Know All About the Google Algorithm Update

Anyone keeping their finger on the pulse of digital marketing and Search Engine Optimisation will know that Google does introduce new algorithm updates every now and then. With little warning, this can cause frustration and various spanners in the works when it comes to your companies search page rankings. An algorithm update which occurred on September 27th is reflecting some effects on the SEO community. With the last updates to Google having been administered back at the beginning of August, this last one seems to be one of the biggest yet. Below is everything we know so far about this update, and how it might affect you and your company.

What was the September 27th Google algorithm update?

With algorithms like PageRank updating all the time, it is not uncommon to see these changes to the website. Whilst the details remain unclear, it has been confirmed on Twitter by Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan that a minor update occurred. These, he says on Twitter “occur all the time” and can have a real effect on the performance of some websites search engine rankings in the process. The algorithms on Google are used to process and calculate the quality and amount of links on your web page, thus giving a rough estimation of how important your website is to that specific search. This can mean that when the updates happen, they can have a negative effect on your website rankings for a short period of time.

Why is the algorithm happening?

There are a wide range of reasons why Google update their algorithms. One of the main reasons is that they are rejigging a bug they have found in the software, ensuring that the algorithm is working to an optimum level. Other reasons may simply be that their algorithm has changed, making the service more efficient and streamlined.

How will it affect your website?

There have been a range of graphs and FAQ boards cropping up on popular forums such as Rank Ranger and Twitter, many people analysing the initial findings of the algorithm changes.

Some people have found that the algorithm change has affected competitive markets more drastically. These pockets of the internet for aggressively changing markets and businesses has led to websites in these areas seeing a dramatic drop.

Others have noticed that their search engine rankings are reversing from the changes made from the last update in early August.

Top tips for keeping up-to-date

Of course, this can prove incredibly frustrating for businesses and websites who have put a lot of effort into marketing themselves well. That’s why we’ve listed a few tips for keeping up-to-date and dealing with any of these sporadic Google updates.

Keep a tab on Social Media

Whilst these updates to Google can come from out of the blue, keeping an eye on Googles Twitter and Facebook accounts can help you to keep up-to-date. But, there is often little warning for updates.

Keep your content relevant

Google’s John Mueller responded a few months back to the August Google update chatter. He said that if you want to shield yourself from negative impacts from the rolling updates, it is best to keep your content as relevant as possible. This should go without saying, but these kinds of wake-up calls will definitely keep us on the ball when it comes to keeping our websites up-to-date.