What Google’s Latest Search Update Means for SEO
Mar 02, 2016
If you regularly use Google on a desktop, you may have noticed that the ads have disappeared from the right-hand side of the page. There are also more paid ads at the top of the page, meaning that you have to scroll down to see the organic listings:
Google states that it has started displaying an additional ad (so four ads, rather than three) for “highly commercial queries”, e.g. search terms that will lead to a purchase, such as “Wedding Photographer”.
This may seem like a small change, but it’s actually quite a dramatic move for Google.
We’ve made some predictions about how this will affect SEO for businesses:
Google wants more of your money for AdWords
This is not so much a prediction as an observation on the situation. When searching for commercial queries, all that will appear above the fold on a desktop computer is ads and the local search map. Therefore, the only guaranteed way to be seen above the fold on a search engine results page is to pay to be there. Now that there are less ads being shown in total (7 rather than the usual 11), AdWords may also become more expensive. Sly move, Google.
Organic SEO will become more difficult, and less important
Although Google seems to promote the importance of having a good website, creating useful content and not participating in schemes to “trick” your way to the top of search results, by displaying more ads, surely Google is undercutting their own advice? Through this new update, they are effectively saying, “If you want to be at the top of Google, you have to pay!”
Does this mean businesses will have to rely on PPC for their website traffic? Not at all. Remember that this update has only rolled out on desktop searches – mobile searches have not been affected. Also, Google is not the only way to attract visitors to your website. Which leads us on to our final prediction…
Content marketing will become increasingly vital
Now that it is more difficult to be noticed on Google without paying for AdWords, perhaps it is time for businesses to start focussing on other audiences online, particularly social media. If you have a blog on your website, think about how you can reach people who use Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest with your blog posts. If you share content that people are interested in, they will click through to your website. Content marketing can also include videos, infographics, quizzes…there are endless possibilities! It’s all about finding the right piece of content for your audience.
If you would like more answers about this update, or you would like some help promoting your website online, please get in touch with us here at The Creation Lab.