Danny Sullivan from Google wrote an explainer on the Latest SEO updates and what the publishers should expect in the coming updates.
His write-up sheds light on the current Google update and addresses site recoveries and cautions against making radical changes to improve rankings. He also advised publishers whose rankings didn’t improve after the last update.
Google is Actively Improving the Algorithm
Sullivan shares that Google is actively working on its ranking algorithm and therefore more changes for the good are likely to be incorporated in the coming future. He was getting across the idea that they are trying to fill the gaps that are surfacing high-quality content from independent sites. This sounds good because the big brand sites don’t necessarily have the best answers.
He wrote:
the work to connect people with “a range of high-quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content” is not done with this latest update. We’re continuing to look at this area and how to improve further with future updates
Don’t Feel Left Behind
He extended his message to the publishers whose work failed to recover with the latest update and suggested, that they should be calm as Google is still working on surfacing more of the independent content and there may be a relief on the next go.
Danny advised:
if you’re feeling confused about what to do in terms of rankings…if you know you’re producing great content for your readers…If you know you’re producing it, keep doing that…it’s to us to keep working on our systems to better reward it.
Google Cautions Against “Improving” Sites
Danny interpreted a very interesting caution about the ones trying to improve rankings of something that’s already on page one to rank even higher. Tweaking a site to get from a lower position to a higher place has always been a risky thing. But Danny’s warning has got many ears up while adding a little pressure to not just think twice before trying to optimize a page for search engines but to think three times and then some more.
He cautioned that as the search results continue to change the sites that have made it to the top of the SERPs should consider it a win and let it ride instead of doing momentary changes to improve rankings to not let them get negatively impacted in a newly updated search index.
He wrote:
“If you’re showing in the top results for queries, that’s generally a sign that we really view your content well. Sometimes people then wonder how to move up a place or two. Rankings can and do change naturally over time. We recommend against making radical changes to try and move up a spot or two”
The Feedback Assists Improvements
He also talked about what Google did with all the feedback they received from the publishers who lost their rankings. All of the feedbacks were summarized with examples and sent to the search engineers to review and use them for further improvements.
He explained:
“I went through it all, by hand, to ensure all the sites who submitted were indeed heard. You were, and you continue to be. …I summarized all that feedback, pulling out some of the compelling examples of where our systems could do a better job, especially in terms of rewarding open web creators. Our search engineers have reviewed it and continue to review it, along with other feedback we receive, to see how we can make search better for everyone, including creators.”
Feedback Itself Didn’t Lead to Recovery
Danny also pointed out that the sites that recovered their rankings did not do so because they submitted feedback to Google. He did not elaborate on this point but the previous statements about Google’s algorithms that they implement fixes at scale confirm it.
So, it’s more about figuring out the authenticity of the problem, its symptoms and impacts at a wide scale, and how the changes can be incorporated for everybody with the same problem. Keeping the whole process entirely transparent.
Danny wrote:
“No one who submitted, by the way, got some type of recovery in Search because they submitted. Our systems don’t work that way.”
Takeaways
Google’s work on its algorithm is ongoing:
Danny emphasized that it’s an ongoing process and Google continues to tune its algorithms to improve its ability to rank high-quality content, especially from smaller publishers.
What content creators should focus on:
Danny’s statement encouraged publishers to focus on consistently creating high-quality content and not to focus on optimizing for algorithms.
What should publishers do if their high-quality content isn’t yet rewarded with better rankings
Publishers who are certain of the quality of their content are encouraged to hold steady and keep it coming because Google’s algorithms are still being refined.
As one of the leading SEO agencies in Pakistan, Adaxiom commits to implementing the best SEO practices complying with the latest Google updates.
Source: Search Engine Journal