Recently Google announced another major change to the way it ranks web pages. The search giant updated its algorithms to give greater priority to "fresh" content. The rationale behind this change is that people are generally seeking news and information on the latest developments or current events.
The changes don't impact all searches, for example someone searching on William Shakespeare isn't looking for the most up to date information. The Google algorithms are clever enough to take the context of the search into account, but Google estimate that their fresheness update will impact about 35 percent of all searches.
So the big question is - how can I keep my content fresh? There are two parts to this. Firstly it's more important than ever that your content is regularly updated. A content management system for your website is an absolute must. Google has penalised sites that very rarely change their content for a while now, and this update only builds on that trend.
The second important point is that your updates need to be fresh! How does Google judge fresheness? Well in summary it's looking for information on recent topics or trends that it has seen building on the web.
A news system on your website is the perfect way to improve its fresheness. You can use your news system to annouce new products, changes to your services, and generally reflect on industry news and developments. This last point of responding to changes in your industry is a great way of convincing Google that your site is somewhere that visitors will want to come.
The great thing about an active website is not only does it look good to Google - but more importantly it looks good to your visitors. Combined with other social media integrations such as commenting, and sharing (Facebook, Twitter, Google +1) a news system can turn your static dusty site into a lively information resource that will keep visitors, and customers returning again and again.
If you think having a news system, or other social media integrations, can help your website do more for your business then please give Webfuel a call.
