Google: The Compulsive Reorganizer

Google doesn’t change their search algorithm just to make life difficult for companies and individuals trying to optimize their sites… but it can feel like it sometimes. Like back in March, when the headlines were reading things like “Google to Punish Over-Optimized Sites.” That was a punch in the gut for anyone who had just dumped a few grand into getting their site up to snuff, but take a deep breath, ‘cause it’s all going to be okay.

First, a quick brag: The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that we do here at MG isn’t the kind to which Google’s algorithm gives the smack-down. User-focused SEO that gives your visitors something of value will still be looked upon favorably by Google. To be competitive, Google needs to provide high-quality search results, so they will always be on the side of quality, and quality is the best SEO, which we’ve been saying since the beginning.

So what’s happening in the world of search? A lot.

Knowledge Graph: A few months ago, our article on Siri explored how Siri could offer competition to Google, but Google has struck back with their Knowledge Graph. Knowledge Graph makes the jump from information to knowledge. Rather than searching for instances of a word you type, Google can connect that word with the person, place, thing, or idea that you’re looking for and give you content about it and content related to it without you having to exert the effort of a single click. They’re trying to distill what you really want from what you search for, adding richness and depth to your search. Some speculate that the Knowledge Graph could be the nascent engine behind Google’s planned mobile Siri competitor.

If you’re making content decisions for an organization, Google’s Knowledge Graph indicates that you should consider how your site, product, or service fits into its categorical ecosystem. Relate your content to your industry, and relate it to its social or economic drivers.

The new 52: I’m not talking about DC’s new comic line-up, but the 52 new Google launches to improve search. Here are a few highlights:

• Google has increased its base index size by 15 percent, and 15 percent of ginormous is also ginormous.
• Automatic spelling corrections have been expanded and improved in more than 60 languages, because we know you use the world’s largest network of information to make sure you spelled “recipe” correctly.
• Location-specific results have been improved to prioritize your area in your search results.
• Low quality content won’t receive Google’s freshness boost.
• Google has improved content delivery for certain categorical searches, such as MLB, Formula 1, and the NHL, delivering the frequently searched scores and stats above standard search results.

As usual, these improvements are all designed to give people what they want with minimal clicking. In fact, the Knowledge Graph and MLB search changes can give users what they want with no clicking. So how do you game the system? For starters, that’s the wrong question to ask (I know, I led you into it).

Follow the same recommendations we’ve been offering for years: deliver high-quality content that is full of information rather than jargon, update your content regularly (blogs are great for this), interact with your community, and make sure the back-end of your site is all neat and tidy with the right metadata for your content and no sneaky tricks. Basically, understand who your target audience is, and craft the site to serve them. Google is trying to give the people what they want. Be what they want, and Google will serve you.