Brackets Core Update: Improving The Search Engine

In March 2018, Google rolled out a core algorithm update that led to spikes and volatility in the SERPs. Unlike other filters, the team made improvements on the entire search engine and the processes involved, so they didn’t give it an official name. However, the webmaster community referred to it as the Brackets core update.

What’s It For

While other improvements were specific such as Panda’s focus on in-depth content, Penguin’s anti-webspam detection, and improving link quality evaluation by Boston, Dominic, and Jagger, the Brackets core update was intended to improve the relevance of the results displayed in the SERPs in general. Similar to Fred and Maccabees, this was a significant core algorithm change that Google confirmed to be part of routine maintenance that happens several times per year.

In a series of tweets, Danny Sullivan of Google Search Liaison confirmed the broad core update and explained that the drops experienced by websites do not necessarily mean that webmasters did something wrong in their domains. The developers clarified that the changes were recompensating high-quality pages that were previously unrewarded in terms of organic traffic.

What Were Its Effects

Movement in the SERP began in the first few days of March 2018 and increased after March 5. Some websites reported getting more rich snippets while others lost this quality component in a few links displayed in the SERPs.

The update appeared to be focusing on how the search engine assessed website or content quality and seemed to be a refinement of previous improvements that worked on this ranking signal. Google didn’t give the details of what elements or factors it enhanced, but there were reports that it delivered more high-quality results after the Brackets core update rolled out.

What It Means for You

Google has always been consistent with its emphasis on providing quality results to any query made by its users. As a webmaster, you should ensure that your entire website would be able to deliver the best experience and the most valuable information to visitors. UX, UI, connection security, interstitials, site speed, and mobile-friendliness are a few elements to watch out for and improve.

Here are some ways to make sure that your website can tide over Google’s constant tweaking of its algorithm:

Boost Your E-A-T E-A-T stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. You can enhance how users see your brand by producing high-quality and in-depth content. One way to do this is to enlist the help of experts in your niche. You can interview them and ask them to provide you with valuable insights on a particular topic.
Google also evaluates your link profile, which means that getting backlinks from credible sources can improve how the search engine perceives your domain authority. Great content is a linkable asset that entices both your target audience and potential partner brands.

• Promote the Expertise of Your Authors Aside from working with external authors, you should also promote yourself or your own writers and their expertise on the subject matter they’re creating. If you haven’t produced an author page for them with a short bio, you should craft one now to have a place where you can explain to readers why they should be confident with the facts and opinions you’re publishing on your site.
  Some tips to remember when writing a professional-sounding author bio:
• Use the Third Person – Your author bio should sound as if someone else is describing you professionally so you should write in the third person, as opposed to your autobiography where you are talking to readers directly and personally.
• Write Down Factual Accomplishments – Your author bio is not the place to share your aspirations. Instead, you should focus on listing down the things you’ve accomplished and other ways you’ve helped people or companies through your blog.
• List Related Education and Experience – If you’re running a blog that gives tips on web development, it’ll be helpful for readers to know that you graduated with a degree in Information Technology or you’ve gained years’ worth of knowledge through your job at a particular company.
• Reduce Aggressive Advertising Advertising is one way that blogs monetize their content and earn money online. This is a passive source of income on top of selling their products and services to customers directly. Others, though, go as far as deceiving their readers just to get them to click on a promotional link. Check your ads and evaluate if you need to remove or restructure them. They shouldn’t be aggressive, disruptive, or deceptive so that you can give users a smooth and satisfactory experience in your site.