As part of over 500 search algorithm updates planned for this year, today Google launches a change which looks at the layout of a webpage and the amount of content visible to a reader when they click on a search result.
This should be hardly surprising given Google’s focus upon the quality of the end-user experience and the company’s on-going efforts to eradicate websites which deliver either spam content or a poor end-user experience.
The latest change in the Google search algorithm looks at the layout of a website to examine the amount of content visible above the fold. Websites which deliver graphic links or an excessive amount of Google ads (notice that to the Google bot the two will not look markedly different) or a large amount of links or a single large banner, are unlikely to rate well and, as Google refines the data it has on these sites, are likely to be lumped together in the poor or spam website category. This will lead to an obvious loss of search ranking and traffic.
In order to determine how your site looks at different browser resolutions use Google’s free, handy screen resolution tool. Input your website’s URL in the field box there and as Google explains see:
… a visualization of browser window sizes for people who visit Google. For example, the "90%" contour means that 90% of people visiting Google have their browser window open to at least this size or larger. This is useful for ensuring that important parts of a page's user interface are visible by a wide audience.
Like with every Google search algorithm update it is quite possible that a legitimate website may be penalized. If that happens you may have to experiment with using different layouts or fewer Google ads on your website and see if the changes improve rankings and traffic.
Quality content on your website is more important than ever
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