Google March Algorithm Update
Will the Google March algorithm update grow my web traffic?
Most Google users rarely look beyond the first page to find products or services like yours.
Google’s technical algorithms determine what pages are relevant and worthy of their attention. Every year, Google makes thousands of changes to its ranking system without fuss. But sometimes, they launch a major update to their criteria, which drastically changes the ranking order of websites based on new guiding principles.
Now is one of those times…
The latest Google update (March 2024) is more extensive than usual – promising to shake things up.
If your website meets the new ranking criteria, you need not worry. You’ll likely benefit from greater visibility on the search engine results page (SERP).
On the flip side, businesses that defy Google’s latest search algorithm policies could find themselves in the dark abyss of the web, losing traffic and opportunities after their rankings drop.
Make sure your business ticks all the technical boxes that will get your website noticed by more Google users. Keep reading to find out more!
Why has Google released this March algorithm update?
Google wants to give online users a better experience, by making helpful content more accessible in its search engine.
Pages that contain relevant and engaging information are more likely to rank highly and increase traffic, while unoriginal content should lose visibility.
A big part of this strategy involves eliminating spam.
Google’s mission is to reduce low-quality, unhelpful content by 40 per cent. This is no simple task, considering the internet has become littered with repetitive AI-generated content in recent years!
The latest Google update is bigger than previous updates, changing numerous systems. It launched at the start of March, so most features have been implemented by now.
Key features of the latest Google update
This core update takes a multifaceted approach to help technical algorithms better identify and prioritise helpful content.
New policies targeting spam:
Google is tackling spam from different directions, by targeting these manipulative behaviours:
- Expired domain abuse occurs when people purchase respected domains but repurpose them to host low-value content unrelated to the original domain, hoping to capitalise on the domain’s previous success.
- Scaled content abuse occurs when websites generate multiple pages of repetitive content to manipulate search rankings, rather than provide helpful information. As part of this policy, Google will crack down on the mass production of low-value content, whether created by artificial intelligence or humans.
- Site reputation abuse involves publishing irrelevant third-party pages without oversight of their content. Examples include partner pages and advertisements that don’t relate to the original website.
- There could be penalties for websites that sell outbound links to manipulate search rankings.
Improve quality ranking:
Google has improved its ranking algorithm to ensure that helpful content is displayed more prominently in the search results. The algorithm prioritises web pages that offer useful information and a good user experience.
Get your business noticed online by following the latest guidelines
Major Google updates like this one usually create noticeable changes in search rankings. Websites that meet the criteria rise to the top, while those that break the rules quickly drop down the ranks.
Make sure you create engaging content that’s relevant to what your audience wants to read. Google will reward you with a prominent ranking if you regularly publish high-value content on a website that’s easy for visitors to navigate.
Please familiarise yourself with the new guidelines as well.
Google is giving websites an adjustment period to comply with the updated rules, so you have another month before they start cracking down on rule-breakers.
Important actions to take:
- Regularly monitor website rankings to see if there are fluctuations. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
- Focus on creating informative content that resonates with your target audience.
- Implement Structured Data, which enhances content visibility and improves your chances of being featured in rich snippets.
- Stay informed about Google’s updates through the Google Search Status Dashboard. Adapt strategies based on official guidance from the search engine giant.
- Evaluate existing content to ensure compliance with Google’s spam policies, particularly regarding expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse.
- Audit backlinks regularly to identify and disavow links from expired domains or low-quality sources that could negatively impact site reputation.
- Ensure that AI-generated content serves a genuine purpose and provides value to users. Avoid creating content to manipulate search rankings, regardless of whether AI or humans produce it.
- Evaluate collaborations with third parties to ensure that any hosted content aligns with Google’s guidelines and doesn’t violate spam policies.
Let’s help you get noticed online with this March algorithm update
Please contact our team if you’d like to discuss the latest Google update, or require any support with digital marketing.
E-Web Marketing uses cost-effective strategies that allow small businesses to spend within their means.
For the last 30 years, we’ve helped 3000 businesses increase online conversions, brand loyalty, and site traffic. Why not speak with some of our clients, who’ve told us they’re happy to give transparent references?
