Search engines are full of the types of people who like to innovate, introduce new things, and deliver their services in different ways. A consequence of this is that the results page will change as systems are updated and refined. Algorithms look at 100’s of weighted signals which are impossible to know in advance.
Algorithms Happen Daily
Algorithms run all of the time, are a fact of online life and are said to update in real time, constantly assessing and re-assessing content hour by hour.
However, major search engine algorithm updates can also happen, and these often radically shift rankings for millions of business across the globe, benefitting those who rise, and hurting those who fall.
We must remember too, that search engines are also businesses, with shareholders to satisfy, and bottom lines to maximise and that some of their decisions will ultimately reduce the opportunities for some businesses to appear within their organic search results.
It’s easy to get concerned when rankings drop, especially if this happens over a sustained period of time, in spite of your efforts.
Sometimes, rankings can also fall sharply over night, and in both cases, this is naturally upsetting, especially where jobs, bills and livelihoods are concerned
What can you do when algorithms change?
There are a number of things you can do where this happens.
- Check the Google search System Updates Blog for any recently announced updates that may have affected your domain
- Talk with the people who manage your SEO for any insights
- Read up on the search engine guidelines and determine if your domain has fallen foul of any of these specifications
- Review the guidelines for insights into what google wants and what it doesn’t want.
- Review your Google Search Console account (if you have one) and see if you have a manual penalty applied
You may also decide that some extra paid advertising spend is required to maintain sales and visibility for your brand, Whilst this isn’t ideal, or a solution, it can at least keep those all important sales coming in, albeit at a lower level of profitability.
Finally, if you need a little help exploring or understanding what has befallen you, then you can talk to us too.