Changes to the Google Algorithm in 2021

If there’s anything constant about the internet, it’s that there will always be changes, and a battle for business owners is staying on top of what’s happening in the online world. The other constant of the internet is its importance, from search engine optimization to social media, and how marketing efforts today can drive sales for months and years to come.

Google just made a big announcement about some algorithm changes coming down the pipe in 2021 (read their official statement here). Before you get worried about how this will affect your website, one of the biggest notations they made is that there is no definite ‘launch date’ yet for this change - and when a date is set, it will be announced at least six months in advance.

So while you don’t need to take drastic steps today towards satisfying their new requirements, it’s important to keep the upcoming changes in mind as you think about the future of your online presence, especially if you’re thinking about investing in a new website or a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) overhaul. Here are the big highlights and takeaways from Google’s 2021 announcement:

• User experience is key.
  In some ways, this has always been the case, but Google is prioritizing how the user responds once they navigate to your website. If you have 10 pop-ups that are simply annoying, or if your page takes a long time to load, these factors contribute to a very negative experience. My advice? Have a neutral third party go to your website with fresh eyes and answer questions about how easy it is to navigate, if anything stands in the way of a good website experience, and what changes they would recommend.

• Think mobile first.
  Again, this should not come as a big surprise, but as traffic continues to trend towards mobile, a good user experience will go far beyond a desktop screen. A common mistake I see is that business owners make edits to and evaluate their website on a laptop computer, and never bother to look at the mobile experience. If this is you, go RIGHT NOW, grab a phone and a tablet, and evaluate how easy it is to navigate through your website on a mobile device. This is absolutely crucial, and it cannot be ignored.

• If you’re not using ‘https://’ on your website, you need to start now.
  While this isn’t THE top factor in user experience, it is one of the top factors Google lists from a security standpoint. Thankfully for me and my clients, Squarespace automatically makes this an option (and you SHOULD use it now!), but if your website does not redirect to https instead of just http, go ahead and make that change now.

• According to Google, the top factors in user experience will be (in this order): loading (how long does it take?); Interactivity; Visual Stability; Mobile-Friendly; Safe Browsing; Https; No Intrusive Interstitials
  That’s a long list, and you may not understand it all, but as more information is released over the coming months, I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening. Click here and subscribe to my newsletter so you can be the first to know, and the first to make the right changes you need to enhance your website experience.

What questions do you have about the Google algorithm and the coming changes? Leave them as a comment below, or email me directly at maria[at]mariagracellc.com and I’ll answer your specific query!

Need help implementing these changes?

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