Call 1300 792 811 or fill out this form to learn how we can help you build a loyal customer base online.
What is Google SGE? (and what it means for your business)
Google is testing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to help people find reliable information faster in its search engine.
If this experiment goes well, people will have a different experience when searching online – whether doing general research or looking for products and services to engage with.
It’s unclear how this will impact online businesses like yours.
There’s some concern that Google SGE could lower the organic and paid traffic that websites attract, by reducing their visibility in search results (we’ll talk more about this).
Australians can expect to see Google SGE as an option later this year.
Google SGE is currently being trialled in more than 120 countries, including Japan, India, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya and the United States. It’s currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Indonesian.
Let’s find out more, so you know what to expect when it’s our turn.
What is Google SGE?
Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a Google experiment that adds Generative AI to its search engine, to create an easy-to-understand summary about the topic you’re researching – within a fraction of a second!
There’s also a conversational element to it, with Google suggesting follow-up queries to help the user dive deeper into the topic.
It works in two ways:
FIRST
AI-generated summary at the top of the search engine results page (SERP)
Artificial intelligence generates a condensed response to your query, based on information from multiple relevant websites. This summary is located at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Google’s intention is to provide clear and helpful information at a quick glance, in case you don’t want to delve deeper into the topic by clicking on a website listed on the SERP.
When searching for e-commerce products or services, generative AI will put together a snapshot of the latest relevant information, such as ratings, prices, descriptions and images. This helps users to confidently make faster shopping decisions. The tool also prompts you to ask follow-up questions in a chat box, if you want more information.
SECOND
Google added its Generative AI feature to websites opened via Google Search or Discover. Instead of browsing the entire webpage, you can choose to access a summary of the main points (written by AI) to save time, using the opt-in feature during the experimental phase.
How does Google SGE work technically?
Generative AI is a form of artificial intelligence that crawls existing data (like websites) to learn the patterns. It then creates responses with similar features when prompted. These responses can be delivered in multiple formats, such as text, video, images, audio, code, music and designs.
Google SGE uses an advanced language model (PaLM 2) with superior ability to understand nuanced text across many languages, and generate a response based on this.
How to use Google Search Generative Experience as an internet user
In countries where Google SGE is available, it can be accessed on computers or Android and iOS devices.
At the moment, the opt-in experiment is only available for users 18 years and older.
How to turn on SGE Google:
Computer:
- Install chrome browser
- Set up a personal Google account (if you don’t have one already)
- Open Chrome and sign into your Google account (not incognito mode)
- Open a new tab, click the Labs icon
- Select the button that turns the experiment on
- Follow on-screen instructions
Android:
- Install latest version of the Google app (via Google Play)
- Set up a personal Google account (if you don’t have one already)
- Open the Google app and sign in (incognito mode off)
- Select the Labs icon in the top left
- Select the button that turns the experiment on
- Follow on-screen instructions
iPhone and iPad:
- Install latest version of the Google app (via the App store)
- Set up a personal Google account (if you don’t have one already)
- Open the Google app and sign in (incognito mode off)
- Select the Labs icon in the top left
- Select the button that turns the experiment on
- Follow on-screen instructions
Note: the SGE experiment may not show up straight away after turned on.
What to expect from Google SGE when you search for a query?
Google will present the information at the top of the page, in one of three general variants (depending on the nature of the query).
- Opt-in
- Collapsed
- No SGE
Opt-in:
This is the most common display for 69 per cent of searches, according to research. A prompt at the top of the page asks users if they’d like to generate an AI-powered overview for their search.
Collapsed:
This version shows a snippet of the AI generated response, with the option to expand by clicking the “show more” button. Collapsed displays feature 16 per cent of the time.
No SGE:
In 15 per cent of cases, no SGE response is generated. In these cases, the search results page operates in the traditional manner we’ve become accustomed to.
Here’s a list of typical features you can expect to see in either the collapsed or opt-in mode:
- Answer box: includes images, text and other relevant information. There may also be a disclaimer that you shouldn’t rely on the information as completely accurate.
- Source panel: located next to the answer box, you’ll find a panel of up to 10 sources that AI based its response on.
- A list of additional questions beneath the response: users can click these questions to launch a fresh SGE result page with further information. There’s also a question box to ask your own follow-up.
