Google gave a great analogy when thinking about how to rank in search. Think of it like the movies! In a recent Google webmaster document, Google gives insider SEO pros tips on how to rank and think about search but we still have to read between the lines to get the inside dirt on how search works and how we can best improve rankings.
The article found here, talks about search as related to the movies in a very well crafted analogy about creating a top movie list and comparing it to search.
One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before.
The list will change, and films previously higher on the list that move down aren’t bad. There are simply more deserving films that are coming before them.
Let’s Go To AMC Theaters
I can remember my parents buying Leonard Maltin’s movie guidebook every year even until its final year of publication in 2014. I remember that sometimes the ratings of movies would change. That happened because new movies would come out or things would change history that made certain movies more or less impactful as a result. Due to this, the ratings of movies would shift.
Google thinks of search the same way and says that over time, new websites come out that impact old ones. The new sites might have better content or more relevant information that help SEO and search rankings because of the content that these newer sites have.
Who is better? Mark Spitz or Michael Phelps?
The other sites can still be good but new ones come along and offer better information so they get better rankings. It is just like an Olympic athlete who has long held titles such as swimming legend, Mark Spitz. When Michael Phelps came along and shattered Spitz’s records it doesn’t mean that his achievements are still not great it just means that another has higher rankings than him. In fact, sports aficionados will debate until the end who is the better athlete and never quite have an answer!
E-A-T, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness
With search, it is more factual than emotional in rankings but Google is actually working to change that too. Through machine learning and advanced algorithms, Google will in the future be able to analyze engagement and community involvement as well to understand how things impact society and then extrapolate that into the best rankings. Part of the algorithm that Google uses is called E-A-T (EAT) or Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness; marketers really love acronyms. The EAT guidelines are all about page quality and page content. This is designed to better prove that someone is an authority on a particular topic. If the website passes the EAT guidelines then Google grants higher rankings for example.
Google has been using customer reviews as a form of social interaction and a way to measure business trustworthiness. By analyzing customer reviews, Google is better able to see how popular and reliable a local business is for example. This then affects rankings as a ranking factor on your website.
How to improve Rankings & Stay Ahead
Google says focus on content. Content is king, especially now with the changes to Apple iPhone user-tracking being disabled. This means that local businesses need to focus on creating and crafting more content for their customers to consume.
Make frequent posts on social, blogs, videos, and collaboration with your fellow customers and partners to create great content to get yourself out there. Social is only becoming more popular as a way to truly connect with people.
Now is the time to double down on what is working and stop what is not working. So having a good analysis plan in your arsenal is important. Analyze your Google rankings using Google search console or get a free site analysis now, here from us. See trends and learn more about your users going to your website using Google Analytics which is free. Or let us send you customized SEO reports by starting SEO services with us here at Kow Abundant. We offer low-cost, affordable SEO plans starting at only $199 per month.