Upcoming Changes to SEO

If your business has a website, then you should also have an SEO strategy. SEO (or Search Engine Optimisation) is process of implementing measures and changes to make your website rank higher on search engines organically. You may have heard of SEO before as it has been around search engines began, but if you are new or aren’t up to date in the continuous changes to this digital strategy, it can be a complex and daunting idea. SEO Specialists can help ease that burden of needing to learn it yourself, particularly if you are not experienced in making technical changes to your website.

Google is the most popular search engine with 91.86% of market share worldwide, so it is only logical to take note of how to optimise for their platform in particular. There are a number of changes recently and upcoming to know about SEO that our specialists have outlined below.

Upcoming Google Algorithm Update

Google announced a change to their algorithm due to roll out in May this year which combines their Core Web Vitals with their existing signals for user page experience that impact on Search Ranking. Existing signals are: Mobile Friendliness, Safe Browsing, HTTPS, and intrusive interstitial (or popup) guidelines. These new signals, defined as Google’s Core Web Vitals, are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How long it takes the majority of your website to load. The slower your site, the worse Google will rank it. The criteria for a ‘good’ LCP time is 2.5 seconds or less.
• First Input Delay (FID): How long it takes for your website to respond to a user’s first interaction (e.g. Click). Ever clicked a link on a site and then just waited? Google advise their ‘good’ response time threshold is 100 milliseconds or less.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This measures the visual stability of a website and checks for unexpected layout shifts. Have you visited a website and as you go to click a link, everything moves and suddenly you’ve clicked something different? Or tried to read an article and the text keeps shifting place? These are unexpected layout shifts. A CLS score of less an 0.1 is considered by Google to be ‘good’.

Google’s focus is to provide the best information and experience to their search users; all of the above factors have an impact the experience of a visitor, so they are making these now count towards Search Engine Ranking. SEO Strategists work with Website Developers to improve Core Web Vitals as a part of your SEO strategy. It is worth your time to consider these factors now, before the update in May.

Search Patterns have Changed

Another factor to consider in your SEO strategy is the change of user search habits. One of the most recent changes is the increased use of Voice Search using Siri, Bixby, or home devices like Google Home, Alexa, and more. How people verbally search online is very different to the way that they would type a search, so it is important to consider this when writing the text that is on your website as Google’s aim is to provide the best matched result for a search query. A study has shown that in 2018, 57% of Australian’s used voice search, and with more home devices released since then, adoption of this is continually increasing.

Remember SEO Takes Time

Even if you implement improvements to your SEO strategy, you won’t see results overnight. It takes time for Search Engine Ranking Positions (SERP’s) to change as search engine algorithms continually learn; it can take approximately 3-6 months to see the full results of your strategy in your SERP. It is also important to remember that SEO is a constant job and should be reviewed and updated regularly.

Don’t know where to start with your SEO? We can help!

The Digital Team at Adllins Media is up-to-date and experienced in the latest SEO strategies and can help take your Organic Traffic to the next level. Contact us today to discuss how we can help on 07 4031 1889 or send us a message.