This article has been updated most recently in February 2022.

Search engines are always evolving and are constantly changing. As a website owner, it can be frustrating that the primary channel for new customers is always changing the rules on you. Just when you think you have it figured out, they snap their fingers and change things up from what you’re used to

Google has been releasing major changes to its algorithm (The insanely complicated formula that determines which sites are #1 and which are not!) at least once a year for as long as Google has been Google. Sometimes it causes a mere ripple in the SEO world, and sometimes it causes a huge splash, or occasionally a tsunami. Keeping up with all the changes can drive a reasonable webmaster off the deep end.

The secret is not keeping up, but staying ahead. Now you might ask “How can I stay ahead when I have no clue what they will do next?” Good question. We will go over 4 tips that can help you stay ahead of search engine changes. Let’s dive in!

4 Tips to Help Stay Ahead of Search Engine Changes

1) Be Informed

First of all, Google does give out clues about what they will do next. If you want to be ‘in the know,’ stay informed through Google’s blog posts or SEO newsletters. You could also look for updates through SEO developers on Twitter. Keep your ear to the SEO ground and you will find that Google discusses the things that are bothering them for months if not years before they make a major change to fix it.

 

We listed out several resources for how to keep track of Google’s algorithm updates and changes here!

2) Understand their Position

Second, Google doesn’t make these changes just to make our lives harder (no matter how much it seems like they do), they make these changes to improve their search results. Google has a job and that job is to provide their customers with the best results they can. The best results we can hope for are simply the web pages that we are looking for; the most relevant and highest quality websites. If we know what Google is trying to do, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out how to stay in front of their changes.

3) Focus on SEO-Friendly Content

While you can’t fully prepare for each change, focusing on SEO-friendly content can help mitigate changes that happen. When we say focus on friendly content, we mean focusing on evergreen content that helps improve traffic overtime and be consistent.

4) Be Updated

While it’s hard knowing what’s to come, one thing you can do is keep the information that’s on your website as fresh and current as possible. You can do this with new content, user engagement, and building brand loyalty. Overall, make sure your information is fully up-to-date and available to your users and search engines.

What is a High Quality Website?

If Google is frustrated (as they always are) about the number of low quality websites showing up in the top of their search results, you can bet they are going to fix it. The trick is to become a high quality website. But what makes a website “high quality”?

Google doesn’t try to tell us all to build our websites according to some rule book; they listen to the voice of the people. If people search for a certain word, and choose a certain website, Google will think that is the best website. Google will then try to find more websites like that one. If you make your website one that people will like and trust, Google will most likely move it to the top of the page. Google then likes to describe these high ranking websites as “high quality”.

Being “high quality” is all about the trust search engines have with your website and the SEO efforts that were put into it. If the SEO efforts that were put in were successful, then that reflects in your website being high quality. While search engines determine if your website is “high quality” a lot of it has to do with the users who come and visit your website as well. As long as your website has the focus of having a high quality website, the benefits should start to populate over time.

Optimizing Your SEO

While Google’s rules change frequently, keep in mind that the changes are designed to affect only low quality websites. If you are serious about making a website that can be of value, these changes can only help you. Also, remember that the fundamental principles of SEO have not changed. Time your time and build a good website; have good content, no spam, no empty pages; offer your visitors value for coming to your website, make your website a resource that customers will want to come back to again and again.

If your website deserves to be #1, it will be. If your website has little unique content, if users don’t like what they see on it, if your navigation is unclear and inconsistent, if you employ tricks to manipulate the search engines, Google will keep you from climbing in the search engine rankings.

The real key to staying ahead of the crowd is to know where everyone is going, and get there first. If you need some help, look to Boostability! We are the leading white label SEO agency in the world and can help your business succeed. Learn more today to get started!

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Ansley is the Content Marketing Manager at Boostability. Since graduating from Utah State University with two degrees in Communication Studies and Journalism: Public Relations, Ansley specializes in creating engaging and informative SEO content for readers, customers, and partners through different marketing channels. Along with creating new content, Ansley works to keep content organized and creates and executes new content strategies. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel, visit National Parks, and loves all things Disney.