How We Support Our Clients Through Google Updates

Every time Google rolls out a new algorithm update, the organic world becomes even more complex. Unless, that is, you understand the implications of the update and how to minimise any potential negative impacts.

Devoted to ensuring that you are equipped to weather the impact, we’re aligned to industry developments and create strategies to evolve alongside the SEO landscape. With defined processes in place to help see you through, we’re sharing how we support our clients through Google’s updates.

Key takeaways

In this blog we discuss:

• 2021’s updates so far
• Navigating the challenging SEO landscape
• How we support our clients through updates including:
• Monitoring for changes
• Planning for changes
• Communication
• Assessing the micro and macro impacts

This year’s updates so far…

2021 has seen an influx of Google algorithm updates including:

• Link Spam Update: From the end of July, Google began rolling out a new link spam update aimed at fighting link spam more broadly. Designed to spot and nullify links that Google believes to be spam, these could be machine-generated links, malware links or links that don’t follow best practice.
• Page Experience Update: Fully rolled out in August, the Core Web Vitals update (also known as Page Experience) focuses on metrics used to measure a website’s loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability.Subject to evolve as user expectations develop, this initiative provides guidance to brands on ranking signals that are essential to delivering a positive user experience.
• Core Update: The first time Google has ever rolled out one of their core updates in two parts, the initial phase occurred at the beginning of June before being followed up by a second update in July. Impacts of the update were relatively minimal and we have continued to monitor changes since.

Monitoring upcoming change

In an environment as fast-paced as digital, our dedicated research and development team keep us on the bleeding edge. Responsible for identifying developments to Google’s algorithm, they help us ensure we’re one step ahead for the benefit of our clients.

Monitoring every change made to Google’s Search Quality Raters guidelines, they also keep a close eye for official comment from Google Search Liaison on Twitter and the Google Search Central blog, as well as keeping an ear to the ground for industry chatter.

Planning for change

To ride the waves of change, planning ahead as soon as forthcoming algorithm developments are announced is key to how we ensure our clients are prepared and informed.

Closely aligned to Google’s direction, we’ve even found that for the most recent updates, our experts already had put strategies in place prior to update rollout. This meant our clients were already on the right track and were either minimally impacted or felt benefit in performance from the update.

The importance of communication

Communication is the lifeline to maintaining strong working relationships. Key to achieving this when it comes to Google updates is the robust processes we have in place that ensure our clients are in the loop.

United in our response across the agency, from approved communications that explain what the update is, an internal control sheet that tracks communications, to a rigorous monitoring programme with tailored reporting on the impact on your business.

These steps are repeated every three days until our teams and the client are satisfied with how performance has stabilised.

Assessing the impact of Google algorithm updates

While it’s important to always keep one eye on your rankings, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture when a lot of change occurs in a short space of time. This is when working with an SEO agency can be particularly helpful.

Even when a known update begins rolling out, its overall impact will be unclear. With our experience, we may predict how we think rankings will be affected and work hard to ensure our clients have appropriate strategies in place. But it’s essential to assess the real impact of algorithm updates – from the micro to the macro.

Micro impact

Closely monitoring the specifics client by client, we keep track of the impact by assessing:

• Significant changes in ranking performance
• Significant changes in average ranking and predicted traffic
• Overall visibility using a visibility graph
• 30-day performance predictions

If an update has occurred, we take a deeper look at whether it’s positive or negative and what the actual impact has been. At each stage, communications are maintained as more insight is uncovered.

Macro impact

Tracking over 100,000 phrases everyday with collective search volumes into the millions, we’re in a unique position. Able to monitor the impact of Google updates across a wide dataset empowers us to gain granular insight on the overall effects and by industry.

With this insight, we have a greater understanding of where the SEO landscape sits post-update.

How can we help you?

The burst of updates that have rolled out already this year prove just how difficult it can be to keep up. As the SEO landscape continues to develop, online competition also increases and the need for specialist support grows. An expert agency such as Ingenuity Digital is experienced in navigating the SEO storm, able to both monitor, plan for and react to changes quickly.

Our flexible approach and analytical processes help our clients thrive. With many years of experience, we know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to SEO success. Working with clients across the UK and internationally including Been Let Down, Boyes Turner and LoyaltyLion, we leverage our expertise to create tailored digital strategies that perform.

If you want to find out more about our approach or how we can support you through changes in the organic landscape, contact our SEO specialists.