Introduction
Yes, it's important to stay on top of best practices for website design and function, but it's also vital to keep up to date with how you drive visitors to your site. With constant changes in the search world, it can seem tiresome to know how to get the most out of your search engine optimization (SEO) tactics.
Take note of the most recent SEO shifts that are crucial for marketers to know.
Google makes significant algorithm updates
Making algorithm updates is nothing new for search giant Google, but their latest update, "freshness," will impact 35 percent of online searches. This new algorithm will ensure that recent content is at the top of search results. Google is aware that not every search query is best with the "freshness update." For instance, a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was posted nearly ten years ago is still served as one of the top results, because of its popularity -- with more than 5,000 reviews and thousands of "saves," Google knows that this recipe is what people are looking for.
However, when searching for current events and topics, Google serves up the most recent content to those searching timely information. To witness how the "freshness" update works, observe the search results below for the newly released film, "My Week with Marilyn." The results mimic a timeline -- the top results consist of the latest content followed by more dated material.
So how does Google's "freshness" update benefit marketers? It gives them the opportunity to place well in search results by developing relevant and creative content. The "freshness" update should encourage brands and businesses to display timely news on their website -- easy ways to do this are by blogging more frequently by and posting press releases to a news page.
