Google
algorithms
exposed:
How to identify SEO themes
and drive more traffic
Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
#BVSpotlights
Insights from the network
People want fresh, relevant search content, and Google strives to give the people what they
want. Since the company’s inception, this user-focused commitment has remained at the
company’s core—working tirelessly to help search users find the information they’re looking
for as quickly and painlessly as possible. Whether you’re a runner looking for the newest
shoes for an upcoming race, a pet owner looking for the best brand of organic dog food, or
an aspiring photographer looking for the most affordable entry-level digital SLR, odds are
good that you’ll turn to Google to initiate your search. Google’s delivered on its promise of
a superior user experience, earning the company the top spot as the most often used search
engine with market ownership at nearly 65% .
How is it that Google can stay so far ahead of the competition? Through testing, tweaking,
and adjusting, Google has a long history of algorithm updates, search engine changes, and
refreshes. While casual search marketers may read about an update or two over the course of
a year, Google adjusts its algorithms closer to 600 times annually . Aside from major updates
like PageRank, Panda, or Penguin, most updates go unnamed, unpublicized and, often,
unknown. As a marketer, how can you know which ones you should pay attention to?
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Eighty-nine percent of consumers turn to search to find information on products, services
or businesses prior to making purchases . Given the importance of search in today’s buyer’s
journey, it’s critical that companies stay abreast of Google’s algorithm updates and the
resulting implications on their search marketing strategy. While some updates may have
only minimal—if any—impact on rankings, understanding the core reasons for updates can
provide valuable insights to help guide your search marketing efforts.
Over the past few years, Bazaarvoice has done an in-depth study of Google’s investments
and algorithm updates over its sixteen-year history. We asked the question, “Why did
Google win?” and have uncovered some common themes to help guide your search
marketing strategy. In this e-book, we’ll provide a brief history of Google algorithm changes,
introduce a framework to guide your SEO strategy, and provide best practices and proven
techniques to improve your search marketing strategy.
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#BVSpotlights
1996
PageRank—Developed by Sergey Brin and Larry Page
(updated frequently)
The original Google algorithm (as well as the best known), PageRank is a way of
measuring the importance of websites. According to Google, PageRank works by
A Brief history of
Google updates
counting the number and quality of links to a page to determine a rough estimate
of how important the website is. The underlying assumption is that more important
websites are likely to receive more links from other websites.
JUNE
2010
Caffeine
After months of testing, Google released Caffeine—a massive infrastructure change
designed to speed crawling, expand the index, and integrate indexation and
ranking in nearly real time. Caffeine not only boosted Google’s speed, but also
While Google has a long history of algorithm updates,
the following is a collection of some of the most critical
updates that marketers should be familiar with.
more tightly integrated crawling and indexation, resulting in (according to Google)
a 50% fresher index.
FEB 23
2011
Panda
(updated 25 times since)
Panda rolled out for the purpose of boosting the rankings of high-quality sites that
provide valuable content. Panda sought to eliminate websites with low-quality
content that used of black-hat SEO techniques to drive traffic.
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Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
JUN 02
2011
Schema.org/Rich Snippets
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APR 24
2012
Penguin
(updated 6 times)
Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft jointly announced support for a consolidated
approach to structured data where they created a number of new schemas
Google launched the Penguin Update to better catch sites deemed to be spamming
to help produce even richer search results. Structured data markup in Web
its search results, in particular those doing so by buying links or obtaining them
content helps Google algorithms better index and understand the content.
through link networks designed primarily to boost Google rankings.
Using this structured data, Google can add utility to search by including things
like product information, review data, recipes, and events.
NOV 03
2011
Freshness
Google announced that an algorithm change rewarding freshness would
impact up to 35% of queries (almost 3X the publicly-stated impact of the
original Panda udpate). The freshness update primarily affected time-sensitive
AUG 20
2013
Hummingbird
Hummingbird was a Google infrastructure update intended to help the search
algorithm better understand the context behind a user’s search. The update enables
Google to better-leverage language nuances like synonyms, past search history, geolocation, and other contextual data to improve the relevance of search results.
results but signaled a much stronger focus on recent content.
