Every year, search engine optimization (SEO) experts publish their own brand of do-or-die posts warning webmasters about the changes happening in the Google sphere that they can negatively affect your rankings unless they make it necessary. site updates /crucial.
In our experience, most of these prophecies turn out to be…well…exaggerated.
Don’t get us wrong, Google’s major updates probably shouldn’t be ignored. But if you’re a web developer with just a little SEO knowledge, it’s easy to be convinced that every Google update deserves some kind of reactive update.
In our opinion, the most important updates you should focus on next year revolve around data and analytics.
Here are the updates we recommend:
#1: Join Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
If you haven’t already made the switch from Universal Analytics (UA) to GA4, now is the time. In case you didn’t know, Google will say sayonara to UA in July 2023 and replace it with its slightly more sophisticated, slightly more woke sibling, Google Analytics 4. The way UA measures data is becoming obsolete maximum and the new GA4 is more suitable for measuring the behavior of modern users.
Why all the urgency? If you’re into continuous data tracking, you need to start using GA4 now to pull past year’s historical data. Waiting until the eleventh hour to follow up with GA4 will mean you miss out on X months of reporting.
Need more help? google it or read ours GA4 Configuration Tips.
#2: GDPR compliance
This update applies to both your website and your software product (if that is also collecting user data). As a result, Universal Analytics has broken EU data protection laws, which is resolved when you switch to GA4 and stick to the default settings (and turn off ad personalization).
Need to comply with GDPR? Well, that depends on your users’ location, not yours. Are your users from EU countries? Then yes, compliance is essential.
How do you ensure your website and software are compliant? Make sure your cookie banner gives users the option to consent or decline your analytics scripts (it goes without saying that you must respect their wishes as well).
Compliance also means using plain language when describing the purpose of data collection and who will have access to it.
#3: CMS Updates
If your site runs on an open source CMS like WordPress and Drupal, making sure your plugins, themes, and PHP (or equivalent) are up to date will benefit your site in a number of ways.
First, updating regularly makes your site as secure as possible, as many of these updates involve patching vulnerabilities. Second, updates improve your site’s speed, which benefits your PageRank and keeps your users happy.
CMS updates should be part of your webmaster’s best practices. Running the latest updates/themes ensures compatibility and functionality and ensures your website looks and acts as it should.
#4: Listen to your audience, respond with content
When was the last time you updated your content strategy? If you’re not creating engaging content that satisfies your reader’s appetite and following SEO content best practices, you’re probably missing out on a ton of growth potential.
Giving your blog a little facelift isn’t the most technical upgrade you can make right now, but it could end up being the most lucrative.
Looking for content inspiration? Here’s how you can find it:
Top Google trends in your industry, see what your competitors are saying about it, and write something better. Ask for customer feedback. A little survey goes a long way. Use your website’s search tool (if enabled) to see what your users are hungry for.
#5: Audit your site
Not all site upgrades are obvious or necessary, so if you’re looking for ways to increase the quality and quantity of your traffic, it’s time to be proactive. We’ve already mentioned a few ways to look for content improvements, but if your site needs something a little more drastic, it’s time to look at your data and come up with a strategy.
There is nothing more useful than conducting a site audit. With your analytics tools, you can see which pages are performing well and which pages could use a big dose of optimization.
Make sure any strategy that involves major updates starts at the keyword research stage. This involves finding relevant keywords that are easy to rank for and have a steady stream of search volume.
Final thoughts
We recommend that you prioritize GA4 and GDPR compliance so you can take the time to audit your site and adjust content to increase inbound traffic.
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