Google recently announced the release of its March 2023 Core Algorithm Update. This update is designed to improve the relevance, freshness, accuracy, and overall user experience when searching for information on its search engine. But what exactly does this update mean for home builders and their search engine optimization strategy?
What are Google’s core algorithm updates?
Ever wonder why Google is seemingly always updating its search algorithm? It’s so they (and other search engines) can provide the most relevant and helpful results to users in an ever-evolving digital world. Google’s updates have far-reaching effects on homebuilder websites and SEO strategies. These periodic core algorithm updates serve as a good checkpoint for digital marketing professionals to re-evaluate their SEO strategy and make the necessary adjustments to remain competitive in the online space.
Google’s March 2023 Core Algorithm Update: What to know
Google began the initial rollout of this update on March 15th and expects it to take about two weeks to complete. While we don’t know exactly what’s in this recent update, we recommend keeping an eye on your organic traffic to see how it performs. If your traffic takes a hit, here are some things you can work on to recover your ranking:
Focus on E-A-T
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses this framework to determine the quality of a webpage’s content. If you want your website to stand out from the competition on search engine results pages (SERPs), make sure you provide relevant information to users. Here’s are some steps you can take to improve your E-A-T score.
Provide fresh content
Google rewards websites that are regularly updated with new information. This is because fresh content will rank higher than old content due to its higher relevance for users’ queries. Regular updates also signal to search engines like Google that the website is actively maintained, which can help boost its rankings even further. A home builder’s blog is a great way to tick this box where website updates aren’t as frequent.
Enhance user experience
Making sure your website offers an enjoyable experience is key to success. It’s important that visitors are able to get the most out of their time on your website regardless of what device they use or the type of connection. You want your website visitors to have a seamless digital experience. Review your website’s performance to make sure it’s meeting standards for page speed, mobile-friendliness, and proper indexing.
Improve structured data
Structured data helps Google understand the ins and outs of your website. By including structured data in your pages, you’re essentially having a conversation with Google to explain exactly what each page offers up; which leads to higher rankings on search results. Leveraging the power of structured data gives builders a competitive advantage. Schema markup is a great way to provide additional information about the content on web pages so it’s easier for search engines to understand.
With this update, Google continues to deliver reliable and relevant information to users. Home builders must continue to ensure their websites and content are user-friendly, up-to-date, properly organized, and well-structured if they wish to keep up with these latest changes.
Get help with your SEO strategy
By staying informed and adapting to these algorithmic shifts, home builders can continue to thrive in an ever-changing digital world. Not sure where to being with your SEO strategy? Bring Graphic Language on your team to help. We have over 25 years of experience crafting effective SEO strategies that elevate your website in search results. Contact us to schedule a SEO audit today.