JAN 19
2012
Top Heavy (a.k.a. Page Layout Update)
Google updated its page layout algorithms to devalue sites with too much
ad space above the “fold.” The update had no official name, although it was
referenced as “Top Heavy” by some; it’s been updated twice since.
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#BVSpotlights
So what does this mean for marketers? Where should you place your time and budget to
win in search? The short answer: Marketers need to invest where Google invests. Rather
than analyzing each individual update—and adjusting your search strategy accordingly—
marketers will be better served by focusing on the underlying themes that each of Google’s
updates is designed to address.
Invest where
Google invests
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What matters to Google, you ask? The following is a breakdown of the core themes—and
their corresponding updates—with baseline goals that marketers should strive to achieve:
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Content (Panda): Include 800+ fresh words on each page
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Freshness (Schema.org,
Freshness, Caffeine):
Refresh content daily
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Reputation (Penguin,
PageRank): Use date and author
data to communicate social
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Markup (Schema.org /
Rich Snippets): Code pages
with proper Schema.org markup
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User Experience (Top Heavy,
Hummingbird): Load social
content without a click
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#BVSpotlights
What percentage of your marketing budget goes to paid search today?
What percentage of your budget do you allocate for organic search initiatives? Looking at
1.4 billion search queries, a recent study concluded that organic search results are clicked
an astounding 94% of the time.
The truth about
search position
Take a moment to consider how you personally use Google and this may not be all that
surprising. If you’re like most, you’re probably conditioned to move quickly past paid search
elements—and focus on the listings that have genuinely earned their position, overlooking
advertising entirely. Similarly, a growing number of consumers use ad-blocking software,
preventing them from seeing ads in search at all. Considering that the top five organic
listings receive about 70% of all clicks, it’s worth evaluating the investments you are currently
making in paid and organic search initiatives. Is your budget allocation in these two areas
proportionate with the opportunity?
A recent study concluded that organic search
results are clicked 94% of the time.
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Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
#BVSpotlights
Paid search is only 6% of Google
In 1.4 billion queries - users click
organic results 94% of the time.
The value of top
SERP position
The top 3 results get 55% of
organic search clicks in Google.
Source: Nielsen and GroupM UK
http://j.mp/SEO-Inventory-94-6
Source: Moz.com
http://j.mp/2014-click-rates
Paid: 6%
Position 4-5: 15%
Organic: 94%
All Others: 30%
Beyond the top five rankings, all others listings account for the other 30% of clicks.
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Position 1-3: 55%
If you find your pages in the red (or
yellow), you could be a prime candidate
for improving your rankings by tweaking
to your organic search strategy. In the next
chapter, we’ll show you how— breaking
down the six ways that consumers search
for products and offering tips to help your
company optimize for each.
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#BVSpotlights
The six bands of
search: a roadmap
to optimizing for
shopper keywords
Typically, all product and service-related queries fall into one of six
categories—or bands of search. By familiarizing yourself with the search
terms and phrases consumers are using access your brand, you’ll be able
to better plan a holistic search strategy—identifying opportunities to fill
gaps that may be weak or nonexistent today.
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Think about how you might use Google when considering a purchase decision. For
example, what are the variations of phrases that you might use when attempting to research
or buy a new pair of running shoes? When searching, your query will almost always fall into
one of the following categories:
Domain Only
Branded Categories
Generic Categories
Generic Categories + Adjectives
Product Names and IDs
Extreme Long Tail
Looking over the band groupings, consider which bands your company is currently
optimized for. If you’re not sure, consider running some test searches—in anonymous mode,
signed out from Google services—using variations of the above for your own products
and services. Are you ranking well for all of the ways that consumers might search for your
products? Where do you see opportunities for improvement?
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#BVSpotlights
Search and CGC:
a match made
in heaven
As previously mentioned, Bazaarvoice has uncovered that the
overwhelming majority of Google investments can be mapped
back directly to one of five foundational themes—content,
freshness, markup, reputation, and user experience. Through
ongoing experimentation, we’ve developed a formula of our
own to help guide marketing initiatives and help marketers cater
to each of these themes.
