In this article we will be discussing the Google algorithm. Why do you need to know this? Your website is the single biggest lead generation tool at your disposal. The only way people will find your website is through search engines and other links (social media links etc.) however the most important being search engines. Of course the only way to be found through search engines is to ensure you rank well in search results, and the only way of doing that is by understanding how search engines work. Google needs to ensure that every keyword or phrase produces the most relevant search results prioritised according to specific criteria.

To ensure that users are presented with the most relevant content; to prioritise the most relevant items first; and of course to “sniff out” attempts of manipulating the system.

How Does Google Police the System?

A Googlebot is a search bot used by Google. It tracks content from the web to build a searchable index for the Google search engine. This is known as spidering. The Googlebot forms part of the complex algorithm used by Google to keep users satisfied with the most relevant, prioritised links.

Google’s Definition of a Good Website

The content is fresh, relevant; the website has authority and is updated consistently. The website is focused and technically-sound. A technically-sound website has no spelling or grammar mistakes and has no dead links. The website needs to follow a silo structure, and should house a finely focused home page. The website is frequently visited and linked by many other relevant sources.  The content is substantial, contains rich media and is described by metadata. All the content must also be linked to the homepage. Older domains are preferred over newer ones.

The Algorithm

The Google algorithm is a programmed set of instructions that compares specific elements of a webpage to a set criterion of variables. The Google algorithm’s variables are numerous and kept secret. The algorithm is very sophisticated; it needs to be to ensure that people do not manipulate the system. If you were to scan through a top ranked website the most important variables will become apparent, however.  After all, Google cannot make money if no-one uses it, therefore the search rankings have to be precise to ensure the most user-friendly search results.

PageRank

PageRank is arguably the Google algorithms most important feature. This feature is responsible for determining where each search result will appear when the user searches for something.

• PageRank scores every search, which means the higher the score the higher the ranking. 
• The score is partially determined by the number of other webpages that link to that page with each link counting as a vote. 
• Each vote is weighted according to the rank of that webpage. The more links that webpage distributes the more watered-down its weighting becomes. 
• A couple of other important factors that can also affect the scoring includes: how long the website has been around for, how and where the keywords/phrases appear on the site and the age of the links to and from said site. To reiterate older domains demand greater weighting.

 Organic links vs. PPC

Another important point is to distinguish between organic links and sponsored links. Sponsored links, often referred to as pay-per-clicks, are placed at the top and side of most searches. Sponsored links charge the owner per click. The price of the click varies according to the nature of competition in the industry. Organic links are every other link you encounter. Organic links require consistent optimisation to maintain their positions. Organic links are the main focus of this module.

A Panda, a Penguin and a Hummingbird walk into a bar…Well the Hummingbird flies but you catch my drift.

On 11 February Google released the Panda update, the purpose of the update was to weed out low quality web pages from the Google index. This update resulted in many organisations reporting steep drops in SERP (search engine ranking page). However in the grand scheme of SEO this update was minor in comparison to the Penguin update. 

There is Hope

Despite these drastic changes to the SEO game, they should be seen as a breath of fresh air. Why? Because it means in order to rank well you need to make your page the absolute authority in that topic. The only way to do that is to produce tons of fresh, clever and creative content. Content that piques people’s interest and rewards their curiosity with insight and knowledge. When searching for a term on Google you want the absolute best results, results that provide you with the very best source of information for that topic, no matter what.

Previous article in the series: Writing and Marketing with Case Studies; Next article in the series: On-page SEO

Julian Karstel is a Digital Marketing Consultant for Sound Idea Digital |@JulianKarstel|Julian@soundidea.co.za |

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