As an integrated marketing agency, lotus823 stays on top of all of the latest trends in the world of search engine optimization and pretty much everything Google does.
One recent Google update that is making waves at our digital marketing agency is the rapidly increasing (not provided) statistic in Google Analytics data.
This means that Google is withholding the keywords that users are typing into search in order to get to a website, making it unable to accurately determine how impactful a specific keyword phrase is to getting sites organic search traffic for marketers.
This trend ties hand-in-hand with the recent Google Hummingbird algorithm update where Google made it known that they plan on moving more towards conversational search and content for the user.
It’s also been said that the Hummingbird algorithm update caters more towards mobile users who are making search queries via voice-recognition technology.
Looking at how significant (not provided) has grown over the past couple of years:
Here are my major SEO tips when it comes to overcoming the Google Hummingbird update:
1. Don’t Overthink Your Content
Just because the Google algorithm update says that you should have more conversational content and cater to longer tailed search queries doesn’t mean that you should overhaul your content strategy with the flip of a switch.
You should still have quality content that’s relevant to your audience. The ideal thing to do is well-written evergreen content with relevant keyword terms put in naturally to draw attention for your product or service in organic search.
Because longer-tailed keywords are not searched as often and everyone speaks differently, you should vary your keyword usage naturally. The new Hummingbird algorithm is very knowledgeable about semantic search and can understand the intent and contextual meaning of a query.
2. Don’t Abandon Keywords
Just because you can’t see all of the exact keywords that bring every single user to your site doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use keywords. You should still optimize your content for keywords that are relevant to the users who are searching for your product or service.
Even though (not provided) makes it impossible to accurately see how well a specific keyword brings in traffic, MOZ’s 2013 Search Engine Ranking Factors survey shows that “keyword usage on a page is still fundamental, and—other than links—is thought to be the most important type of factor.”
By combining proper keyword usage and proper natural linking, you’re still getting the most SEO value possible.
3. Look at Page Performance
Because you can no longer measure the metrics of specific keywords, you’re going to have to see how much traffic specific pages on your site bring in. If a page is performing quite well in organic search, then see which keywords it’s optimized for.
Conversely, you should note any pages that brought massive decreases (whether it’s due to loss of interest according to Google Trends or if you optimized a page for something new that didn’t click. Looking at page metrics may be the way to go because of the information that Analytics gives us.
What are some of the ways that you and your integrated marketing agency are dealing with the new Google (not provided) changes? Feel free to share your opinion below or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter!