Why does my Google Rank keep changing?
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One of the main reasons that Search Engine Optimization seems so overwhelming is because the advice is always changing! It's harder than ever to control your Google Rank. What worked last year doesn’t seem to work anymore, and suddenly you’re back to the third page of Google!
If you haven’t found a solid way to track your search engine performance, hang with me until the end of this article and I will introduce you to some great tools for monitoring your rank!
So what makes my Google rank change all the time?
1. The Google Ranking algorithm changed!
What’s an algorithm anyway? It’s the secret sauce that search engines use to determine where everyone should show up on the results page. It’s a whole lot of math and specific criteria. Google (and other search engines) are constantly working to perfect their craft: delivering the correct results! Remember, Google’s customer is the user of the search engine, not the businesses who want to be ranked. I won’t go into the nitty gritty of how the algorithm works today, but you need to know that Google prioritizes useful content based on a specific criteria. Cool, that makes sense.
The bad part? People take advantage of the system. Just like a video game where people learn the shortcuts, the cheats, and the glitches in the game, there are folks whose job it is to learn the holes in Google’s algorithm and exploit them to their clients’ advantage. This is called Black Hat SEO.
In order to stop this kind of gaming of the system, search engines change their algorithms from time to time. This change has an effect on everyone, and it typically improves the quality of search results that a searcher receives.
It’s important to keep an eye on the changes so that you can adjust your SEO strategy accordingly. One of the coolest tools I’ve found is this section of the website SEO Roundtable. It’s incredibly detailed and will give you the information you need to keep an eye on Google’s changes. Check out SEO Roundtable’s Google Search Algorithm Update tracker!
2. Your content may be stale, decreasing your Google Rank.
Traditionally, Google has always rewarded websites with fresh content, especially if you consistently keep the content fresh. This is why blogging is a strongly recommended way to help your search engine rankings!
What happens if I don’t update my content? Well, to put it simply, you will lose points in the ranking system and your search engine rankings will suffer.
To keep your content fresh, I recommend making a plan! Create calendar reminders to encourage yourself to update content on your site and add new blog articles. Keep up with current events in your industry and update your site accordingly. Keep a brainstorm list of blog topics so that you have a bank of content from which to choose. Commit to a schedule and stick with it!
Another factor relating to the staleness of your content is searcher behavior. People have short attention spans and search volume of specific topics will wane. You may have written a blog post that performed well in the beginning, but as search volume decreases, that content is less valuable.
Google has its own search volume monitoring tool called Google Trends. It is a powerful tool that shows you data related to keywords and can narrow down search volume even to location! Check it out and play around with some different search terms related to your content. You might be surprised at what people are really searching!
3. Your competitors got better, increasing their own Google Rank.
Search engine rankings are a competition, and sometimes your competitors just have a stronger SEO game than you. They may have hired an expert, got better on their blogging game, created a keyword strategy, or refreshed their site more recently than you did. There are plenty of ways that they could increase their rankings; it’s your job to keep up!
Guess what? You can get your rank back! It just takes some work, some time, or some cash.
Don’t know where to start? We can help you make a plan!
BONUS: Let’s monitor your search engine rankings!
Diib: One of my favorite tools for monitoring a website’s performance is Diib! Their free Weekly Snapshot emails give you search engine ranking results right there in the email!
Google Search Console: Of course Google has their own tool for this! It’s a powerful one, too! You can check lots of metrics and see what search terms people are using to find your site. Spend some time playing around with the different graphs and you will definitely learn something!
Google Rank TL;DR
SEO doesn’t have to be so scary. As I always remind myself… How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Take it slow. Even minor changes can really pay off in your rankings. And have patience! Changes won’t take effect immediately. SEO is a long game, and you have to commit to consistent maintenance to get the best results. Just when you think you’re ahead of the game, Google goes and changes the whole thing!
