Timeless Principles: Google’s Constant Journey Through Past, Present, and Future

Google has evolved significantly over the years, but certain SEO principles have always remained important. We will explore Google’s development, from its early days to today’s complex algorithms, and look ahead to future trends.

By understanding the constant factors that have shaped SEO over time, you can apply these to optimize your own SEO approach, ensuring you are well-prepared for upcoming changes. Discover which core SEO values have stood the test of time and learn how to use them to improve your online visibility, now and in the future.

Transcript

1. Timeless principles Google’s constant journey through past, present, and future. 1
2. 2 Subtitle | double-click to edit Photo by Fenna van Casand on Unsplash The Dutch have been in battle with water since the 11th century.
3. 3 Photo by Peter Hall on Unsplash Actually the oldest “polder” still around is the Achtermeer polder, from 1533. This is not Achtermeer by the way, but Kinderdijk built ~1738, pretty right?
4. It’s a costly battle with lots of casualties… 4 1953 is the worst disaster in the history of this battle, 1836 people died.
5. So we worked on a plan. 5
6. The Deltaplan. 6
7. Holding back the water. Simple, but not easy. 7
8. Who am I? 8 I’m Roy, 44s years old, I live 33 meters above NAP in Enschede. I am too young to know anything about the disaster in 1953, but played with Google for 21 years and do know some things about SEO.
9. • 1. Adaptive management: 
 One unique feature of SEO is its adaptability over time. It involves planning, and a sequence of actions that are adaptable to changing circumstances. • 2. Strategic network management: 
 The SEO's success largely depended on the close collaboration and interaction between various stakeholders. This allows us to collectively manage stakeholders and learn from each other. • 3. Innovative solutions: 
 The SEO use innovative engineering solutions to combat digital marketing changes, such as other websites ranking for “your” core business keywords. Intentions going to competitors or PPC eats all your cookies. Three key things in SEO & the Deltaplan: Let’s make this about “us”. 9
10. • Google is always changing; it will fi nd ways to serve its users the frictionless, easiest way possible. - Like Google, water is our friend and our enemy. - Water always goes to the lowest point, the fastest and easiest way, like Google’s users and developers. - We know water is always changing, but there are constants given (tide, high tide, springtide) - Sometimes a storm comes up, we need to be prepared and not be worried all the time. Google’s algorithms changes, but we shouldn’t have to worry about that. So, we need a “Deltaplan” for SEO Why? For multiple reasons, let’s name a pretty big one: 10
11. 11 Photo by Felix M. Dorn on Unsplash
12. 12 Photo by Daniel Born on Unsplash Trust arrives by foot, leaves by horseback.
13. 13 Alpine Garrison Don’t be evil
14. • I highly recommend following Ed’s blog or podcast (qr). • PR / hater of big tech. • You don’t have to agree to fi nd some good insights or points of view. Follow @edzitron Here: https:/ /www.wheresyoured.at/ 14 Don’t confuse this Ed with @edwords, 
 which you should also follow!
15. Anyway, Google’s problem Besides every privacy EU lawmaker and DOJ in de US now too. 15
16. 16 Subtitle | double-click to edit Photo by Michael Olsen on Unsplash Hundreds of billions of pages indexed 100 Petabytes in size
17. 17 Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash “Every day, we discover 40 billion spammy pages” 
 - Google in 2021 
 That’s 14.6T spam pages a year.
18. • Florida Update (2003): Targeted keyword stu ff i ng and link spam, marking the beginning of Google's fi ght against manipulative SEO tactics. • Jagger Update (2005): Focused on low-quality backlinks and reduced the in fl uence of link farms. • Vince Update (2009): Shifted focus towards big brands, prioritising trust and authority in search results. • Panda Update (2011): Targeted low-quality content and content farms, rewarding high-quality, original content. • Penguin Update (2012): Penalised websites using black-hat SEO techniques, especially those with unnatural link pro fi les. • Hummingbird Update (2013): Improved understanding of natural language for complex queries. • Mobile-Friendly Update (2015): Prioritised mobile-friendly websites in mobile search results. • BERT Update (2019): Enhanced understanding of context and nuances in search queries using natural language processing. Quick overview of updates to improve. 18 What do they all have in common?
