How to beat Google at their own algorithm game

Learning to navigate past Google’s continuously updated algorithms seems like a never ending game of Snakes and Ladders, just as you get near the top of the search results the algorithms change and you find yourself sliding back to page two.

Just like the game, you can’t rely on luck – you have to constantly re-strategise to stay on top of your opponents.

Here we discuss the ten best ways to beat Google’s algorithms to get to the top.

Add new content

Take your mother’s roast chicken recipe, this one is a foolproof timeless classic. To add a modern twist though you keep adding new, original content and tweaking it with new methods and ingredients.

Likewise, updating your website shows that you are still relevant and at least making an effort to get new traffic to your site. The best way to do this is with a blog. Post pictures of your products, write relevant articles, get someone to guest write for you and post relevant quotes. Make it fun and easy to read.

Use keywords

The reason you need your content to be new and relevant is because this is going to determine how long a person stays on your site, known as “dwell time”.

Keywords are important because they help people who are searching for what you are offering, land on your site. However, keywords need to be used sparingly and again, relevance is important. Back when Google first introduced its search policing, it was mainly keywords that got you to the top – so, a lot like the eat-as-much-as-you-like Spur salad buffet, people abused this by stuffing their website with relevant and irrelevant key words and massive restrictions had to be imposed. Now, Google heavily polices keyword relevancy and word-flow.

Branch out

A consistently updated blog on a website is a great start in getting your site off a “you shall not pass” page of Google’s search results – ie anything past page two. Linking this blog to a couple of social media sites and making your online presence known will markedly increase your rankings.

Regular updates that increase your follower base as well as creating shared content and conversations will certainly reward your efforts with a higher ranking. Target a few social media sites and link them together with your blog to create a winning algorithm-beating online presence.

Don’t spam

Just like you wouldn’t  invite 1,000 people to a dinner of your mothers roast chicken you shouldn’t flood the internet with unnecessary or irrelevant information.. It’s really not worth it. Google hates spam more than anything and can weed it out with the accuracy of a sniffer dog, and they are very unforgiving.

Be mobile savvy

These days an alarming percentage of Google searches are done from mobile devices. If you’re not offering the “on-the-go version” of your website then you will most likely be penalised. If you want to be “up there”, people need to be able to access your website from any device, anywhere. This links back to the all-important “dwell time”. If someone lands on your site and can’t read the tiny font or load images fast enough or has to scroll from left to right to see all the text, there is a very high chance that they will leave out of frustration and take their business to a site that is mobile friendly.

Check your domain name

If you’re just setting up your website, then you may want to think carefully about your domain name. Having your most relevant keyword in your domain name doesn’t quite give the boost it used to, but it still helps. First word keywords are better than last but if possible try and get one in there somewhere. If all variations of the chosen domain name have already been taken then at least get a keyword into your sub-domain.

The chances are that just as you’ve implemented all the steps above and made it to the top of the first page of search results, the algorithms will change again. So remember to periodically check for any updates and adjust your online presence accordingly – just as you would constantly taste check the yumminess of your Mother’s roast chicken dish and adjust it accordingly!