Google Has Changed Its Algorithm, Again
This article first appeared at https://tc-creatives.com/google-has-changed-its-algorithm-again/
“Google it.” This phrase is one that most of us use daily. We rely on Google to answer our questions, finish our sentences, or find that one product that we can only half describe but absolutely want to buy (oops, is that just us). The search engine has become a staple in our lives, which comes with a big responsibility for the company to ensure that it ranks content both accurately and intuitively.
9 out of 10 people use Google to search for information. By optimizing your content, you can drive traffic to your website, resulting in more awareness of your business. With Googling changing its search engine algorithm often, it can be hard to know just how to optimize your content to show up on the first page.
Have you ever searched for something and only read the first 3 results on the page, you’re not alone. 95 percent of search traffic goes to first page results, with over 25% of people clicking on the first organic result that shows up. In this article, we will outline the recent changes to Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) to help you optimize your content for search.
Why It’s Important to Understand Google’s Ranking
Google dominates the market share of search at over 92%, while other search engines such as Bing and Yahoo hold only a small percentage, with less than 3% each. Therefore, it is safe to say that Google is by far the most popular search engine. It is the go-to platform for people worldwide when it comes to searching for information, products, and services online.
Google has continued to elevate its search engine results, using content ranging from YouTube videos and social media posts, products, and blogs to provide the most accurate and desirable content for its users on the first page.
Clearly understanding how to optimize your content to rank highly on Google helps your content rank higher than your competitors, resulting in it winning clicks and landing page views.
What’s Changed?
Google’s algorithm has changed, again. On December 15, 2022, the company made big changes to its Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) for search. The new 11-page update to the QRG has changed the ranking for search engine results. Here’s what you need to know.
They put the E- in EAT. Literally. Google’s new scoring system for content is EEAT. It’s added an additional “E” to its acronym for its ranking guidelines in order to better prioritize content.
What does EEAT stand for? Experience — Expertise — Authoritativeness — Trustworthiness. These 4 factors are what Google is using to rank your content on the search engine.
Let’s dive in to discover the elements Google considers are must-haves for your content to rank at the top of search results.
Experience
First thing first, experience is the new “E” in the algorithm. Google defines experience as the extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. Adding personal experience to your content will help Google to rank the content more favorably to others that users will feel less connected with.
Expertise
Google defines expertise as the extent to which the content creator has the necessary knowledge or skill for the topic. Content produced by an industry thought leader is deemed more reliable and trustworthy than content from other sources. Positioning yourself or your website strongly in your industry, helps your content climb the ranks.
Authoritativeness
Google defines authoritativeness as the extent to which the content creator or the website is known as a go-to source for the topic. When creating content, long-form content that cross-references other sources, especially from your own website, highlights the understanding of the topic. Make your content more credible by diving deep into topics that match your company’s industry and audience interest.
Trustworthiness
Google defines trustworthiness as the extent to which the content is honest, trustworthy, and accurate. It’s no surprise that being the top search engine, Google takes trustworthiness seriously. As a go-to source for information, it is responsible for recommending the most accurate and honest information at the top of its search engine results. You can improve your ranking on search engines by making your content trustworthy.
In Conclusion
Content that is boilerplate, boring, or too scientific will no longer take the top spot on Google’s search engine. With its users looking to connect more with its content, creators, and websites are forced to incorporate more experiences into their content to compete for the coveted top result for any keyword.
Adding some additional personal stories will help your content rank higher in Google in 2023.
Bottom line: It’s time to get personal.
