Google is all about facilitating users, even if the various algorithm updates make it seem like the search engine has something against your business. For example, it can be exhausting and time-consuming to make major changes to your website every time Google introduces a major (or minor) update.

So how can you avoid being affected by these algorithm updates, especially the ones you think can harm your ranking on the search engine page results (SERPs)?

Our advice: focus on the user.

Let’s break this down so you can be on your way to strengthening your fort from within, and to some extent, algorithm-proof your business.

Google Update Survival Tips

Here are the top tips on how to avoid being affected by Google’s algorithm updates.

Deep Clean Your Website

Did you know that a user spends approximately 190.4 seconds on your website and if they don’t find what they’re looking for, well, they bounce!

Since improving user experience is the solution to dilute the impact of Google algorithms, take a critical look at your website and make changes accordingly.

Delete Low Quality URLs

Google Panda was introduced to stop websites with low quality/thin content from ranking higher on the SERPs. That is how serious the search engine is about the quality of content served to end users.

To avoid dips in traffic, perform an in-depth audit using website crawlers for content marketing purposes. This will help you get a comprehensive list of URLs, meta-descriptions, title tags, number of links and word count.

Once you have the list, you can easily single out URLs that bring no value to your business, have broken text, links and images or plenty of errors. You can even check the health of these links with tools like Broken Link Checker to speed up the process.

Duplicated or empty pages are also considered low quality, so keep an eye out for these as well. You can merge two pages with duplicate content, improve the overall quality of content and/or redirect them to relevant high quality pages. If you think the page is beyond repair – hit delete.

Fix Pop-Ups

Nothing is more frustrating for a user than not being able consume content without annoying ads and pop-ups. In fact, most sites that suffer from major changes due to algorithm updates are the ones with disruptive and misleading pop-up ads.

If the ads are an essential part of your marketing strategy, start by minimising their number. For example, just put up one or two pop ups on your site and make sure that they are easy to close.

Enhance Visual Architecture

Text size, layout and design all make up your website’s visual architecture which plays a vital role in improving your website’s bounce rate. In a nutshell:

• Break up your text into short ‘snackable’ pieces
• Make sure the font is readable (size and colour)
• Optimise content layout

Since Google has also announced mobile-first indexing, make sure that your website’s alignment and image placement is optimised for mobiles and desktop. You can take a mobile friendly test to see if there are any errors on the mobile version of your website.

Brand Yourself Right

Think of content marketing gurus like Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin etc. If they say something is up in the content realm, you’d listen, follow and optimise your marketing strategy accordingly, right?

You know why? People love experts.

Credibility and expertise is what turns businesses into great brands and helps them build a tribe of loyal followers – who then turn into recurring customers.

And that’s it – these are just a few ways that you can avoid being impacted by Google’s algorithm updates every time. Remember, to rank well, it’s important to concentrate on optimising the user experience and providing high quality content on your site.