Google is by far the most leveraged search engine in the U.S., processing more than 64% of all search requests. It is for this reason that we dedicate this post to keeping track of the changes that Google makes to its algorithm.
Assuming we accept that Google is indeed the Kingmaker of search (controlling which web sites are seen and which aren’t), then it is critical to keep up with Google algorithm changes as they have a direct impact on organic SEO marketing.
This post is updated periodically with the most recent updates to Google’s Algorithm appearing toward the top of the content space.
Google Makes First Update to Panda in Ten Months
July 24, 2015
This is important news for folks seeking to organically rank their web sites in Google. The expectation is that this will impact up to 3% of all searches in Google and that the changes will roll out slowly. The slow roll out means that it could take several months before any impact is noticed.
If you haven’t been keeping track, the last update to Panda had a huge impact on search because Google’s algorithm was specifically changed to favor better quality 100% unique content posted in smaller sites.
The last change was good news for anyone who has followed our ongoing advice of posting fresh, changing, relevant, and unique content to their web sites on a regular basis.
Our expectation is that this most recent change to Google Panda will continue this trend of emphasizing quality content. So our advice given the change is to keep pushing forward with targeted, researched, relevant content designed to build the authority of your domain.
Google Says your site will suffer in SEO if it isn’t mobile friendly as of April 21, 2015.
March 18, 2015
After a couple of years of predicting it was going to happen, Google has officially announced that their SEO analysis will take mobile-friendliness into consideration as of April 21.
Google has stated that these updates will have a “significant impact” on mobile search results for mobile searchers. Sites that are deemed mobile un-friendly will be demoted in results. (Google has also stated that the detection is nearly instant. If you miss the April 21 deadline and your site is demoted, you can regain some of its positioning as soon as you make your site mobile friendly.)
The good news: For all of our customers leveraging our updated designs that incorporate responsiveness, you are already mobile-friendly from a Google point of view. And for all our customers who have custom designs in process… you will have responsiveness built in.
Responsive web design, if you are unfamiliar with the term, allows the design to automatically adjust font sizes and images to fit within any given device regardless of the screen size of the device. This happens automatically without needing any 3rd party hosting or software.
Some examples of responsive web design in action include:
More good news: For all of our clients leveraging designs that are not responsive we are rolling out an update that will add basic mobile capabilities to all hosted sites. This will ensure that your web site is 100% ready for this change in Google. There’s nothing for you to do… we are rolling this out behind the scenes.
If you decide you want a more robust mobile presence beyond the basic version we are giving you, we offer the following options:
- We can redevelop your design for you by leveraging one of our core designs with responsiveness built-in.
- We can deploy a mobile app-like system that auto-detects mobile and renders your web site as if it was a mobile app. (This also re-renders any web site in a responsive manner.)
Verify your mobile status:
Checking to see if your site is viewed by Google as mobile-friendly is easy…
Click here to verify if your site is considered mobile friendly by Google.
If you care about SEO and reaching mobile users through Google, we’re here to help you. Our mobile options can be completely customized for your situation. Plus there’s zero ongoing additional hosting costs with our mobile solutions… one more way we help to give you extra value.
