Google’s latest update aims to change how their algorithm arranges its search engine results. When people search Google for a term like “women’s shirts,” you would naturally expect them to be met with a slew of results from eCommerce giants like Amazon and Walmart. With the expansive scope of products that these companies offer, it comes as no surprise that users will be directed to at least a few pages from each of these major brands.
This is because Google’s algorithm deals with structured data. Their algorithm is incredibly skilled when it comes to finding the best results for search queries based on the data it has gleaned. Despite this, the algorithm does not always consider the idea of user experience.
When users turn to a search engine to find a product, they aren’t looking for the major brands they already know. Users want variety, and Google has listened. To increase the number of options presented to its users, Google has updated its algorithm to increase diversity in its results.
The biggest impact this update will have is that now, unless they are extremely relevant to the particular search, Google will limit websites to only having two links in their top results. This means that now there is going to be more real estate available on Google’s coveted first page for smaller businesses.
This update is still new and will require further refinement. You may still see the same website occupying multiple positions and Google is working hard to determine when this is appropriate. For example, Amazon deserves more than two links on the first page if the user is searching for information about the company itself, but will only be given two links in relation to a query about a general product.
So how will this affect your business?
More room on the board means it will be easier for smaller brands to achieve these top result rankings. This means that your SEO campaign just became that much more valuable. In light of this news, it’s time to revisit your SEO strategy to make sure your site is a strong contender for these new openings.
This update could also mean that your business will start appearing on the front page, especially if you have been climbing the rankings recently. The vacuum this update has produced means that competing companies will be gunning for these spots as well, so be sure to continue building links and focusing on your keywords if you want to keep your new rankings and the resulting increase in traffic to your website.
Though Google has yet to announce exactly what criteria can result in a business being featured more than twice in the top results, more information on this point might affect future SEO strategies.
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