Tag: Search Engines

For those who’re well enveloped in the world of digital marketing, you likely caught wind of Google suffering a massive indexing glitch last month. Since this bug dejectedly impacted the search quality among users for many hours, it’s worth discussing how this kind of disruption can affect business owners and those who work alongside companies performing their digital marketing services. 

What does the term “SERPS” refer to?

Search engine results pages (SERPS) are web pages that are served to users when they search for keywords using a search engine, such as Google or Bing. The user will enter their search query using specific terms and phrases, upon which the search engine will load and present them with a SERP. 

Each SERP is very unique, as many search queries are performed on the same search engine using the same keywords at the same time. This is also because virtually all search engines will customize the experience for their users by presenting SERPS based on a wide range of factors aside from their search terms, such as the user’s physical location, browsing history, and social settings. This ensures that users get a more intuitive, responsive experience because while two SERPS may appear identical and contain some of the same results if you look closely, they will often feature subtle differences that might better appeal to that searching user. 

Why SERPS matter for SEO

If you’re looking to find out “why SERPS matter for SEO”, then you’ve come to the right blog. Think of SERPS as a search engine optimization (SEO) opportunity that shows users your site’s value by offering them passage with a clickable title and inviting page description. 

Since the order of the pages that appear in the SERPS are determined by a complex algorithm that’s formulated by the search engine used, it’s easy to see how SEO is important. The search engine will judge each website based on a variety of factors that help to determine the relevance and value it shares to the searched phrase or keywords. Often, search engines will also make changes to their algorithms and offer users some insight into how the update impacts SERPS, to allow them to make changes and have a competitive advantage over other businesses who’re also looking to strike an appearance on page one. 

What did digital marketing experts learn from August’s SERP glitches?

On Monday, August 10, 2020, the SEO community noticed massive ranking changes in Google’s search results. While it initially appeared that Google updated its algorithm, it was way too far off to not be a glitch. Google confirmed that it was a bug and that it would be a few hours before search engine results were back to normal. Needless to say, while defects in the system are uncommon, they do happen, which is why your SEO team needs to be prepared for the potential of future glitches.

Three things we learned from last month’s SERP glitches:

• Beware of your analytics: If you’re checking your analytics and notice that Google’s organic search traffic experiences a huge shift from the day prior, you should remember that bugs happen and disregard the reporting instead of creating unwarranted stress. Keep in mind to follow up the next day to see if the glitch has been fixed. 
• Rankings change: Search engine rankings are changing all the time, especially on a popular search engine like Google. If it happens on a large scale, assess online to see if they’re any reports from other SEO experts. 
• SERPS matter: While you likely already know the powerful impact of appearing high on Google’s SERPS, now you better understand how the loss of traffic, new customers, and potential revenue greatly impact the success of your business. Investing in SEO really does matter!

Was there anything else worth mentioning? Drop a comment below if there was something important that we missed.