What Was Google's Nov 2021 Algorithm Update About?

Looks like Google did another algorithm update in the beginning on Nov. If you have a website that ranks on Google you typically know that Google has algorithm updates a couple of times a year. Google has been really good at notifying the public that an algorithm update is coming which is new for Google.

Five or ten years ago Google would do random algorithm updates and wouldn’t tell anyone. The only reason you would know there was an algorithm update back then is because your organic traffic decreased for no apparent reason. It was also a good excuse for SEO experts to blame random algorithm updates on performance issues.

Here is how Google announces algorithm updates now:

Why Did Google Do this Algorithm Update?

Google is always trying to stop black hat or spammy techniques on their search engine. This has been an ongoing problem since Google was created. People are always trying to find shortcuts around Google’s Ranking algorithm to get quick traffic. This is why Google primarily does these types of updates so that the user has a good experience when they do a search on Google.

It’s also the reason why Google is the number one search engine because people are able to find their answers easily compared to other search engines like Bing or Duck Duck Go. So overall these algorithm update help you the user have a good experience while you are looking for a product, service, or answer.

The reason why Google did this update was to stop cloaking content spam which is a blackhat SEO technique to rank your website fast.

What is Cloaked Content?

Cloaking content refers to coding web pages in a way that search engines see one set of content and visitors see another set of content. To be more technical Google will index a page that they think is one thing but when the visitor goes to the page when they view it on the search engines it takes them to a completely different topic and page.

For example, a user searches for “gold prices” clicks o a search result that says “current gold prices in the market” and the page he sees is a travel tourism site. That is a perfect example of cloaked content.



Why Would Blackhat SEO’s Do This Deceiving Technique

The simple answer to this is traffic. If they can get as much traffic to a site and show this to their clients it looks like they are doing a good job from an SEO standpoint. However, this technique is really dumb if you think about it.

If you show a client that you were able to 10x their traffic in a couple of days yes this will make the average customer happy. However, if you will at the data it will show high bounce rates and little to no conversion. This shows that people were searching for one thing and got something completely different and left the page immediately. Because most consumers and business owners know nothing about digital marketing they think more traffic is a good thing and this allows the blackhat SEO person to keep scamming customers.

Please be aware of this type of scam because it is more common than you think. Don’t be afraid to be suspicious and do some diligence on the person or agency you are working with. That is why Google had to do an algorithm update to stop this.


How Do I Know If My SEO Guy or Digital Marketing Agency Is Doing Blackhat Techniques?

There is a couple of ways you can find out if your SEO guy or agency is good or not. Below are some things you can look for:

  1. Do they send you monthly reports that show you the good and the bad side of your digital marketing efforts?

  2. Are you getting more calls, form submissions, and conversions on a weekly or monthly basis?

  3. Can you easily get a hold of the SEO guy or point of contact if you need something or have questions?

  4. Do they have good reviews online?

  5. Do they have case studies from other clients they have worked with?

  6. Is the agency you are working with having a good digital marketing presence online?

  7. Do they have a lot of followers on social media?

  8. Do they have a physical location on Google maps?

  9. Are your organic rankings increasing month over month?

If the digital marketing person or company you are working with has too many no’s to the questions above then you might be working with a blackhat or scam digital marketing person or agency. I have seen many of these fake digital marketing agencies before and they are not afraid to rip you off and never contact you again.



Conclusion

In today’s digital world there are more scammers than ever before. This is why Google has to constantly do algorithm updates and why you have to be careful and a consumer and business owner. Make sure you are only working with reputable digital marketing experts or agencies that have a good track record or can show you their past performance with other clients they have worked with.

Digital marketing is a fast-paced world that is always changing and it can be difficult to tell who is for real and who is not. Orange SEO has been helping small, medium, and large companies for over 10 years and we can help you have digital marketing success. We pride ourselves on giving a personal touch to all the clients we work with.

If you are a business that is looking for a digital marketing expert or agency don't be afraid to reach out to us today for help.