Where Google goes, we will follow. With over 2.3 million Google searches each second, it’s easy to see why – Google rules the internet. They do this by staying current and focusing on user experience. Each year Google rolls out hundreds of updates to their system and their page ranking algorithms – Hundreds. Most of these updates are minor tweaks but some of them are substantial changes. Changes that impact your website and changes that should impact your website strategy; but are you keeping up with them?
Google’s mission is to “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” It’s a fantastic goal, and to reach it they are constantly testing new theories and asking for feedback. What better way to give people what they want then to ask them. It’s interesting to follow some of the experiments that Google is working on. Just a few recent examples that are easily noticeable to readers:
Zero Search Results- If you blinked, you may have missed it. For about a week, if you asked Google a specific question related to time, unit conversions, or math you may have seen one answer, and one answer only. No page full of search results, no list of resources. Just the answer to your question. If you truly wanted pages and pages of links, you could click a button to see a full list. Google asked and, based on feedback, removed the Zero Search Results for now. We’ll see if they make their way back.
Meta Description length – Meta descriptions are the page excerpts that are shown in search results. For a while, Google was showing longer snippets of information; almost double what they were previously. Longer descriptions meant more opportunities to lure a reader to your site. But the trend in description length is going back down again and we’re seeing more and more that Google will dynamically create its own meta descriptions for your site.
While these changes may not directly impact your website, the fact that Google makes so many updates should definitely impact your online strategy. Gone are the days where you can launch a website and the users will find you. Like it or not, you need Google and a strategy that is flexible and relevant. That’s where we come in. Here at Kolbeco, we are your web partner. We track and monitor these changes so that you don’t have to. We can be the researcher, the information filter, the strategist and the implementer. To us, that’s what it means to be your partner. We’re here to help you succeed and stay up to date.
Google rules the internet. Their changes impact your website and should impact your website strategy; but are you keeping up with them?
