Google Algorithm Updates March, April & August
In an effort to avail quality content to searchers, Google frequently makes changes to its search algorithms.
The changes can be many and secretive to some extent such that website designers may struggle to keep up with them. The silver lining though is that we have researched and came up with this piece which should help any website owner interested in ranking highly among search engine results.
Recent updates by Google particularly in August, April and March are the most significant. While several reviews have been written covering the various aspect of the update, few focus on brand authority which is one of the highly regarded ranking factors according to August’s update. While the updates may see some sites drop in rankings, it does not mean that they are bad sites but rather they are not so relevant to a particular search query. One of the reasons why they may drop is because their content might not be relevant due to not addressing the changing needs of searchers.
As for the updates in March and April, reviewers overlooked the significance of depth and breadth when it comes to SEO. The sites with a lot of content that comprehensively satisfied search queries, not only the main topic but also subtopics that could interest a searcher, were beneficiaries of this update. Similarly, those that were on topic or created by experts of the matter at hand improved in their rankings.
Following the update in August, sites that rank highly are those that are dedicated to expertise, authority, and trust or (E-A-T). In expertise, content has to be written by experts on the topic while authority is achieved by citing and having outbound links to authoritative research and looking out for your brand among others. The latest update was as a result of modifications courtesy of the earlier updates though little information was provided by Google.
Search algorithms are always improving and the key to these improvements is feedback. After the updates in March and April, Google got the responses from the updates and made changes hence came up with the August updates. Those sites that suffered in the earlier updates sort of bounced back with August’s update. The hit was due to lack of breadth and depth in their content and their recovery can be attributed to Google highly perceiving brand authority in the latest update in August.
With the updates, Google is basically responding to the needs of searchers engine users. While Google may prioritize quality, relevant content, the focus is on the searcher who may at times opt to get slightly substandard content but from a brand they trust. This is why the August update focused more on making brand authority a key ranking factor.
While those that took a hit with the earlier updates rose through the ranks, those that reaped from the earlier updates continued to soar higher even with the August update. This came as a reprieve to website owners who focused on providing quality rich in depth and breadth while carrying a bit of brand authority.
While brand authority was a key ranking factor in August’s update, it was by far not the only factor. Some other factors were considered and brand authority was just one of them. Other than E-A-T, websites should continue to improve their user experience and content if they want to perform better even when algorithms are frequently changing.
