Google Core Algorithm Update in September 2022
Google has announced a new Core Algorithm update, which has been rolled out throughout September 2022. A Core Algorithm update is officially announced when Google makes enough changes to their algorithm that they deem it’ll have a noticeable effect on most marketers and search engine publishers. SearchEngineJournal gives a good breakdown of the algorithm’s changes here.
So, when it comes to writing and publishing blogs, what does this latest Core Algorithm update mean for your rankings?
Essentially, this represents a move to prioritise original content over duplicated and bot-written content when it comes to search rankings.
Using four simple questions, we’ve set out how you can update your content to boost your algorithm rankings below!
Is Your Blog Answering a Clear Question?
The first question you need to ask yourself is: why should readers visit your site? What answer to their search are you providing?
If you’re not sure of the answer, you need to revisit the ‘main question’ of your blog.
For example, one of the blogs we’ve written focused on providing exercises for older aduls in their retirement years. Check out the changes we made to the title to keep the blog relevant, more focused, and more targeted.
Original title: Exercises for Older Adults
Updated title: Five Exercises to Get You Moving in Retirement
Identifying a specific question to ask and then answer makes your blog more authentic, and also more useful to Google users. What’s more, being clear in the question your blog is answering will set your blog apart from ones which are trying to answer multiple questions at once, and confusing the user.
Is Your Blog Adding Value?
…Or are you just repeating your keyword in the hopes Google will pick it up?
There are two things to take away from this point.
One, while keywords are still relevant, there’s no added benefit to using them repetitively. They should support your content, not define it.
Two, is your blog essentially a copy and paste job of others on the same topic? What’s your take on the topic which sets you apart? Or is it your style of writing which does?
Either way, if your blog sounds exactly like other high profile blogs on the subject, to the point that it seems plagiarised, Google won’t like it. Most likely, it’ll assume it was put together by a bot and as it doesn’t add any value to the conversation, it won’t get the attention you’d like it to in the search results.
What Are You Linking?
Similarly, when you’re making updates to increase your blogs’ engagement, look at your links.
Links are great to support your blogs’ messaging and to signpost to further resources on the topic being discussed.
However, too many links can cheapen your blog by making it seem like it’s made up of other, external content only. This contributes to the above point about ‘adding value’ to the conversation.
Try to use between 1-3 external links, and only link to good, reliable sources.
Lastly – Write Like a Human
This one might seem self-explanatory, but all content creators can fall into the trap of writing for the Google AI bots, instead of for their audience.
GA4 will be looking to promote blogs which are not written by bots, so try to write blogs targeting your audience. If you were to meet up with your intended audience at a coffee shop and read your blog to them out loud, it would need to sound natural. If instead, you start sounding like the ‘Hey Google’ bot, you might have missed the mark.
Test this out by asking a friend or colleague to read your draft blogs, or by reading them out loud to yourself once to see if they sound natural.
Get in Touch!
As well as keeping up with the core update, don’t forget about the upcoming Google Analytics changes (GA4). To learn more about this, read our blog.
For any questions or comments on this blog, please reach out to TLS Digital Media via the webform on our website.
We can provide customised support and advice for SEO, automation, inbound and other marketing-related queries. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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