At its simplest, an algorithm is a set of instructions or steps for completing a task. Technically, a recipe for chocolate chip cookies is an algorithm. In the realm of computer science, an algorithm is generically defined as “a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations.” Within that paradigm, search algorithms like Google Panda are designed to solve the specific problem of retrieving stored information from within data structures or other defined search spaces.
Along the same lines, Internet search engine algorithms are rule sets designed to determine the relevance and relative significance of web pages in relation to queries posed by search users. When website builders and online marketers talk about the “Google algorithm”, they are actually referring to a massive, fluid, continually expanding set of component algorithms and formulas that carry out specific functions within an operational framework comprised by a central or core Google ranking algorithm.
Google Search: They Play the Tune, We Dance
The world-leading Google search engine is built around the most sophisticated proprietary search algorithm currently in existence. Because of Google’s dominance of search, anybody engaged in online marketing must now pursue high placement on the Google SERP – Search Engine Results Page – as a primary business objective. This has given rise to Search Engine Optimization, a major industry based solely on the effort to monitor and decode the ever-changing Google rank algorithm, then leverage that knowledge in the competition for coveted high SERP rankings.
It is not an easy quest by any means. Google owns the best ball, dominates the court, and sets the rules. They apply major and minor modifications, announced and unannounced, to their algorithm 500-600 or more times per year. In the case of “major” updates, an explanation/description of the change is usually released through official channels. More often, Google does not even acknowledge that an update has taken place. In those cases, it is up to concerned stakeholders to detect the advent of any alteration then try to determine its purpose and practical effect on website performance.
Since 2015 Google has also increasingly used artificial intelligence as part of its algorithm, with RankBrain being the third most important factor it takes into account, after content and links. This means that some of the updates are so complex, that even the engineers who work at Google don’t fully understand the updates themselves.
Keeping up with the algorithm updates
Two updates per day all year-round, many with the potential to seriously impact the effectiveness of SEO strategies. And that is ignoring the fact that the Google search engine evaluates more than 200 signals when ranking and presenting results for search users. With all this constant moving of goal posts going on, is “romancing the algorithm” an act of utility or futility for website owners?
There is no question that SEO value can be found in keeping tabs on the arrival and nature of major updates, particularly officially named and announced modifications like Penguin, Panda, and RankBrain. The roll out of mobile-first indexing in 2018 is a further example of the sort of tweaks and additions that should be paid attention to. However, keep in mind that Google’s search engine is designed to answer the needs of search users, not marketers. Building sites oriented toward providing users with satisfying experiences and solving their problems faster and more efficiently is of equal importance to staying on top of the SEO game.
Ranking well with Google in an ever-changing world
Because of the constantly changing nature of Google’s algorithms, SEO companies like Indigoextra Ltd offer a range of long-term strategies and it’s recommended that you adopt the same approach in 2019, rather than watching for every twitch out of Google. These include:
- Developing sites that offer visitors unique, insightful content geared toward helping them achieve their objectives. Learn what users want (for instance by sending a user-experience questionnaire to several site visitors) and action the points raised by multiple visitors.
- Creating mobile-friendly websites.
- Running an ongoing campaign to build high-quality backlink in order to boost search rankings and generate referral traffic too.
- Comparing your site to the top 10 sites for a particular keyword, looking at a range of factors like how often keywords are used in Meta Titles, h1 titles, link text, ALT tags and the main body of a site and if they’re all doing something you’re not, editing your website accordingly.
While user-experience is becoming more and more important for a high Google ranking, other SEO factors are still important, and you should be consistently applying expertly-designed overall strategy to this end, with responsive adjustments and updates made when genuinely necessary. Don’t forget Google’s own advice: web developers doing SEO should avoid obsession with aggressive strategies for gaming the algorithms and instead “focus on creating high quality sites that create a good user experience”.