How to prepare for an algorithm update
The position of your web content in search results depends mainly on Google algorithms. There have been many major updates from this engine. From Caffeine to Panda, through Pigeon, Hummingbird, BERT or the recent Core Update. All of them come with their own challenges. Here are some pointers on how to prepare for an algorithm update.
Improve the loading time
The main novelty of the Google Page Experience update consists in taking into account the loading time. You can perform several actions to improve the loading time of your web pages taken into account by Google.
Mobile Ergonomics
More and more users are using their mobiles to search on Google. It is therefore vital that your website is up-to-date and correctly visible on mobiles. To test this, Google provides its mobile optimization testing tool. The Google Search Console also reports if there are any mobile usability issues on your web pages.
Disavow questionable backlinks
It is known that getting backlinks from quality sites helps improve your page rankings. However, not all links are equal, and if you find that your site is receiving a large number of irrelevant and/or spammy backlinks, be aware that this can hurt your rankings. In order to prevent these fraudulent backlinks from hurting your rankings, you need to check the backlinks you’ve obtained and decide if there are any you need to disavow.
Improve UX criteria
If loading time is an important criterion, you must consider other factors. They are already used by Google to rank web pages in search results. You can perform these actions to optimize your pages. Delete or turn canonical duplicate content. Check the source of hidden text. Make sure the content matches what is expected by clicking on your search list.
The images
Images are often the largest visible elements on your web page: slider, carousel, banner. Optimizing them is therefore also part of your priorities to reduce the loading time of your site. Once your images are sized correctly, compress them to reduce their weight and thus their loading time. The goal is to optimize them as much as possible with a minimal loss of quality.
When learning how to prepare for an algorithm update, remember: successful marketing strategies don’t just identify and respond to algorithm changes: they can expect trends to shape future updates.