulation
Unethical practices like keyword stuffing can inflate a website's ranking, creating a poor user experience. Google updates aim to identify and penalize such tactics.
- Emerging Trends
With the constant evolution of the internet, Google's algorithm needs to adapt to new formats and content types, like video searches or voice queries.
The bottom line: algorithm updates are designed to improve the quality and relevance of search results for everyone. Changes to it are constant, and staying on top of the changes is what differentiates the pros from beginners.
Adapting to Google Changes
While predicting the exact nature of future updates is impossible, here are some strategies to make sure you can adapt quickly and not be as negatively affected as others!
- Focus on High-Quality Content
Create informative, engaging, and well-written content that addresses your target audience's needs. Prioritize user experience by ensuring mobile-friendliness and clear navigation. If you can, try limiting AI content to a minimum, as Google is taking it into account, and will probably take it even more into account as the content base grows.
They already consider AI content as mostly spammy and not quality enough, so if you want to be safe, write your own content and make it quality.
- Build Backlinks Naturally
Earning backlinks from reputable websites demonstrates your content's value and authority. Focus on creating valuable content that people naturally want to link to, rather than engaging in link-building schemes.
You can do this by researching your competition in the space and try asking for backlinking in exchange for linking them to your site and vice versa. The more linked you are the better your trustworthy score is. Just, you should know that if you are linking with spammy and low-quality websites, your score will be lowered as well!
- Prioritize User Experience
Regularly analyze your website's user experience by using tools like Google Analytics. Make improvements to optimize the page loading speed, eliminate pop-ups, and ensure a smooth user journey on all devices.
One thing you need to optimize for is mobile devices. Google and other platforms pretty much only focus on mobile first and desktop second. So make sure your website is working as intended on phones and has everything set up correctly to ensure it loads fast.
- E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Google prioritizes websites that demonstrate expertise in their field. Build your reputation by creating high-quality content, showcasing author credentials, and establishing yourself as a reliable source. This also means you should build backlinks with reputable sources and make as many connections with different good sites as you can!
- Focus on User Intent
Understanding why users conduct specific searches can help you create content that directly addresses their needs. Think beyond keywords and delve deeper into user intent.
Some of these can even help you with the new AI features where they take a part of the text from your site and display it for specific queries through Gemini or AI Search (introduced a few days ago during Google IO)
- Embrace New Technologies
Stay informed about emerging technologies like voice search and visual search. Optimize your content for these evolving formats to ensure continued visibility.
AI is the current big thing, so research how to best optimize for it.
- Stay Informed
The best thing you can do is stay informed. Follow industry-related blogs (like ours), join forums, Reddit groups, Telegram channels, newsletters, and other news sources, and try staying on top of everything. You never know what exactly changes in these updates, but with enough people joining in and sharing experiences, you might get a rough idea.
By following these strategies, you can navigate Google's changes effectively. Remember, the core principle remains the same: prioritize high-quality content, user experience, and building trust online. This approach will position your website well for continued success in the ever-evolving world of search.
Conclusion
Google’s algorithm changes are nothing new, and they happen all the time. If you are trying to gain the system in some way they will try to limit that, so you always need to stay on top of your game to keep a good ranking.
On the other hand, if you do things as Google intends you to, optimize everything properly, and do the right things, then you should be fine in the long run! Remember, Google is trying to get the users the best experience it can, so their focus is on them!
What Google changes had the biggest impact on your pages? How did you adapt to these changes? Share your experience with us in the comments below!