- Product listings with descriptions, images and other relevant information.
- Bulleted or numbered lists for suggested products or important points of information. Some lists also contain a sentence with extra information.
Note: When Google SGE becomes available in Australia, we’ll post a more detailed guide on how to use Google better with this new AI technology.
Is Google SGE safe to trust for accurate information?
Although Generative AI uses advanced technology, it can get facts wrong or deliver unhelpful results. For example, when asked if there are any African countries starting with “K”, Google AI fails to acknowledge “Kenya”.
This begs the question: is Google SGE safe when searching for “your money or your life” (YMYL) topics?
Accuracy is crucial when people look for complex information related to their medical, financial, legal or other needs. In such cases, Google only pulls information from trusted sites, and adds a warning to YMYL topics, so that people are careful.
And the AI-generated snippet won’t appear for particular queries that Google doesn’t want AI to answer, such as whether or not you should make an investment.
How will Google SGE impact my website traffic as a business owner?
It isn’t yet clear how Google SGE will impact the visibility of websites listed in the search results.
Paid advertising searches (Google ads):
So far, the changes to paid searches are minimal with Google SGE.
At the moment, sponsored ads sit above and below the AI-generated response. The ads that sit above the answer box shouldn’t be impacted at all, however there may be fewer clicks on the less visible ads that sit below the answer box.
Google is still experimenting with placement, so anything could change.
It’s likely the company is doing everything it can to avoid discouraging its search advertising clients, who are one of Google’s main revenue streams.
Organic searches (unpaid listings that are relevant to search queries):
You’ll still see an index of websites listed on the page, so expect no changes there.
But these will sit under the AI generated response.
Remember, the whole point of Google SGE is to give consumers easy access to relevant information at a quick glance.
In many cases, this would remove the need for consumers to find out more information by clicking on the indexed websites.
What we know so far…
There’s some apprehension that websites could see less online traffic, conversions and sales.
This is of particular concern for businesses like the Atlantic, which gets 40 per cent of its web traffic from Google.
However it’s too early to know for sure what the impact will be (if any), as this is a new experiment with limited testing.
One study by Search Engine Land suggests that businesses can expect 18 to 64 per cent less organic traffic for basic queries that don’t require leaving the search results page for more information. These results were based on their study of 23 websites in the technology industry.
But it’s not all bad news.
On the flip side, businesses could benefit from Google SGE, which has the power to influence leads for in-depth queries.
In most cases, people will be searching for topics that require a deeper understanding than artificial intelligence can provide, so they will need to click into indexed websites.
Think of the answer box as laying the groundwork for the consumer, by giving them a clear overview of information that leaves them curious to find out more, without feeling overwhelmed.
Remember: Google SGE doesn’t remove the indexing of websites in organic search results.
Websites will still be listed, based on how the search algorithm ranks them.
The only difference is these websites are located beneath the AI-generated answer box, which sits next to a source panel containing links to websites that influenced the response.
How to get your website noticed with Google SGE:
When it comes to organic searches, businesses should aim to get their websites featured in the source panel that’s attached to the AI-generated answer box.
Your best chance of featuring in the source panel is to optimise your content for SEO purposes.
How? Create engaging and accessible content that’s relevant to the specific needs of your audience. Google’s technical algorithms prioritise clear and reliable content that holds people’s attention.
Google SGE is still unavailable in Australia, so we haven’t been able to experiment with different strategies.
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about it. However, in the meantime, we recommend you focus on making user-friendly content that also appeals to the technical search algorithms.
This involves finding out what your audience wants to learn about, and then generating well-researched, compelling content that targets relevant SEO keywords and phrases.
We can show you how to use Google better to attract more traffic:
If you’d like any support with your digital marketing, please reach out to our team.
E-Web Marketing uses cost-effective strategies, because small businesses shouldn’t have to spend beyond their means to get noticed online.
For the last three decades, we’ve helped 3000 businesses to increase online conversions, brand loyalty and site traffic. You can speak with some of our clients, who’ve told us they’re happy to give transparent references.
Call 1300 792 811 or fill out this form to find out how we can help you lift online conversions and build a loyal customer base.
All is fair in love and…digital marketing?