19. It’s about the user*. 19 *and maximising shareholder value.
20. Google hates SEO’s that try to manipulate search. 20
21. • Core ranking systems: get around 300 results for a query. - BERT, Crisis, Dedup, Freshness, HC, EMD, PageRank, Local News, MUM, Neural matching, Original Content, Removal/demotion, Passage, Reviews, Diversity, Spam. - older and retired/improved: panda, hummingbird, penguin • Rankbrain: mostly works on the top 20 to 30 documents. 
 So you need to get in there fi rst, it’s based on: - Body: What the document says about itself. - Anchors: What the Web says about the document. - User-Interactions: What users say about the document. • Deeprank: understand language and therefore intent, and what content meets that intent. • How can we make sure that all these things do what we expect: Satisfy the user? (The IS-KPI) Search in a nutshell 21 Simpli fi ed to keep it fun. https:/ /www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/ranking-results/
22. • ~22-27% clicks on the fi rst result. • ~40% actually clicks on result on the fi rst result-page. • So, why bother with other results than the top results? Well maybe a little bit of Intent as well. 22 Google’s solution: index and rank better. Google’s strategy: aim for the best and leave the rest. *https:/ /backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats
23. So what should be an SEO’s strategy? 23
24. Je ff Bezos likes to ask the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ 24 Eisenberg, Bryan; Eisenberg, Je ff rey. The Rice and Beans Millionaire: The Tale of an Improbable Entrepreneur (p. 12). Buyer Legends. Kindle Edition.
25. How fast I can fi nd opening hours on our website? 25
26. How fast I can fi nd our opening hours on Google? 26
27. How many clicks from the homepage do I need to fi nd that speci fi c product? 27
28. What time is it? This question ranks as the most searched on Google, with approximately 3.45 million searches per month. What is today? Coming in second, this query garners around 2.1 million searches monthly. When does school start? This question has a search volume of about 500,932 per month, re fl ecting the seasonal interest in educational schedules. What day is it? With approximately 485,141 searches, this question highlights users' need for date-related information. Where am I? This location-based query receives around 469,454 searches monthly, showcasing the importance of navigation and location services 28 https:/ /meetglimpse.com/insights/most-searched-questions/
29. People keep asking questions*, don’t have a lot of patience and like clari ty . 29 *We might need to rephrase this: People are looking for answers and solutions. The form is irrelevant.
30. • Can Google fi nd the information (crawling & indexing, mostly technical) • They ask, you answer (content) • User Experience (obvious, reliable) • Are you being recognised? (popularity) • Rich snippets and AI overviews*, but only if the above criteria are met! • Core web vitals (fast) Or maybe E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority & Trust. 
 Answers, fast, obvious and reliable. That’s what’s Googles focus is, let me translate that in SEO terms: 30 *( fk a: Search Generative Experience)
31. Expertise 31 Most of us trust the doctor. (Nice bias OpenAi)
32. Authority 32 And somehow we like authority (there’s a reason it’s not a Dutch cop)
33. Trust 33 And who to trust more than your local used car dealer!
34. The Experience was added later. 34
35. Experience 35 Is everything…
36. How SEO’s interpretation is. 36 Pretty solid Always the fi ngers
37. Every SEO in the world: 37 Look a my E-E-A-T!
38. • It’s a concept with a lot of things that might help determine the value of page. • It’s not about adding an ‘author box’ to a page. • We tend to overcomplicate it. • Google’s trying to tell us this since 2008. Build websites for users. E-E-A-T 38 It’s a concept. Not system, signal, or penalty. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust (E-E-A-T) are all important considerations in PQ rating. 
 The most important member at the center of the E-E-A-T family is Trust.
