Imagine 2024 as a high-stakes game of chess, with Google and other search engines vying for dominance. The playing field was constantly shifting, with new AI generative language technologies emerging and changing the way users search for information. Here, we explore the key moves made in this high-stakes game, analyzing key SEO changes in 2024 and how it’s likely impacting your website.
Google’s Algorithm Updates
Google rolled out several major updates to its search algorithm throughout 2024.
- Core updates: These updates broadly impacted search results, aiming to improve the overall quality and relevance of what users see. Websites that focused on creating high-quality content, providing a good user experience (fast loading speeds, easy navigation), and optimising for technical SEO (like website structure and mobile-friendliness) generally fared better.
- Spam updates: These updates targeted websites that used deceptive tactics to rank higher in search results. This included things like stuffing keywords into their content, hiding text or links from users, buying questionable links, and creating low-quality, spammy content that offered little real value.
Google Search Volatility December 2024
What does it mean for website owners & publishers?
These updates directly impact a website’s visibility in search results. Websites that don’t meet Google’s quality standards may see their rankings drop, leading to less traffic and fewer potential customers.
- What to do about it:
- Focus on high-quality content: Create original, informative, and engaging content that provides real value to users. Make sure your content is useful.
- Prioritize user experience: Ensure your website is easy to navigate, meets user journey expectation, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly. Mobile first design is increasingly being adopted by developers and designers.
- Improve technical SEO: Optimise your website’s structure, fix broken links, and improve page speed. In short, make it legible for crawlers.
- What to worry about: Failing to adapt to these updates can significantly impact a website’s search visibility and ultimately its success.
The Rise of AI
The emergence of powerful AI tools like ChatGPT significantly impacted content creation. While there were initial concerns about AI-generated content flooding the internet, Google clarified its stance. They emphasised that their focus is on ensuring that content is helpful and informative to users, regardless of whether it was written by a human or an AI. Note LLM means Large Language Models.
LLMs Statistics
What does it mean for website owners & publishers?
AI tools can be used to assist with content creation, but it’s crucial to use them merely as a tool. When used as a source of information, ensure the information is corroborated.
What to do about it:
- Use AI as a tool: AI can help with tasks like research, brainstorming, and generating initial drafts.
- Focus on human oversight: Always review and edit AI-generated content to ensure it is accurate, informative, and engaging.
- Prioritise original thought and unique perspectives: Don’t rely solely on AI; use it as a starting point for your own creative ideas.
What to worry about: Over-reliance on AI-generated content can lead to low-quality, repetitive content that will likely result in penalisation by search engines. Alphabet has 20,000 software engineers working for it; it is unlikely anyone can fool its algorithm with repetitive, low quality AI generated content that offers little value.
Shifting Focus on Content Quality
Google refined its definition of “good content.” It’s no longer just about content “created by humans for humans.” Now, the focus is on “content created for humans.” This means that AI can be a valuable tool in the content creation process, as long as the final result is informative, engaging, and helpful to the user.
New Google Document Regarding People-first Content
Previous Google Document Regarding People-first Content
What does it mean for website owners & publishers?
The focus has shifted from simply having content to having high-quality content that truly benefits users.
What to do about it:
- Create in-depth, informative, and well-researched content.
- Focus on providing unique insights and valuable information that users can’t find elsewhere.
- Use high-quality images, videos, and other multimedia to enhance the user experience to increase time spent by users on webpages.
What to worry about: Publishing thin content, duplicate content, or content that is primarily focused on keyword stuffing will likely negatively impact search rankings.
User Experience Remains Paramount
Google continued to emphasise the importance of user experience. This includes factors like how quickly a website loads, how easy it is to navigate, and how well it works on mobile devices. Ensure you monitor your users journey and constantly refine it. The question here is whether your site provides a UX that meets the average user journeys’ expectation. Google also is paying closer attention to how users interact with search results, such as how long they stay on a page or if they click on other search results after visiting a particular website.
What does it mean for website owners & publishers?
Providing a positive user experience is now more crucial than ever, largely because search engine algorithms are now substantially more smarter in deciphering between poor and good UX .
What to do about it:
- Ensure your website loads quickly on all devices.
- Make your website easy to navigate and use.
- Optimise your website for mobile devices.
- Pay attention to user behavior on your website: Track metrics like bounce rate and time on site to identify areas for improvement.
What to worry about: A poor user experience can lead to high bounce rates, low engagement, and ultimately lower search rankings.
Competition Heats Up
In addition to facing competition from large language models, Google is also losing market share to other search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo.
To effectively reach a wider audience, it’s crucial to maintain a strong presence on these alternative search engines and across various social media platforms.
Google’s Market Share Decreasing from 91% to 89.74%
The Importance of Brand Building
Building a strong brand has become increasingly important for improving organic results. This includes:
- Creating high-quality content that establishes your website as an authority in your industry.
- Building a strong online presence through social media engagement and other online activities.
What does it mean for website owners & publishers?
Building a strong brand is no longer just a marketing strategy; it’s an essential part of SEO.
What to do about it:
- Develop a unique brand identity and voice.
- Create high-quality content that establishes your website as an authority in your industry.
- Engage with your audience on social media.
- Showcase the expertise and credibility of your team.
What to worry about: Failing to build a strong brand can make it difficult to stand out from the competition and attract a loyal audience.
The Verdict: Quality Reigns Supreme
In the wake of 2024’s shifts, one thing became abundantly clear: quality reigns supreme. Websites can no longer afford to churn out generic, AI-generated content. They need to invest in skilled writers who are true experts in their fields, capable of producing insightful, original, and engaging content that resonates with their audience.
Furthermore, building a strong brand identity is crucial. This involves cultivating a distinct voice and personality, fostering a loyal community through active social media engagement, and showcasing your expertise and credibility. By prioritising quality, authenticity, and a strong online presence, websites can not only weather the storms of future search algorithm updates but also thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.