Google’s October 2023 core algorithm update: What marketers must consider and do as best practices.
By Nicholas Papagiannis, VP, Search Director
On October 5th, Google released their “ October 2023 core algorithm update” and many websites might be seeing a change in their Google rankings, for better or for worse, over the last few weeks.
Like most core algorithm updates, this recent update is designed to improve the quality of search results for users by making it easier for Google to identify and reward high-quality content and websites.
As a marketer, it is important to understand how the October 2023 core algorithm update could affect your website and your SEO strategy. Here are some of the practices you need to consider:
1. Focus on creating high-quality content
The most important thing you can do for the October 2023 core algorithm update is to focus on creating high-quality content that is informative, helpful and relevant to your target audience. Google is increasingly rewarding websites that provide users with the best possible experience, and this means having content that is well-written, engaging and authoritative.
Here are some tips for creating high-quality content:
- Write for people, not machines. Google’s algorithm is getting better at understanding the meaning of content, but it is still not perfect. So, when you are writing content, make sure that it is easy for people to read and understand.
- Focus on your users, not Google. When you are creating content, focus on what your users want and need. What are their pain points? What information are they looking for? What kind of content will help them solve their problems or achieve their goals?
- Be authoritative. Google wants to see content that is written by experts and that is backed up by evidence. When you are writing content, make sure to cite your sources and to provide links to other relevant and authoritative websites.
2. Optimize your website for user experience
In addition to creating high-quality content, it is also important to optimize your website for user experience. This means making sure that your website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly. Google is increasingly taking user experience into account when ranking websites, so it is important to make sure that your website is providing a good user experience.
Here are some tips for optimizing your website for user experience:
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to access the internet, so it is important to make sure that your website looks good and functions well on mobile devices.
- Improve your website’s loading speed. People are more likely to abandon a website if it takes too long to load. Use a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix any performance issues on your website.
- Make your website easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. Use clear and concise navigation menus and make sure that your website’s content is well-organized.
3. Build backlinks from high-quality websites
Backlinks are still an important ranking factor for Google. However, the quality of backlinks is more important than the quantity. Google wants to see websites that have backlinks from other high-quality websites. This is a signal to Google that your website is authoritative and trustworthy.
Here are some tips for building backlinks from high-quality websites:
- Create high-quality content. The best way to attract backlinks is to create high-quality content that other websites want to link to. Make sure that your content is informative, helpful, and relevant to your target audience.
- Promote your content. Once you have created high-quality content, you need to promote it so that other people can find it. Share your content on social media, reach out to other websites in your industry, and submit your content to directories.
- Guest blogging. Guest blogging is a great way to get backlinks from high-quality websites. Offer to write guest blog posts for other websites in your industry. When you guest blog, be sure to include a link back to your own website in your author bio.
4. Monitor your website’s traffic and rankings
After the October 2023 core algorithm update, it is important to monitor your website’s traffic and rankings to see how it has been affected. This will help you to identify any areas where you need to make improvements.
You can use a variety of tools to monitor your website’s traffic and rankings, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Be sure to check your traffic and rankings regularly so that you can quickly identify and address any problems.
Conclusion
The October 2023 Google core algorithm update and coming updates further emphasize the need for marketers to work with SEO specialists and solutions that minimize performance impacts. These algorithm updates also reward websites that practice good and quality SEO tactics, with strong search engine rankings