DW Tips

Search engine algorithms are getting more and more complicated. It's to the point where even SEO experts aren't quite sure what various updates may be looking for when an algorithm update rolls out, and new advice has to be made based on new historical trends. It gets even fuzzier with Google's recent focus on "quality," especially if they aren't directly using human rating systems to evaluate websites.

Unless you like puzzling through SEO for the sake of the puzzle, all of the confusion is frustrating. When your site's traffic is going up and down based on factors you can't isolate, let alone work on, that volatility is bad for business. Here are some ways to strive for "quality" even in the darkness:

Update your existing pages' content.

Your old content might be good, but it's not new. Instead of focusing on just new pages or new articles, go back and revise your old products, services, and "About Us" pages. Increasing the word count and reformatting long paragraphs into scannable content makes readers and bots like the content more.

Follow the QRG guidelines.

Google's "Quality Rating Guidelines" aren't a breakdown of what their algorithms measure. Instead, it's a list of what they think good sites should have and what they built the code to indirectly find. So make sure your site has elements like "About Us" pages and accurate contact information. 

Write for readers, not for algorithms.

There's a lot of value in trying to figure out the algorithm. But there's a lot of risk in trying to game the algorithm. So when you're revising your website's content strategy, stick to intent-based articles and keywords. That will pay out in the long-term.

But when you don't have time to read the QRG guidelines or the latest web design analyses, have a professional handle the technical details. Contact our team at Designer Digital to get started.