Every time Google announces a major algorithm update, those of us in the web development and SEO services industry sit up and take notice. Or at least we should. Google dominates the search engine world. Every algorithm update they launch has a measurable effect on every website, bar none. So here’s a question: how much do you know about Google’s Freshness algorithm?
The Freshness algorithm was launched in 2011 as a supplement to the previous Caffeine update of 2010. It is understandable if you have never heard of it before; most website owners have not. But there is no excuse for your digital marketing agency or SEO services provider not being familiar with it. The Freshness update continues to have a significant impact on search engine results pages (SERPs).
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Freshness in a Nutshell
The SEO experts at Salt Lake City’s Webtek Digital Marketing explain the Freshness update as a way to help Google algorithms serve up the most recent and relevant information on topics that tend to change frequently. Political topics are a great example.
Politics are constantly changing, and people tend to want the latest information when they search for political topics. The problem with this particular topic category is that information can be outdated within days. Sometimes it only takes hours. Google knows that. They also know that users searching for political information do not want old information.
Celebrity-related topics also evolve rather quickly. So does just about anything related to entertainment, sports, and hard news in general. Creating fresh content for these sorts of topics is necessary to stay on top of Google’s search engine leader board. But what about topics relevant to your particular industry? Freshness still applies.
Keep Things Up to Date
Let us say you operate a business in the travel space. Most of the content on your website was produced prior to COVID. You haven’t produced very much since, mainly because your industry is still in flux. Your predicament is understandable. However, failing to create updated content is probably hurting your search engine performance.
Things in your industry have changed. Your content needs to reflect that. More importantly, your customers are hungry for up-to-date information that they can use to make travel decisions. Be the travel industry leader that gives them the information. Keep things up to date and Google’s Freshness algorithm will reward you.
Ways to Keep It Fresh
Taking advantage of the Freshness update isn’t hard. In fact, it is one of the easiest Google updates to exploit. Here are five ways to do it:
- Refresh Existing Content – Go back to older content and update it to reflect the new reality. Republishing it with updated information creates a recent timestamp that Google algorithms will recognize and reward.
- Create New Content – You can never go wrong creating new content with the latest information on your industry’s hottest topics.
- Share on Social – Sharing both refreshed and new content on social media generates interest. The Freshness update takes notice of that interest.
- Increase Frequency – Provided all your content is fresh and up to date, increasing the frequency with which you post maximizes the benefits of the Freshness update.
- Add Evergreen Content – Evergreen content is content that is less date-sensitive. It is not a complete replacement for fresh content, but it can minimize the impact of not always being able to keep up.
Google’s Freshness update is a real thing. If you don’t know much about it, that’s fine. But make sure your SEO provider or digital marketing agency not only knows about the update but also accounts for it.
