Google Algorithm Update 2020

Optimize for voice and stay focused on quality content for best Google search rankings.

Has your traffic has shifted noticeably in the past month and you can’t figure out why? Google’s most recent core update in September brought new changes to their search algorithm, ever more finely tuning the way their mind spiders comb the Internet for content and rank it by quality and relevance to match a search query. If your traffic dropped off, you might not be appearing in searches anymore. Why is this happening? The answer is seldom clear-cut when it comes to Google.

It’s not unheard of for small businesses to live and die by their Google exposure, or lack of it. In competitive markets, appearing one slot higher in the search results could be the determining factor in whether clickthroughs and revenues come to you instead of your competitor.

It keeps SEO experts on their toes. But Google has worked hard to try to kill SEO. Over the past few years, they’ve engaged a silent game of cat and mouse with the SEO experts who study the impacts of Google’s secret algorithm updates so businesses can try to understand who Google favors and why. Going into 2020, here’s what we know.

With ads dominating Google SERPs, there’s a door fee to rank

It’s becoming less and less possible to rank organically on the first page of results at all, even with good SEO practices in place. Years ago, a Google query resulted in a page of ‘10 blue links’, meaning an uncluttered page showing a list of the top 10 organic search results.

Those days are long gone. I just Googled “hamster food” and the search engine result page, or SERP, was nearly all ads. It displayed only one visible organic search result, just slightly above the fold. (I don’t even have a hamster. I just like to throw the data mining bots for a loop every now and then.)

Read more: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/347149