When you are talking about your law firm’s website — Google is a key part of the conversation. How Google views and ranks your website can have a massive impact on how many potential clients find your website and your law firm and the Google algorithm dictates how the search engine views and ranks your website. With this in mind, it is important to understand how Google algorithms work, when updates occur, and what happens when Google updates its algorithm. In short — what do Google algorithm updates mean for your firm?
This is where Civille may be able to help.
We keep a close eye on Google algorithm updates to ensure that websites and content is optimized for the latest algorithm and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices. We understand how changes and updates to the Google algorithm — even if they may be small — can have a large and lasting impact on the health of your website.
Contact the Civille Team to learn more about our custom law firm websites and digital marketing services!
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What Are Google Algorithm Updates?
First and foremost, it is important to understand what a Google algorithm update is to better understand how it will affect your website’s performance. Google algorithm updates are changes to the rules used by the search engine to rank your website and in many cases coincide with updated technology implemented by Google that includes machine learning and AI capabilities.
The updates are put in place to improve user experience by awarding higher Search Engine Result Page (SERP) rankings to high-quality content, content that will better answer searcher queries, to re-evaluate website domain authority, and help Google gain a better understanding of what internet users are really searching for. The purpose of the algorithm updates can vary and there are three primary types of Google algorithm updates that will occur.
Different Types of Google Algorithm Updates
- Core Algorithm Updates — The core Google algorithm updates are broader updates that include a broad spectrum of changes to how the search engine ranks content. A core update will impact more than just a single page on your website and affect the overall domain authority and visibility of your law firm’s website. These updates have increased Google’s ability to understand what quality content is.
- Targeted Algorithm Updates — Targeted Google algorithm updates target specific website and online content with changes to the way Google views that content. These updates will target Spam content with little value to users, content that spams links, and how reviews are ranked. These updates may go live simultaneously with core updates, which may mean that both updates impact website rankings on Google in different ways.
- Undefined Algorithm Updates — Google will release undefined algorithm updates on many occasions that can affect various aspects of how the search engine evaluates content and websites. Key examples of these undefined updates include how Google views content on mobile, how Google values HTTPs, and how Google views the on-page experience.
How Often Is the Google Algorithm Updated?
Armed with a better understanding of what Google algorithm updates mean for your website, you may be asking — when is the Google algorithm updated? You may want to know how often the algorithm is updated. The answer may surprise you.
While there is no specific number of Google algorithm updates, most sources estimate that the Google algorithm is updated about 500 – 600 times each year with most updates being small and unconfirmed changes that do not have a major impact on search rankings. The core Google algorithm updates take place several times each year — and are listed on Google Search Central. Evidence of unconfirmed and small updates may be present in your website traffic and Google Analytics.
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Best Practices for Handling Google Algorithm Updates
The frequent updates to the Google algorithm can be intimidating when you are new to SEO — but when you pay attention to how the updates impact the algorithm and adhere to best practices, you can set your website apart from competitors in the Google Search rankings.
Here is a better look at how you can better handle Google algorithm updates:
- Don’t Worry and Don’t Panic — The first thing to remember when a Google algorithm update impacts your website is to not panic. Look at how the update may have impacted your law firm’s website, gather as much insight as you can, and then make any necessary updates. Do not make full-scale changes out of panic.
- Audit Your Website Content — When a Google algorithm update goes live, it is important to audit your website content. Examine how your content has been affected by the update with in-depth analysis via Google Analytics and more. When you have gained a better understanding, then you can better optimize your content.
- Follow Google Best Practices — Google provides a guide to best practices and many SEO specialists follow a simple acronym — E-E-A-T — which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Websites with content that strives to hit all of these marks will meet the general standards of the Google algorithm, no matter what the update changes.
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Are you concerned about Google algorithm updates and how they will affect the health of your law firm’s website? You may be asking — what do Google algorithm updates mean for your firm? We hope that this quick overview of Google algorithm updates and how to handle them has answered a few of your questions.
Contact Civille today for more information on how we can create a high-performance custom website for your law firm!
