Google’s Algorithmic Changes and Penalties
During times like the first week of January, 2019, when SERP volatility was at a high point on the SEMRush Sensor, this is a sign that a Google algorithm update of significant impact is being initiated. While SERP volatility is high, it is worthwhile to examine which types of websites have been impacted to the greatest extent. Google changes most often impact specific websites relative to their content quality and performance levels.
This update at the first of 2019 strongly impacted sites representing such industries as automotive and food and beverage as well as pet and animal related websites and some legal and government related sites. The effects of this first 2019 update are similar to the effects of the Google Medic update, during which Google rankings of websites for e-commerce and health related sites were the most strongly affected. This update is also symbolic of Google telling websites to keep optimising their site content to attain higher search rankings and better user experience.
Google’s Algorithmic Changes Early in 2019
Although the most significant Google algorithmic changes for early 2019 took place in January, updates continued to occur during February and into March. Sometimes a slight change in usual web activity or the operation of a web tool, SEO technique or other optimising method acts like a search engine update or significant change when in reality, it is not an algorithmic update.
However, during a Google change or update, websites that are not well optimised may incur penalties that can manifest as slight or dramatic changes in their site rankings and web traffic volumes that can strongly impact a brand’s visibility and its product sales conversions. Experienced website developers and SEO pros recommend building up your online reputation as the best way to avoid incurring Google penalties. Google adores sites that are trustworthy and have excellent reputations on the web, and these sites must have expertise and authority to rank well with Google and avoid accruing penalties.
Building-Up Your Website Reputation to Avoid Incurring Google Penalties
To avoid accumulating Google penalties, you can improve the reputation of your business and company website with use of the following methods:
• Create a Top Quality ‘About Us’ Page. – When you create fine caliber content for your company’s ‘About Us’ page, you are taking the first step to avoid receiving Google penalties. Since Google favors websites with ‘Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-A-T),’ you need to design an ‘About Us’ page that displays these qualities of excellence.
Although strengthening and enhancing your online business reputation can take time, it will be well worth your efforts. Because algorithm changes are nearly always simply updates on the current algorithm that your site has excelled with, once you start building your website reputation and gain Google’s trust, you will be insuring your site against incurring future penalties during other algorithm changes and updates.
• Social Media Interaction. – Increase your site and brand web visibility and credibility through greater interaction on social media sites. You should create social media channels that link to your business site or featured brand products and services. Use social media to advertise and promote your brand and as a means of communicating with other companies in your industry niche as well as with potential clients and customers.
With use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, you can quickly and effectively gain many new connections while directing more interested people to your website to build your business and gain greater online recognition. On YouTube, you can create engaging videos about your featured products and link these videos to your company site and respected advertising domains. This can be of great help in avoiding future Google penalties during algorithm updates.
• Guest Blogging and eBooks. – Quality guest blogging can be a very powerful method of growing and enhancing your website’s reputation with Google and acquiring good levels of authority and trustworthiness. Communicate with respected business site owners in your niche and offer to collaborate on projects. Another helpful method of increasing your website’s reputation with Google is by creating eBooks concerning your brand, products and industry niche for your site visitors to download, free of charge.
You will also most likely want to publish a weekly or monthly newsletter about your niche, your business goals and your products or services. These measures will also please Google and help you avoid any future Google penalties. You may be very surprised at just how quickly you attain a highly reputable, well-trusted online business image and rising Google rankings.