It’s a classic tale of boy (or girl) meets Digital Marketing Agency.
The agency helps the business owner to lift their online conversion rates, after results fell when too many companies started competing for their audience.
All is going well for a while, until there’s a drop in traffic one fateful month.
Honeymoon period = over.
When this happens, some businesses consider engaging a new digital marketing agency.
They’re usually spoilt for choice and don’t need to look far, because there’s no shortage of digital agencies courting businesses that are already “spoken for”.
Why do digital marketing agencies tend to source their clients from other agencies?
Many firms prefer to offer something fresh to clients that have already dabbled in online marketing, rather than starting from scratch with a business that has never explored this area.
Business owners usually feel overwhelmed when approached by multiple agencies – each promising to grow their leads and online revenue.
Here are some considerations that may help you feel more confident about choosing what digital agency to work with.
Look for an agency that prioritises user experience!
It’s true that your target audience has increased due to people spending more time online during lockdowns.
However, this can be a double-edged sword, because more businesses are strengthening their online presence to take advantage of the momentum.
Now you must be even more strategic to convert consumers.
Yes – investing in SEO, Facebook Ads and Google Ads is a good way to grab the attention of your target audience (think of it like window shopping).
But these marketing strategies aren’t enough to get them through the door (online conversions).
We also recommend:
- Give online visitors a memorable experience, so they want to engage further with your business. Provide useful content that meets the needs of your target audience, on a website that’s easy and enjoyable to navigate.
- Regularly update your website, just as shop-owners frequently change their store layout. Don’t just update the banners, you should also review and change the user journey on your website based on current performance data. It’s all about simplifying the customer journey online.
Content is ALWAYS king:
I already touched on the importance of meaningful content, but let me reiterate how crucial this is. Your website may look good and rank highly, but this means NOTHING if visitors don’t connect with your words.
Remember:
People’s attention is limited, you only have 10 seconds to make a solid impression.
Relate to the consumers’ problems and clearly show how they’re going to benefit from your product or service. You can also publish engaging blogs about topics your audience cares about (directly or indirectly related to your offering).
Only consider digital agencies that have a dedicated writer or professional writing team.
Content should never be an afterthought, or something that’s sloppily put together by an outsourced writer or AI software.
How much should you pay for digital marketing?
It can be difficult to figure out how much you need to spend to get good results, as prices vary significantly from one agency to another.
For example, some agencies charge $200 a month for SEO, while others charge $5000 a month.
Some businesses can get good SEO results with low costs. However, businesses in highly competitive markets usually need to spend more – especially if their current Google positioning leaves a lot to be desired.
A low-cost option may suit your business goals perfectly…
But don’t be tempted to automatically go down this path without asking the consultant what action they will take to get meaningful results. It’s always ideal to know who will be working on your campaign, and speak with them before you sign the contract.
Finally, do you have realistic expectations for your digital marketing results? Keep in mind that it can take weeks before strategies like SEO and paid advertising show positive results.
It’s also important to note:
Not every digital campaign will give you the results you desire, but don’t hold this against the agency IF they usually get you good results.
The best consultants experiment with new ideas from time to time, but may not always get the outcome they hope for. As long as they mostly deliver positive results, you’re probably getting good value for money.
You examine your financial performance every year, but what about your digital marketing campaign?
It’s in your best interest to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your digital marketing strategy as we enter the new financial year.
Knowledge is power.
Find out what strategies don’t work for you, so you can focus on improving those that do (and better spend your resources).
Ask your digital agency to conduct an analysis of your online performance for the last 12 months.
Alternatively, you can ask our team to organise a free SWOT analysis for you. Book a session here.
Small businesses to get tax breaks for digital spending
Digital spending is set to become A LOT more affordable for small businesses, after the federal government promised $1 billion in tax breaks.
This means you could deduct $120 for every $100 you spend on digital services such as web design, online sales platforms and marketing.
Deduction claims can be made on eligible digital expenses of up to $100,000 a year!
Isn’t this fantastic news for small businesses that have been hard hit by the global pandemic? Especially if you’re operating at a loss, or haven’t made enough money to justify the sweat and tears of the last few years.
The government is doing this to help businesses become more competitive in a cyber world.