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You probably already know that consumer-generated content (CGC) like reviews can give
prospective customers the confidence to buy—and boost your conversions rates. Did you
also know that CGC can be extremely influential in improving organic search rankings as
well? Time and time again, studies have shown that integrating CGC—ratings and reviews,
questions and answers, local testimonials, and curated social content—on your site will
improve search rank. Whether you’re currently incorporating CGC into your SEO strategy or
not, it’s worth revisiting exactly how CGC maps to the themes that matter to Google:
• Content: CGC creates a wealth of content, adding thousands of productspecific keywords to your site. This ever-changing content and keywordrich CGC greatly improves the relevancy of a page. Furthermore, as
opposed to marketing copy, CGC is written how consumers actually speak
and search, improving the chances of capturing long-tail search terms.
• Freshness: Google values fresh content and—as consumers are always
commenting on, asking questions about, and sharing experiences
about products and services—CGC provides a steady flow of content
that can freshen an otherwise stagnant page daily. Product pages often
won’t change for weeks or even months at a time. Consumers are always
shopping, though, and regularly capturing their voice keeps product
pages fresh in Google’s eyes.
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Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
#BVSpotlights
• Markup: When markup is properly structured, Google will use CGCbased information to display rich snippets complete with the star images,
as well as the product’s average rating and review count. These enhanced
search listings stand out compared to standard rankings and have been
proven to drastically improve click-through rates.
• Reputation: Generally, CGC will include author information and user
profile data—author name, location, and other relevant product-specific
attributes—which signals to Google that the content is social, legitimate,
and not simply keywords stuffed by marketers to improve rank. In a world
where reputation is so much more than inbound links, it’s essential to
properly communicate the social activity that is happening in your domain.
• User Experience: While content and markup factor heavily into Google’s
algorithm, equally as important to both Google—and, of course, users—is
the experience once visitors reach a page. Content should load quickly
and be to match the actual meaning of a user’s search, rather than simply
matching a few sporadic keywords.
Understanding that a well-integrated CGC strategy can lead to huge improvements in
organic search, there are considerations that help some CGC stand out above the rest.
In the following section, we’ll break things down even further, sharing CGC best practices
and how they relate to the varying bands of search.
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#BVSpotlights
Branded Keywords
Best practice:
mapping CGC
to the six bands
of search
Let’s now consider the three groupings of search bands—brand/
domain-only, product-specific, long-tail, and category-focused
keywords —to show you how CGC can be used to improve page
relevance throughout the buyer’s journey, and boost your traffic:
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Homepage-Only Keywords
Generally these queries happen when a consumer is familiar with your brand, is just
browsing, and doesn’t yet have a specific product in mind. Queries may take the form of
your company name, a misspelling of your company name, or your entire domain entered
directly into the search box.
The best way to build branded authority is with good old-fashioned branding activity—press
releases, social media profiles, content marketing, etc.—and, of course, owning a domain
that matches your company name. Ensure that you own both your domain name and
common variations of your company name. Assuming you’re already doing this, you’re likely
in good standing for specifically branded terms.
While CGC carries only minimal impact on this band, it can still be beneficial as it increases
branded keyword density throughout your site and, in some cases, on social sites where
CGC has been shared.
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Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
Product Keywords
Product-Specific Keywords
There are only so many ways to describe a running shoe, but the inclusion of CGC can
effectively differentiate your product pages from pages with similar descriptions across the
Web. The authority earned with your branding efforts can be supplemented by CGC to
improve freshness, keyword density, and a range of other algorithmic factors that dictate rank.
#BVSpotlights
Long-Tail Keywords
Furthermore, CGC can also help your capture extreme long-tail phrases. These queries
occur only sporadically to address niche needs, though the cumulative impact of these
searches can be substantial. CGC can help produce these often obscure word combinations
and phrases that would not otherwise be covered in product description or marketing copy.
The queries typically happen when a purchase decision has already been made and a user is
hunting for deals or the best price prior to purchase. The phrases used in these searches are
usually very specific.
Category-Focused Keywords
Category-focused queries are typically used in the product discovery process, referring to a
broad category of product or service. Keywords can be fairly generic—particularly when not
branded—and some of the hardest to optimize for due to the sheer breadth of competition.
Category-level queries fall into one of three groups.
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Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
Category-Focused Keywords (cont.)
Branded Category Queries
These search terms generally occur when a customer is already loyal to your brand, and
researching your offering in a given category.
