What to Do When Google Shares SEO Tips or Recommendations…
When #Google gives advice, the SEO community often hangs on their every word. DON'T!
[Watch us discussing this topic on Youtube!]
I’ve been an SEO long enough to have realized one thing: At this point, no one (including actual Google search engineers) knows exactly what it takes to rank higher in Google.
Look, the algorithm is more than 20 years old. It is juggling hundreds of core signals (including the top three, but let’s not even go there). On top of those core signals, there have been layers and layers added, including Rank Brain (or whatever their recent AI-driven algorithm is called these days).
It has been enough going on for me to stop hanging on every Googler’s word trying to identify the secret meaning behind whatever they say…
Not only do those public-facing Googlers not exactly know how to help website owners, but they also cannot share any practical advice:
Again, they don’t know
There’s simply no secret sauce or checklist they could share to help.
Therefore their advice is vague and unhelpful (pun intended) except for the cases when it is simply wrong and misleading:
The problem is, when Googlers talk, the SEO community tends to lose sanity.
Now, repeat after me:
When Google says author bylines are not a ranking signal, it doesn’t mean anything…
Don’t quote them on that and don’t start telling clients to stop worrying about that.
When Google says FAQs or jump-to links are not going to help you rank better, it doesn’t mean anything.
The fact is, they don’t know.
In fact, jump-to-links are great and can help your readers navigate your content more easily. This may result in a better engagement rate and will ultimately send positive signals to Google (which will help your site rank higher).
Whether you do it for people or for Google is none of Google’s business.
What they are trying to tell us is that adding an author byline or a FAQ section won’t move the needle that much. It is much more complicated than that.
Keep doing you, keep building great content, keep building great links…
The fact is, losing traffic is inevitable but it is going to be temporary unless you stop building your site and attracting links to it.
This is the SEO lifecycle:
You win, you lose, you win again.
The key is to keep moving.
And don’t take anything that Google says as an action item!
Google search algorithm is a living, always-changing organism at this point.
You cannot control it. No one can, including people who created it.
You know your business, you know your customers, you do you.
But wait, whatever Google says about not trying to please the search algorithm, these things are still key:
Keywords are still key
Content answering search queries is fundamental
Backlinks are still crucial
Best UX practices are still important.
So keep creating content that you consider useful and helpful while still implementing SEO fundamentals that, in fact, do nothing wrong.
But what exactly does it mean?
“Helpful” is not a standard.
It is a terrible name for an update or an algorithm system because what some people find helpful, others find useless.
“Helpful” is subjective and you cannot make your content helpful for everyone.
It is impossible to translate into a strategy.
So here are a few actionable ideas from me and other - smarter - people:
Know your keywords (they show you what your target audience is struggling with).
Create a page that you find helpful (based on a target query). This is the first step.
Give a quick answer above the fold (to address that query and answer an underlying question). Try my custom GPT to get an insight into what that underlying intent is and how to better satisfy it.
Add more quick answers under each subheading. In other words, make useful answers easy to find!
Yes, in most cases jump-to links / on-page table of contents is helpful, just like other things that may not be direct “helpful content algorithm” signals (I don’t think there are any such signals anyway)
Make sure your page loads fast and smooth (test on multiple devices as well as using a cellphone connection)
Avoid any intrusive on-page elements (unless they are really important for your bottom line. Yes, it is a balance)
Create new content only when you did your best to promote your recent one
Look at your old content at least monthly and update what’s outdated (or where you have anything new to add)
Get new backlinks! They bring trust and authority. These will help you survive more updates. Diversify your link building methods in case one of them stops working.
Use images and videos when they add unique value. They don’t have to be useful or helpful (it could be humor!)
But more importantly…
While you have Google traffic, do your best to use it to develop alternative (independent of any single platform) traffic sources (grow your list, build a private community, etc.). It is not only about making immediate sales or money from ads. Build something you can rely on in-between drops and fails. Search traffic is meant to power your growth. Other channels will help you survive in between its fluctuations.
Don’t expect Google’s traffic to be permanent. It will fluctuate. But if you keep going, it will come back.
Grow your brand. This will ultimately help you generate more consistent traffic. It will also help you launch new projects easier.
Don’t stop trying new things! You can never rely on one thing that works. The web is changing too fast.
I personally have gone through many of these waves of Google adjusting the algorithm and introducing penalties crushing tactics that were previously ok.
I have built my living on Google search and I have still been able to survive those waves because I have been building more than traffic from Google. I have been building my brand and my network of connections.
It is nothing new. SEO is what has allowed lots of businesses to grow fast but organic traffic has never been permanent.
Take a breath and keep going.
Overwhelmed? Get in touch. We’ve seen it all.
