Google's New Information Gain Model
Google just received a new patent, and this one means a lot for your website and SEO strategy. Google will be introducing an Information Gain Model to adjust how websites are ranked on the search engine and what type of content Google is looking for.
That means your old SEO strategy is about to be outdated. We’re sharing a bit more about this Information Gain Model and how you can adjust your content to ensure you’re maximizing your website traffic.
What’s Information Gain?
It can be hard to describe Information Gain without first understanding how Google currently ranks websites. The traditional model relies on scanning your website for keywords or phrases. That’s why you’re often encouraged to pick one keyword or phrase to focus on for your blogs or pages and to use that word throughout the page.
The problem is that many websites are looking to target the exact same keywords. You might be trying to sell Halloween decorations, so you use that phrase on your website. However, your competitors also end up using that phrase, and Google has to rely on other factors to distinguish which website should rank highest.
The problem with this method is that you end up with a lot of websites with very similar content. Everyone is trying to stuff in the same keywords, answer the same questions, and rank higher for the best keywords.
Information Gain looks to solve this problem. Instead of focusing on the keywords on a page, this method looks at the value of the content. If you feel like that’s a bit hard to define, you’re right. That’s kind of the idea.
Instead of everyone trying to be the same to work the system of keywords and SEO, Google wants people to focus on helpful content.
How to Adjust Your SEO Strategy for 2023
So given that this Information Gain model will be in place shortly, how do you adjust your SEO strategy for 2023?
The key is to start by thinking through what your target audience needs to know. It can help to even walk through the stages of questions they might have. Perhaps someone will start their searches with one question and then narrow it to other areas. If you have those different levels of inquiry covered on your website, it’s more likely your site will be seen as valuable and relevant.
Let’s say, for instance, that someone is Googling new ideas for living room lighting. They might get directed to Home Depot’s website for lighting options. If they visit that site and then decide that it isn’t what they really want, Google takes that information to re-evaluate what that person is looking for. Instead of just delivering the same sites with that similar content, Google is trying to better understand what would be most valuable to people searching.
That means that instead of just some pages making it to the first page of Google results for everyone, there will be more pages entering the early search options based on how someone searches. Finally, you can compete with the biggest websites if you have a strong SEO strategy.
That’s why the more you can focus on your ideal customer and what they’ll be looking for, the more likely it is that Google will deliver your site to that individual over some of the more powerful websites out there.
In that sense, Google is viewing your website and searchers more holistically. It’s no longer about one page that is highly optimized for one keyword. It’s whether your entire website is speaking to the entire person.
Need Help With Your SEO Strategy for 2023?
If you need additional SEO support for your website with these new changes, our team is happy to help. Reach out to us today to get started.