39. • We have core web vitals. From the browser, why stop there? • This is not really new that Google leverages the Browser, Android and ad-network. But current trials are very juicy! • Cindy has a great video about this, while I personally think not everything is as speculated, it’s a good thing to think about and use your imagination. About that trust… 39 Users who use Google Chrome
40. • PQ - Page Quality • NM - Needs Met • IS - Information Satisfaction is mentioned, but in di ff erent systems. 40 Of course Google uses more, but the quality raters focus on these Google does: Quality Raters KPI’s
41. Subtitle | double-click to edit 41 https:/ /www.analistaseo.es/posicionamiento-buscadores/ how-google-works-working-algorithms/
42. Subtitle | double-click to edit 42 https:/ /searchengineland.com/how-google-search- ranking-works-445141
43. • It’s should be about making life easier. • I’m lazy. Our brains are lazy. So are Google developers. • SEO’s tend to overcomplicate things. - For marketing purposes, to explain stu ff , we don’t understand fully. • Here’s some ideas: Too much? For me it is sometimes. 43
44. SEO Advice: 
 Writing useful articles that readers will love. 44
45. Brands are how you sort out the cesspool. 45
46. It’s not that Google wasn’t trying to tell us… 46
47. But SEO’s keep looking for that silver bullet. 47
48. Let’s make it simple. Not easy. 48
49. • We can help Google. - Google needs structured data, - a site that it can crawl, - and good content. - Google needs us to have links because it makes us more fi ndable. - Google needs us to write good content. Google needs stu ff from us. If we start focusing on the consumer and not forget the necessities for SEO 49
50. “Customer centricity isn't about customer love. It's about learning what the customer wants and then giving it to them.” People keep asking questions Yet, we seek the ‘cheapest ways’ can we generate everything with AI? 50 Eisenberg, Je ff rey; Eisenberg, Bryan; Williams, Roy H. Be Like Amazon: Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It (p. 23). Wizard Academy Press. Kindle Edition.
51. 51 Ow and there’s this leaked document… It’s kinda nice. I’ve done a webinar with Chantal about that, you can fi nd it on YouTube: https:/ /sparktoro.com/blog/an-anonymous-source-shared-thousands-of-leaked- google-search-api-documents-with-me-everyone-in-seo-should-see-them/
52. • What’s the best result that people react on? Google doesn’t understand documents It tries to predict behaviour. Based on 13 months of history. 52
53. • When faking fails, Google looks stupid. A Sel ff ul fi lling prophecy? 13 months timeframe. 53
54. • With great power, come great responsibility • and hefty fi nes from European Governments. Your Money, Your Life 54 Google is trying to be very careful with their roll-out of AI in Europe.
55. • “Over time this will just be how search works, and so, while we are taking deliberate steps, we are building the next major evolution of search.” - Sundar Pichai Google’s CEO about Ai In august 2023 earning call. 55
56. • Is this site useful? Can users fi nd what they are looking for after landing on my site? • Is this site accessible? Can users access my site from di ff erent screens without issues? • Is this site usable? Can users easily navigate my website, increasing their chances of returning? • Is this site desirable? Are users aesthetically pleased with the design of my website? • Is this site fi ndable? Can users navigate my site with three clicks or less to fi nd what they’re looking for? • Is this site credible? Is the information provided on my website from trusted sources, forming stronger brand trust ties with my users? • If the answer is yes, ask yourself this: is this site the best and should it be on number 1? 
 Google has some nice examples for a self-assessment of your content, but you all knew that. Typical questions about your pages That you should ask yourself or your clients 56
57. • Would you trust the information presented in this article? • Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature? • Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly di ff erent keyword variations? • Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site? • Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors? • Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines? • Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis? • Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results? • How much quality control is done on content? • Does the article describe both sides of a story? • Is the site a recognised authority on its topic? • Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care? • Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced? • For a health related query, would you trust information from this site? • Would you recognise this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name? • Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic? • Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious? • Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend? • Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content? • Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book? • Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful speci fi cs? • Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail? • Would users complain when they see pages from this site? It’s not new though… 57 These are questions Google used in may 2011 for the Panda Algorithm.
58. • Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis? • Does the content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic? • Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious? • If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources, and instead provide substantial additional value and originality? • Does the main heading or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content? • Does the main heading or page title avoid exaggerating or being shocking in nature? • Is this the sort of page you'd want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend? • Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia, or book? • Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results? • Does the content have any spelling or stylistic issues? • Is the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced? • Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don't get as much attention or care? These kind of questions These are examples, not questions Google truly asks or writes algorithms for. 58
59. 53% of SEO’s said it's harder achieving SEO goals compared to 2 years ago 59 According to a questionnaire by Aleyda beginning 2023. Published on Mozcon 2023
60. This means that Google’s systems are doing better. 60
61. And we, as SEOs, need to do better. 61
62. Albert Einstein would say, “the de fi nition of insani ty is doing the same thing over and over and expecting di ff erent results.” 62
63. UX Research 63
64. • Lyssna, for 5 second testing, card-sorting or a survey • Google Meet, just fi nd 5 category-buyers to join you. - Give them a task, watch. Ask them to speak out loud if possible. • Go to your UX-team. - Ask them to include a step before arriving on the site. The DIY method But even better is to seek help from experts. We don’t like crappy SEO advice, the same goes for UX- ers that get advice from non-experts. 64
65. • Conduct user research interviews • Ask about fi rst impressions and choices - "What was your fi rst impression?”, "What would be your fi rst pick?” Make it task-speci fi c and tailor questions to speci fi c tasks and user interactions • Bootstrap your research: - Use Google Meet for remote sessions - Record interviews - Recruit participants from your target audience No need for expensive labs—start small and scale up Enhancing keyword research process With user interviews, UX research 65
66. • Since it’s all about the user- tasks, it might even be laying around there. • We don’t have to do everything on our own pretty island. • Let’s meet up, let’s talk to people, let us the knowledge that is available to us. • Getting data is the easy part these days, bring it to the meetings, show them what’s going on. • And if getting the data is still hard, try to automate that. The SEOBro side-hustle people on TikTok and Instagram are moving faster that your average agency or in-house team. Learn from that. • Don’t focus on their strategy, but look at the tactics or tools. Intention research 66 Beware the lollipop of mediocri ty ; lick it once and you suck forever. It shouldn’t even be done without UX in mind
67. Remember: AI is a tool, not a solution. A fool with a tool is still a fool. Talk to real people. 67
68. “Find ways to bring value to others.” 68
69. Sure, old tricks might still work. If it works for you, enjoy it! I prefer a safer, long term strategy. 69
70. • Writing useful articles that readers will love. 
 Focus on your users. Self-assessment of your content is key. Ask the hard questions. Dig up the data. Experiment with the UX (please don’t try to hide the content all the time, thanks). A unique feature of SEO is its adaptability over time. • Brands are how you sort out the cesspool. 
 Think of ways you can drive tra ff i c without Google. Why would Google send you tra ff i c if nobody is looking for you speci fi cally or is sending tra ff i c to you in the fi rst place? • Don’t worry about Google updates: 
 AI is coming, updates are coming. Nothing we can do about it. We adapt. Play. Learn how to use it to make a page better for users. • Adaptive Management 
 One unique feature of the Deltaplan approach is its adaptability over a long term. It involves a sequence of major planning actions that are adaptable to changing circumstances. SEO is also a long term game, don’t focus too much on the short term. Take-aways Or maybe one: be adaptive and focus on the user. 70
71. Huge waves are coming. 
 To bene fi t from this we should focus on things that don’t change: 
 
 User needs. 
 Ride the wave. It’s more fun. 71 Photo by guille pozzi on Unsplash
72. • … need a site can be crawled and understood 
 this didn’t become easy with all the fancy technical stu ff we thought users liked, and it might not even be Google one day. • … need to write helpful content 
 we could get away with ‘SEO content’ for a long time, but who needs another article about 301 redirects or site migrations for that matter. • … need to be an popular authority on your subject 
 but Google got smarter, and we became lazy, but there’s this thing called marketing that might help with that. Can you think of what didn’t change? The three pillars of SEO. You still: 72
73. The future is bright for everyone working in SEO. 
 If you are willing to adapt. Flow like water. 73 Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash
74. Find me on social media My website roy@chapter42.com Or send me a text: 06 248 139 80 Me Best way of getting in touch. I also do a kind of podcast on YouTube. Check it out by using the QR code. 74 “The progress you seek, is in the work you avoid.” Thank you for your attention!