Google has offered a glimpse into its approach to SEO for its own platforms. Sean O’Keefe from Google explains that staying updated with the latest changes is as crucial for Google’s internal teams as it is for other website owners.
Google manages over 7,000 websites with hundreds of product and marketing teams. According to O’Keefe, Google’s sites receive the same treatment in search results as any other site, and its teams must adhere to the same webmaster guidelines as other indexed sites. Daily, more than 200 changes are made to Google’s websites, each potentially impacting SEO.
“That’s why we’ve established a cohesive website SEO strategy that we can rely on regardless of new changes — a strategy that anyone else with a website can learn from,” O’Keefe notes.
Google has shared three key details about its SEO strategy that could benefit other site owners.
Focus on Small Changes
Small, noticeable adjustments can yield substantial gains. For instance, the Google My Business marketing site saw nearly double the organic traffic after implementing web fundamentals, such as showing search engines which URLs to index using canonicals.
After applying these changes, Google was able to replicate organic growth across various sites.
Embrace Change
Google evolves its search features to adapt to changing user search behavior. Site owners should similarly embrace change rather than avoid it. Experimenting with different modifications has led to improved SEO results for Google’s sites.
For example, after addressing Google Search Console errors, incorporating structured data, and adding AMP to the Think with Google site, there was a 200% increase in impressions once a common AMP error was corrected on several URLs.
Consolidate Multiple Properties When Possible
When multiple sites with similar content are created, Google advises consolidation. Creating a single, great site rather than several microsites fosters organic growth over time. Google did this upon realizing it had many nearly duplicate sites.
Their consolidation efforts resulted in positive outcomes: “For instance, following a site audit, we revamped our marketing websites for Google Retail. By streamlining six old websites, consolidating content, and concentrating on one excellent website, the site’s call-to-action click-through rate doubled, and organic traffic increased by 64%.”
Key Takeaway
O’Keefe says that focusing on these areas has enabled Google to build an adaptable and effective SEO strategy. He believes these strategies can be applied universally to all websites.