Generic Category Queries
These searches most often occur during the product discovery phase. While a user may have
identified a need, they probably aren’t loyal to a particular brand and not yet familiar with the
category’s offerings.
Generic Category + Adjectives Queries
The characteristics of these searches are similar to those of “Generic Category” queries,
though a user likely already has an awareness of the specific product attributes that are
important to them.
While many brands have developed strategies to optimize for product-level searches,
category-level optimization has traditionally been a tougher nut to crack. Many companies
struggle to show up on the first page for category-based searches—often resorting to
substantial investments in paid search to help fill in gaps. While SEO strategists are aware of
the opportunity at the category level, the tools at their disposal can be fairly limited.
Why is it that category pages get the short end of the SEO stick? Quite simply, most category
pages are not content-rich, a key rank determining factor across Google algorithms. You
may have a grid of product images, each with a unique product name and price, but that’s
often the extent of it. At best, you’ll have summary product descriptions or a few paragraphs
of relevant introductory copy, but this is often marketing copy that doesn’t contain
consumer-generated keywords and is rarely, if ever, updated over time. As a result, category
page ranking and traffic do not improve.
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Google Algorithms Exposed: How to Identify SEO Themes and Drive More Traffic
#BVSpotlights
Bazaarvoice found that category-level searches represent 60—70% of all
non-homepage organic search traffic. To put things into perspective, consider that
while increasing product page traffic by 15% may get you 10,000 more visitors a month,
increasing category page traffic by the same amount will net you 50,000 new visitors.
Clearly, optimizing for category-focused search presents a huge opportunity for
search marketers.
A fairly new practice, and one that Bazaarvoice endorses, is the incorporation of relevant
CGC on category-level pages. In doing so, marketers can realize benefits similar to when
CGC is integrated into the product page experience and stand out from the competition
in search.
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By incorporating CGC into category pages, brands have a much better chance for
ranking on unbranded queries. In our experience, category-level CGC has resulted in
15%+ increase in unbranded organic traffic. Furthermore, in A/B testing, a leading
appliance brand saw that category pages with CGC performed 4X better in search
rankings and experienced a 25% increase in clicks.
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#BVSpotlights
The bottom line
As Google continues to update their search algorithms—both
implementing new rules and refreshing core algorithms—it’s
critical that marketers follow their lead and invest where Google
invests. The incorporation of consumer-generated content
across the buyer’s journey presents a tried-and-true strategy to
address and optimize for the key themes that matter to Google.
Written in a way that consumers actually speak and search, CGC
content lines up directly with Google’s broader aspirations—
understanding users’ underlying search aspirations in order to
produce the most relevant search experience.
The utility of CGC has long been implemented at the brand
and product level, however the opportunity to utilize CGC to
optimize for category search is just recently coming to fruition.
Marketers who seize this opportunity will win—providing a
better on-site experience for users, reducing investments in paid
advertising, and driving substantial traffic and sales.
Sources
“U.S. Desktop Search Marketplace Report,” comScore qSearch, April 15, 2015.
http://www.comscore.com/Products/Audience-Analytics/qSearch
“Google Algorithm Change History,” SEOmoz. https://moz.com/googlealgorithm-change
“Annual Global Digital Influence Index,” Fleishman-Hillard and Harris Interactive.
http://www.fleishmanhillard.com/
“Evaluating the UK Search Marketing Landscape: Exposing SEO CTRs by Industry
and Who Clicks on PPC,” Nielsen and GroupM UK. https://econsultancy.com/
blog/10586-ppc-accounts-for-just-6-of-total-search-clicks-infographic
“Google Organic CTR Study 2014,” Advanced Web Ranking. http://www.
advancedwebranking.com/google-ctr-study-2014.html
Bazaarvoice Client Data.
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About Bazaarvoice
Bazaarvoice is a network that connects businesses to the authentic voices of people
where they shop. Each month, more than 400 million people view and share authentic
opinions, questions and experiences, and Bazaarvoice powers over 30 million
local service reviews. The company’s technology platform amplifies these voices
into the places that influence purchase decisions. Network analytics help marketers
and advertisers provide more engaging experiences that drive brand awareness,
consideration, sales, and loyalty. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Bazaarvoice has
offices across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com, read the blog at bazaarvoice.
com/blog, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/bazaarvoice.
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