When done right, digital marketing is a lifeline for businesses that normally struggle to connect with audiences.
We already know the fruit is ripe for picking, as consumers now spend even more time online. In other words, your ideal audience is waiting for you to come along and catch their attention in the cyber spaces they frequent.
If the digital tax breaks package passes as law, you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay for digital marketing to grow your profits. You’ll attract more people to your website and boost sales, without spending money that you can’t claim back.
Here’s what you can expect if the needed legislation gets the green light…
Small Business Technology Investment Boost:
Who does it apply for?
Small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50 million.
What will you be able to claim?
Deduct an extra 20% on eligible business expenses for digital technology. You can make deductions for payments up to $100,000 for each qualifying income year.
When does the policy come into effect?
From March 29, 2022 (budget day)
When is the policy set to end?
June 30, 2023.
How do small business owners claim the tax breaks for technology investment?
- At the end of the 2021-22 financial year: submit a standard expenditure claim (for eligible digital spending between 29 March 2022 and 30 June 2022).
- Then next year, when lodging your 2022-23 tax return: claim the 20% bonus deduction for the previous 2021-22 financial year (29 March 2022 to 30 June 2022).
- Also in your 2022-23 tax return: deduct the entire 120% for eligible digital spending between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.
We help small businesses to get noticed online and build a loyal customer base:
If you’d like any support with your digital marketing, please reach out to our team.
E-Web Marketing uses strategies that deliver the highest value, because businesses shouldn’t have to spend beyond their means to get noticed online (especially during a pandemic).
For the last three decades, we’ve helped 3000 businesses to lift online conversions, brand loyalty and site traffic. You can speak with some of our clients, who’ve told us they’re happy to give transparent references.
Call 1300 785 122 or fill out this form to find out how we can help you to bolster online sales and improve your business reputation.
7 Simple Principles of Website Design That Impact User Experience
7 Simple Principles of Website Design That Impact User Experience
Let’s dive in.
Navigation – Don’t Make Users Think
- Using descriptive labels in your menu
- Limiting the number of menu options
- Putting your navigation menu in a standard location
- Making hyperlinks stand out from the surrounding text
- Enabling internal search functionality
Keep It Simple – Limit the Number of Choices
Be Conventional
Accessibility
Less Is More
One of the most important ways to use this principle is white space.
Google’s homepage is an excellent example of a minimalist website design that utilizes a less is more approach to improve the user experience. The search function is the most important element on the page. Everything else, apart from the Google logo, is eliminated or placed in the menu options in the corners of the screen.
Visual Hierarchy
Scannable Content
- Using descriptive subheadings
- Keeping sentences and paragraphs short
- Using lists and bullet points
- Breaking up text with images and multimedia
- Incorporating plenty of white space
Conclusion
Many businesses are invisible online, because they lack the resources to stand out. Our targeted digital marketing campaigns put you on the same path as your ideal audience.
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Apple’s privacy update (what does it mean for small businesses)?
Apple’s privacy update (what does it mean for small businesses)?
Wonderful, right?
What privacy changes came with the iOS 14.5 software update?
This is called App Tracking Transparency (ATT).
Implications for data collection:
It’s time to adapt. Businesses shouldn’t rely only on cross-app data:
We recommend a multi-channel and holistic marketing approach – incorporating different platforms such as organic SEO, content development, paid advertising, reputation management and even offline advertising.
Many businesses are invisible online, because they lack the resources to stand out. Our targeted digital marketing campaigns put you on the same path as your ideal audience.
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Why you should work on your online marketing now (COVID-19)
Why you should work on your online marketing now (COVID-19)
3 reasons why this is a good time to MAINTAIN or START a digital marketing campaign:
7 digital strategies that will boost your online presence and protect revenue
- Clear messaging from your company about COVID-19: inform your clients about any changes to your business operations, and precautions that your team is taking.
- Maintain regular contact with clients via email: consider sending out a weekly or monthly newsletter, with advice that may benefit people during this stressful time (especially if it’s related to the service you provide).
- Ask clients for reviews: this gives you the chance to improve your services based on valuable feedback, while also building your online reputation.
