So, Mobilegeddon has finally passed, the much anticipated algorithm update from Google. The purpose was to reward websites who have mobile friendly websites and punish those who don’t. It was great timing by Google as it was only a few weeks after the update that it was officially announced that mobile search had finally overtaken desktop search. After the update was unleashed, it became apparent that websites needed to continue to create quality content for Google in order to maintain their search rankings.
Shortly after the official update, several webmasters reported a decline in search traffic, despite the fact that they were mobile-friendly. Once such website was HubPages who reported a 22% decline in traffic overnight. What was suspected by HubPages was a “phantom” algorithm change that was unannounced by Google.
After several inquiries from the industry, Google finally revealed that a change had indeed taken place. Dubbed the “quality update” by Search Engine Land, Google announced that it has changed the way it assesses the quality of content. Despite not giving specific details about the update, it is clear that Google continues to focus on quality content. This should be yet another wake-up call for marketers that they must start to create quality content for Google as opposed to trying black hat tricks to manipulate rankings.
While many websites complained and others called the update “sneaky,” it reinforces what I have been saying since the implementation of Google Hummingbird. If you create quality content, you should have no problem when Google changes an algorithm. Give Google what they want and you will be rewarded accordingly. This has translated into webmasters creating quality content as opposed to keyword stuffed articles that toe the line of manual actions and Google penalties. After all, Google owns the search so giving them what they want instead of complaining is the best way to solve the problem.