Google updates – a blessing or a curse? ⚖️
Mobile-First: The Game Changer 📱
2016 was the year that Google declared it was going all-in on mobile-first indexing. This update made it very clear that if your site didn’t have a good user experience on mobile, you were in for a bumpy ride.
Why? Mobile searches skyrocketed in 2016, and by 2017, a whopping 75% of searches were made on mobile devices. To give websites a gentle tap in the right direction, Google boosted mobile-friendly sites in its rankings — because if you’re not mobile, you’re not moving forward.
What did we learn?
- Positive mobile user experience wasn’t optional anymore, it was necessary.
- Load speed mattered more than ever
- Developers needed to change up their process, ensuring all desktop content was just as accessible on mobile.
Security Took Center Stage 🔒
Remember when Google said, “Hey, if you don’t have HTTPS, your rankings might take a hit”? They weren’t kidding. The September 2016 update made HTTPS essential for any site collecting sensitive user info, like passwords or credit card details. This was a challenge for smaller e-commerce operators in 2016, and it paved the way for the security standards that are still in place today.
It wasn’t all bad news! Webmasters could easily find plug-ins to add the necessary security certificates for https without too much hassle. Ah, the joys of navigating the ever-changing digital landscape. ✨
If you want to know more about security protocol plug-ins, get in touch with us.
Goodbye Penalties, Hello Real-Time Updates 🐧
Penguin 4.0 arrived and changed the game for SEO. Instead of slapping sites with harsh penalties for dodgy backlinks, Google began adjusting rankings in real-time. It was less “You’re grounded!” and more “Here’s some feedback. Let’s fix it.” 🛠️
That said, Google wasn’t easy on sites that hadn’t switched to HTTPS. They made it clear that any site handling sensitive information had to have proper security in place. Without it, severe SEO penalties loomed, an ominous threat that pushed business owners to make changes quickly. 🏃♂️
Top Tips for Surviving the Next Algorithm Change
1. Secure Your Site 🔒
If you ran an e-commerce platform or a site requiring logins, it was crucial to switch to HTTPS. Google made it clear that sites without proper security would face penalties, and sure enough, they did. This change continues to be essential today. Sites that handle sensitive user information still need that HTTPS protocol, or they’ll risk dropping in rankings.
Since 2016, Google’s been making big moves on user security. Penguin 4.0 kicked it all off, but that was just the first ripple in a much bigger pond. 🌊
2. Mobile Hosting 📱
Back then, Google made it clear: don’t host your mobile site on a subdomain. While you wouldn’t be penalised for it, you were just setting yourself up for unnecessary headaches. The solution? Responsive design. This has since become a fundamental approach, ensuring all pages are mobile-friendly and ensuring Google sees your site as adaptable for both mobile and desktop users. 💻
Mobile-first: with ONLY a desktop site you’ll still be in the results & be findable. Recall how mobilegeddon didn’t send anyone to oblivion?
— Gary Illyes (@methode) November 6, 2016
Focusing on mobile first put some pressure on web build projects, with managers and developers needing to integrate SEO strategy early in the development process.
This often meant developers had to focus on:
- Managing structured data markup while balancing mobile speed times
- Prioritising mobile load times over desktop load times
- Ensuring all desktop content was also visible on mobile
3. Quality Assurance 🏅
On top of ensuring your site ran smoothly on mobile devices, it was critical to implement mobile SEO. There were plenty of things to focus on, but the top priority was making sure your title tags were the right length for mobile—around 70 characters.
If this all sounds like double Dutch, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered, get in touch with us and we’ll do the translating.
Also, if you were still getting the hang of mobile SEO, you could always use the Google Search Console Fetch tool to see how Google’s spiders were reading your site. You could even set it to check your site from either a mobile or desktop perspective.
This tool truly earned its place as an essential part of any digital marketer, developer, or webmaster’s toolkit. 🧰
Constant and Neverending Improvement 📈
2016 taught us that Google’s updates aren’t just challenges; they’re opportunities to improve. By staying agile and prioritising user experience, security, and quality, you won’t just survive the next update – you’ll thrive. 💡
So, whether the next update feels like a blessing or a curse, remember: every tweak Google makes is another nudge toward a better web experience for all of us. ✨
