Any website seeks to stand out on the search engine results pages (SERP). However, staying up-to-date with Google’s algorithm changes is key to increasing your online visibility and website traffic. That’s where constant search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play.
This page covers Google’s 2024 updates you ought to know for your SEO implementation. Read on to learn how to drive more and more traffic to your website.
An Overview of Google Updates for SEO
Google often modifies its search engine algorithms to deliver relevant search results and improve user experience (UX). In fact, the search engine highlights the key factors determining its search results: meaning, relevance, quality, usability, and context.
Source: Google
Enter search engine optimization (SEO), the process of optimizing your website, writing relevant content, and promoting on other digital platforms. SEO helps you rank high on SERP for relevant searches and drive traffic to your website. However, to meet this marketing objective, you must keep up with Google's most recent updates.
March 2024 Core Update
The March 2024 core update includes system modifications and innovative signals. A single system or signal no longer exists. This update represents a significant advancement in Google's ability to identify useful content.
As systems alter and signals expand, there will be more ranking changes during the month-long rollout than with regular core updates. Those who create people-first content don't need to take any further steps. But if you see a decline in your SERP rankings, check out Google's guidelines.
Google has launched three new spam policies to stop behaviours that degrade search result quality:
- Expired domain abuse entails buying and using expired domains to host subpar content and manipulate SERP rankings. This technique takes advantage of the domain's prior reputation for fresh, low-value content to improve search rankings.
- Scaled content abuse involves the large-scale production of low-quality, unoriginal content to manipulate SERP rankings rather than help people. This policy strengthens Google's position against automatically generated spam.
- Site reputation abuse occurs when unmonitored third-party pages get released to manipulate SERP rankings. Similar to partnered sites or sponsored content, these pages usually have little bearing on the host site's goal and offer little to no value to users.
Key Benefits of SEO
SEO is one of the most viable digital marketing tactics for boosting your online presence and attracting relevant visitors to your website. However, keep up with the SEO trends by aligning your strategies with Google updates. By doing so, you can reap the potential benefits below:
- Increased online visibility: Websites that employ effective SEO techniques score higher on SERP. Through SEO, you can improve your web prominence to potential clients actively looking for information, goods, or services.
- Increased website traffic: Well-optimized websites can draw in more targeted visitors from organic search results by ranking highly for pertinent keywords, which helps increase their overall traffic.
- Increased user engagement: SEO methods can help improve websites' engagement metrics, such as longer stay durations and lower bounce rates. You can achieve these by providing high-quality content and enhancing UX.
- Generated organic leads: When site visitors discover a well-optimized website through organic search, they are more likely to convert into leads. Employ SEO strategies to attract prospective customers who are frequently and actively looking for information or solutions.
- Increased site conversions: Whether the desired action is completing a lead generation form, making a purchase, or subscribing to a service, efficient SEO can lead to increased conversion rates. Harness the power of SEO for a boost in conversions!
How To Optimize Your Website for Traffic
Understanding the Google search essentials is crucial to optimize your website and drive traffic.
Source: Google
A comprehensive SEO plan that incorporates a range of optimization tactics is necessary to attract targeted visitors to your website. Below are the three SEO types:
- Technical SEO: Technical SEO aims to make your website's backend structure and functionality as crawlable as possible by search engines.
- On-page SEO: Creating valuable, keyword-optimized content for users is the foundation of on-page SEO.
- Off-page SEO: Off-page SEO uses outside initiatives like link building, and brand mentions to increase the authority and exposure of your website.
Learn practical ways to optimize your website and drive more traffic, as shared by three business experts. Here's how:
Technical SEO
Grant Aldrich, Founder of Preppy, recommends prioritizing technical SEO. "Even the best content and link-building efforts will not attain top ranks without a website architecture that is quick, easy to crawl, and responsive to mobile devices. Investing in technical optimizations like indexability, structured data, and site speed ensures search engines can easily find and comprehend your site's content."
