Everyone is talking about Google’s recent and upcoming search changes. Okay, maybe not everyone, but the techie world is certainly buzzing, and with good reason.
Google recently announced several immediate and future changes to the Google search algorithm. Every SEO-conscious business owner should be paying attention to these changes. They will change SEO best practices for small businesses and large businesses alike, and they will also change your content creation strategy.
These search changes can be broken down into two categories: making search results more direct and making search results more social (Photo: Google).
Google is striving to make their search results more direct and intuitive- what does that mean for your small business SEO?
Basically, Google wants to build a massive knowledge graph that will allow them to provide direct answers to any search query and put those answers above any other links. In a recent Mashable article, Google Senior VP Amit Singhal compared this vision to the infamous StarTrek computer.
Is this where Google is headed? (Photo: computerweekly.com)
In more immediate terms, Google seems to be striving for something akin to Apple’s Siri, which provides immediate answers to questions, instead of simply directing users to another website.
What does this mean for small business SEO?
- Since Google will be trying to provide direct answers to questions, your small business should really focus on trying to provide creative blog content with unique opinions and viewpoints.
- Continue to use long-tail keywords, as Google will be focusing on specificity more than ever.
Google is striving to make their search results more social. What does this mean for your small business SEO?
As part of their promotion of Google+, Google has begun factoring social sharing into their search results. This means that a Google user, logged into his account, will see search results that his friends have shared or recommended.
What does this mean for small business SEO?
Social sharing is more important than ever. Make sure to share your content across Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other sites- Along with this, create content that is shareable. People are more likely to share compelling content that will spark conversation, so make sure that your blog posts and articles are capable of being that spark.
- Use creative, attention-grabbing titles that will prompt users to read and share your content. Keywords are still important, but they do not have to be systematically included in every title. Instead, focus on putting keywords in the body of your post and getting creative with the title.
- For more on how Google+ can impact your small business SEO, check out our Google+ best practices guide!
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