5. Start an organic SEO strategy or maintain the one you already have: This is a low-cost and highly effective investment – considering that more than half of all website traffic comes from organic search. When done correctly, organic SEO enhances the visibility of a website by making sure it’s seen by people searching online. This translates to higher conversions, sales and engagement. It also increases the trust and credibility of your website.
Why not learn some digital survival skills?
Business is quieter than usual, why not take advantage of that down-time? After some normalcy returns, your team won’t need to rely so heavily on an external agency, which saves you money too.
Why trust us?
- Delayed billing due to COVID-19: we want to help businesses during this difficult time, while our team stays switched on by working on meaningful tasks.
- No restrictions: if a particular service no longer suits you, we can adapt our approach, despite what’s on the contract.
- We know what we’re doing: an award-winning company with more than two decades of experience. Our team is based in Australia.
- No stone unturned: our multi-channel strategy is driven by hard data and extensive research.
- Integrity and transparency: we say what we believe and keep our word.
Many businesses are invisible online, because they lack the resources to stand out. Our targeted digital marketing campaigns put you on the same path as your ideal audience.
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8 Modern Website Design Techniques to Make Your Ecommerce Checkout Watertight
8 Modern Website Design Techniques to Make Your Ecommerce Checkout Watertight
1. Provide Guest Checkout Option
Add a guest checkout option to your website and see if it boosts your conversions.
2. Add A Checkout Progress Bar
While some form filling is unavoidable, you can reduce the chances of your customers abandoning their carts by integrating a progress bar into your checkout process website design.
This shows the customer which stage of the checkout process they are currently at, and how many more steps they have to complete.
3. Cut Down Form Filling
4. Incorporate Social Proof into Your website design
By including reviews and testimonials on your product pages and checkout pages, you increase the chances of your visitors following through with a purchase.
5. Provide Free Shipping
Not only can this increase conversions, but it can also increase your average order value (AOV).
6. Deliver Instant Gratification
When you purchase a product sold by Amazon, you can see the exact date that you can expect to receive the product. You’re far more likely to buy a product if you know it will be delivered in a couple of days.
7. A/B Testing of website design Elements
8. Follow Up Emails
- Offer a time-limited discount on the product.
- Include free shipping.
- Personalize the email copy and subject line.
- Save the cart and provide a direct link back to the checkout page.
Conclusion
Many businesses are invisible online, because they lack the resources to stand out. Our targeted digital marketing campaigns put you on the same path as your ideal audience.
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7 ways to stay connected with customers during COVID-19
7 ways to stay connected with customers during COVID-19
- Clear messaging from your company about COVID-19
- Regular contact with clients
- Ask clients for reviews
- Review your website content during isolation time
- Learn some digital survival skills
- Improve the user experience on your website
- Share your knowledge with clients
Step 1: Clear messaging from your company about COVID-19
It’s important that your clients are informed about changes to your business operations. This message should be highlighted on your website, as well as sent in an email.
- Your operational timing and the level of staffing in your business.
- Changes to how your business is run.
- Procedures that minimise the risk of the virus to visitors.
- Outline any services that can be offered online.
- Explain any assistance that you can offer to clients (for example: free consultation, reduced pricing or refunds).
- How is your business supporting staff? If you’re taking care of your employees, let others know, so they may be inspired to do the same with theirs (which eases some of the stress in the world).
Step 2: Regular contact with clients via email
Step 3: Ask clients for reviews
Ask your clients for reviews that help you to build your online reputation and improve services based on valuable feedback. Again, ask one of your employees to manage this. Alternatively, we can suggest a couple of tools you can use.
Step 4: Review your website content
Step 5: Learn some digital survival skills
Step 6: Improve the user experience of your website
Step 7: Share your knowledge with clients
Many businesses are invisible online, because they lack the resources to stand out. Our targeted digital marketing campaigns put you on the same path as your ideal audience.
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Is Your Business Ready For AI?
Is Your Business Ready For AI?
The Rising Power of AI and Data-Driven Marketing
AI and Conversational Marketing
Get the Competitive Edge in 2020 With Conversational Marketing
Omni Channel Marketing
Many businesses are invisible online, because they lack the resources to stand out. Our targeted digital marketing campaigns put you on the same path as your ideal audience.