Aldrich suggests the following strategies:
- Conduct a website audit: Using Google Analytics, identify and fix technical problems. Examine your site for missing XML sitemaps, unclear navigation, redirect chains, weak core web vitals, and duplicate content. These could impede search engine accessibility.
- Improve user experience (UX): Website optimization for UX is a crucial part of SEO. Optimize critical components like the user interface (UI), colour scheme, typography, and white space allocation. Likewise, ensure a well-organized user interface, simple navigation, and quick loading times.
- Consider keyword placement: Keyword placement establishes relevancy to search engines. Strategically insert keywords in headers, subheadings, text body, title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt attributes:
Source: WordStream
- Prioritize mobile friendliness: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Follow the responsive design guidelines, improve loading times, and offer a user-friendly interface adapted for smaller displays.
- Make your site crawlable and indexable: Ensure that search engine crawlers can find your valuable pieces of content. Set up your robots.txt file to direct Google and indicate which pages to crawl and index.
On-page SEO
Michael Donovan, Co-Founder of Niche Twins, suggests focusing on on-page SEO. "Our ability to rationally arrange content, give value through excellent writing, and carefully use pertinent keywords allows us to build a cohesive experience that draws in organic traffic and keeps users interested."
Donovan recommends the following tactics:
- Perform keyword research: Do extensive keyword research to find high-volume, relevant search keywords. They must be in line with the search habits of your target market and your company's objectives.
- Incorporate proper keywords: Carefully position your target keywords in critical on-page elements like those mentioned above. You must also ensure the natural language flow to indicate relevancy to search engines.
- Create high-quality content: High-quality content creation is essential since search engines prioritize websites with reliable and in-depth information. Write well-written, engaging, and educational content that benefits your target audience. Follow Google Search Central's content guidelines:
Source: Google
- Focus on search intent: Design content that specifically addresses the intent behind the queries, whether transactional, commercial, navigational, or informative. They better serve users' needs to raise your site's rankings.
- Keep E.E.A.T. in mind: Make sure your writing exhibits subject matter expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E.E.A.T.). Reference reliable sources, encourage accountability and transparency, and demonstrate subject matter expertise.
Source: Google
Off-page SEO
Jim Rainey, VP of Growth at CoPilot Search, cites the importance of implementing off-page SEO. “Through the purposeful acquisition of high-quality backlinks from reliable sources and the development of a robust online brand presence, companies may demonstrate their industry significance and establish themselves as reliable thought leaders.”
Rainey suggests the following SEO methods:
- Implement guest blogging: Submit original, well-researched content to respectable blogs and websites in your industry. Guest blogging helps increase visibility, establish authority, and obtain useful backlinks.
- Connect with journalists: Reach out to them and other influential people in your field with knowledgeable analysis, thought-provoking writing, and exciting content. You can use HARO (Help a Reporter Out), now Connectively, to connect with journalists looking for expert sources for their stories.
Source: Screenshot by User
- Employ digital PR: Digital PR strategies help raise brand awareness, generate referral traffic, and obtain backlinks from reputable media sites. These strategies include press releases, media outreach, and content promotion.
- Leverage social media: Create an active presence on pertinent social media sites, publish insightful content, interact with your audience, and participate in industry discussions. Doing so helps raise brand awareness and improve website traffic.
- Enlist in online directories: This step is crucial for boosting your local search visibility, building backlinks, and fostering customer discovery and engagement. Make sure to start with reputable sources like Google My Business.
Source: Screenshot by User
Final Words
Understanding Google's goals is vital for keeping up with the search engine's algorithm changes. Consider Google's 2024 updates and implement the best SEO practices recommended above, whether for technical, on-page, or off-page SEO. All these will help you meet your digital marketing objectives, ultimately driving more traffic to your website!
If you need help optimizing your SEO strategy to cater to the recent Google update, reach out to TechWyse Internet Marketing today. Call 866-208-3095 or contact us here.
