Google likes to make regular algorithm updates that affect your website's ranking on Google search pages. When we talk about algorithm updates, we are essentially talking about the way in which Google determines where your website lands in their search results page. This can be rather frustrating for many of us because as soon as you have wrapped your head around one way of doing things, Google makes changes, requiring us to shift gears or else be left behind.
Generally, Google does not warn us beforehand. You wake up one morning and all of a sudden you need to adjust your tactics at the drop of a hat. This time, Google let us know well in advance and in this post we will be discussing one easy change you can make to safeguard your website traffic against this update.
Okay. Let's begin!
What is the Page Experience algorithm update?
As Google puts it: "The page experience signal measures aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page. Optimizing for these factors makes the web more delightful for users across all web browsers and surfaces, and helps sites evolve towards user expectations on mobile. We believe this will contribute to business success on the web as users grow more engaged and can transact with less friction" (Fitzgerald, 2020). You can read more about the specifics of this algorithm update here.
Plainly stated, Google will be ranking websites with a better user experience higher on their rankings. I know the concept of website user experience and optimising your website to be as user friendly as possible might make you see many question marks right about now, but there is something that you can easily do on social media that helps with your website ranking.
How to use social media to help with my website ranking.
One major factor that impacts the way in which Google determines your user experience is your website bounce rate. What is a bounce rate? "A “bounce” occurs when someone visits your website and leaves without interacting further with your site. Your bounce rate shows you the percentage of your visitors who bounce off of your site" (Patel, 2020). Google, however, does not directly use your bounce rate in your page ranking, they use what your bounce rate signifies, which is how well your site matches up to the user's intent. In effect, did the user get what they were looking for from your site?
From a social media point of view, you can help lower your website bounce rate by assessing and fine-tuning your audience segmentation for your paid advertising on your social media platforms.
How? Because you are showing your advertisements to an audience who's intention is to find out more about your brand, product, or service. When they are directed to your website from the advertisement on social media, they interact with your website, which in turn helps to lower your bounce rate.
It also helps to have several different audience segmentations set up which are specific to the different products and services that your business offers as well as for the different target markets that your business caters for.
Take-home points.
There are many other changes you can make from a website development and digital marketing point of view to help lower your bounce rate. However, apart from our website, many of us use social media as our first and main channel when it comes to the marketing and promotion of our brands and businesses.
So, from a social media point of view, focusing on and fine-tuning your audience segmentation for your paid advertising on social media should be of the utmost importance if you want to prepare for this new algorithm update.
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