Google uses all kinds of signals to inform their search algorithm and decide on what order to rank websites.
As business owners and managers with a business website we would of course like it if Google picks and displays our website highly.
When website owners and marketing types talk about Search Engine Optimisation or SEO they are talking about the active steps they are taking to influence where their website appears in the search results. A better ranking means more traffic to the site and more chance at converting sales.
One of the methods that Google uses to feed quality information back into their search results is their Human Rater or Human Reviewer program. Matt Cutt’s from Google talks more about this system in the video below.
What does this mean for you as a small business owner?
What can you take away from this?
Look at your website through the eyes of a human rater working for Google.
- Would they believe your website is useful and solves a solution for a web surfer searching in Google?
- Would they rate your site highly?
Or does your website look very ‘thin’:
- without much information,
- bad layout,
- not updated regularly,
- or worse – that it has been designed to trick the search engines with lots of repetitive keywords?
As always your focus should be on market leadership and about creating a strong online platform and brand for your company. Your company website is one of the best ways to go about this.
Make an effort this week to add a new piece of useful information to your website. Make your website an informative place that human reviewers would be happy to give a thumbs up to.