How to Ensure Your Site Survives Google’s Algorithm Updates

It happens every few months, an event so terrifying that it has bloggers, website owners and especially online marketers pulling out their hair in fear of what may happen next. I am talking of course about Google’s algorithm updates.

Whether it’s called Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, or something else, many websites experience disastrous SERP decline while others prosper whenever these changes happen and it’s something that has happened several times to me and my websites.

If you want to be on the latter end, there are very important things you need to do to ensure continued success in the SERPS. This is why in this relatively simply tutorial, I will explain what works, has worked and will likely work in the near/long future no matter what sort of updates arise to help you be Google proof for the next update that comes. 

Understanding why Google updates it’s algorithm (and the positive side of it):

It’s really all about cleaning up it’s search engine and cleaning out the bad websites and blogs.

Often times there are many people who figure out loopholes and ways to “trick” the Google algorithm and get their websites ranking high. And often times these websites offer very low quality content in the sense that they usually try to sell things without aiming to help people or offer them useful information.

Overtime sites like these clutter Google’s search engine, ruin the browsers experience and in order to ensure that people keep looking to it for answers, Google keeps making changes to it’s algorithm. Many times, the intention is to cleanse it’s system of these sorts of low quality websites.

You have to absolutely look at it from Google’s point of view if you are going to experience long term success in SEO:

Their reputation is on the line and this is why they do all of this in the first place. And even though in reality it is never 100% guaranteed that your website/s won’t receive the short end of the stick (Google slap/blacklist), there are ways to improve your chances and keep experiencing massive SEO success. This brings me to the actual point of this post:

3 ways to protect your site from Google updates (and rise from them):

1) Stop using black hat methods of marketing:

Whether it’s:

• Content spinners.
• Content creation tools like SEO Zen, P1 Traffic System or other automated programs.
• Backlink packages and other shady link building methods. 
• Or any method of marketing that isn’t natural.

You are going to put your site at massive risk for being slapped/blacklisted if you use these methods of marketing. All of them are designed to get you fast results in the SERPS, but through loopholes and other various methods of marketing Google does NOT like. You are essentially trying to trick the search engine and win against the house (Google).

What do you think is going to happen if you get caught? That’s right, you’re going to get kicked out. 

So stop focusing on getting fast results in the SERPS or looking for that “magic” system/program that promises fast results. 99% of the time (optimistic prediction) these programs are all using one or more forms of black hat marketing and ironically in the long run, it’ll lead to worse results than had you done things properly and taken your time.

Google has become excellent at spotting websites that use these sorts of methods and in their updates targets these websites. If you don’t want to be one of those many marketers panicking over a coming Google update, make sure you don’t use any black hat marketing tools!

2) Always write high quality content:

There are so many websites out there who try to succeed at online marketing via over-selling or basing their website on the premise to make money, not help people.

If you’re ever going to succeed, you need to do it the opposite way and focus on PEOPLE, not search engines OR making money and this usually comes down to writing/making high quality content.

High quality content basically means information in whatever form (text/video/ect…) that is helpful to the user experience. People usually come to websites to get information on “X”.

If you give them answers to this stuff, you gain their trust and this leads to potential sales down the line, but always remember to write up information that is helpful to people.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you visit a website looking for information but get nothing but sale’s pitches and cheesy lines, you’re not going to stick around that site for long. Well apply that same way of thinking when you write your own content.

This process is one of the most important factors of succeeding in SEO and almost certainly ensuring that Google will not slap you.

Time and time again, after a Google update, I’ve seen how websites which focus on writing high quality content end up outranking sites, maintaining their high positions in the SERPS and in many cases even seeing further improvements in their rankings, while the bad sites plummet down. 

3) Write for people, not search engines:

I mentioned this above as well as in previous posts, but it’s really something that NEEDS to be ingrained in people’s heads. Too many times people who try to succeed online focus on trying to get high rankings, focusing more so rankings and not their audience.

Don’t forget that people are going to be coming to your website. These are REAL human beings, not robots and if you focus on building your site in a way that is intended for robots or doesn’t communicate with your audience like real people, you’re not going to succeed.

Also keep in mind that writing for people is essentially writing high quality content. If you can get people to stay on your site, comment on it, share it and keep coming back to it, these are all necessary components of earning high Google rankings and more website authority with Google. 

The big picture on Google updates and what you need to do to succeed:

As I said before, no matter how much you do online marketing and follow the rules, it’s never 100% guaranteed that you’ll be able to prevent a Google slape/blacklist. They are the gatekeepers and they make the rules.

But one thing I can safely say from experience is that if you follow these 3 rules, you’re going to absolutely maximize your chances of surviving a Google update. I have yet to spot a high quality website that’s seen a decline in the SERPS after an algorithm update.

This tells me that Google has a preference:

High quality content. In fact they keep saying it over and over again. This is what works and will continue to work. So if you’re going to build a long term online business, follow the right path and build your website out the correct without the involvement of any shady tactics or programs.

This is something I’ve been taught over and over again from Wealthy Affiliate which is my #1 recommended source for learning to build online businesses and as results have shown, they are absolutely right.