Since the release of Google Search in 1997, the company has dominated the search engine market. As of January 2024, it holds a massive 95.32% share of the global mobile search engine market.

Understanding and adapting to Google's algorithm updates are extremely important for SEO success. In tune with this, StartupTalky tapped into the wisdom of Marketing and SEO experts to understand how they're evolving their strategies in response to the Google algorithm updates.

Now, let's explore the strategies these experts employ to maintain their SEO expertise amid Google's ever-changing algorithms.

Soumitra Sengupta, Fractional CMO and Growth Advisor
Chaitanya Kulkarni, Head, SEO and Analytics, Tring
Ritu Parakh, Digital Marketing Manager, GREP
Omm Dev Sharma, Founder, Mavericks Global
Nishant Shah, Head-Digital Marketing, Blue Buzz
Kishore Acharya, SVP & Head of Marketing, Masai School
Kiran James, Global Head of Marketing & Product Development, Muthoottu Mini Financiers Limited
Sumit Singh, CEO & Co-Founder, DashLoc
Pranjal Agarwal, VP-Brand Marketing, Mudrex, a Global Crypto Investment Platform

Google Algorithm Updates 2024 Overview

In March 2024, Google rolled out the core update and spam updates, targeting unhelpful content and spammy practices. With this, Google wanted to reduce unhelpful content by updating its main systems. It targeted spammy practices like creating lots of content just to rank higher.

In May 2024, Google announced the Site Reputation Abuse update. It addressed third-party content produced mainly for ranking purposes, treating such practices as spam. Automated and manual actions were implemented to control this form of manipulation.

Soumitra Sengupta, Fractional CMO and Growth Advisor

The current Google update seems to be a response to the AI spam that has been growing on the internet with the advent of ChatGPT writing tools. As a response to the growing AI spam content, Google is now giving more and more traffic to only high authority sites and UGC sites (Reddit's & Quora's traffic has 3x-5x since the update).

My current strategy is to diversify on the traffic front to reduce dependency on Google. More email marketing and content marketing to develop the brand voice and stickiness of the audience. Also, purely on the SEO front, the strategy will remain to develop more authority in a niche with higher focus on Link Building.

Chaitanya Kulkarni, Head, SEO and Analytics, Tring

Algorithm updates often result in changes to the way Google ranks websites. Core updates are designed to improve the quality and relevance of Google’s search results by rewarding websites that provide the best user experience and the most useful information. There have been two major changes to SEO strategy in response to Google’s recent algorithm updates:

• More important than simply publishing new content frequently, there is more focus on how often you refine, adapt, and reoptimize the already published content.
• With the advent of EEAT, user experience has become of utmost importance. And that’s not just in terms of UI/UX of the website or Core Web Vitals, it is also the way content is able to satisfy the end user.

Ritu Parakh, Digital Marketing Manager, GREP

In response to the Google algorithm update, we have aligned our strategy more closely with Google's emphasis on content quality and user experience. Earlier, we use to mainly focus on the keyword density and backlink but this has changed after the new update from Google.

We have shifted our focus and investment more towards producing high-quality and EEAT content and addressing users' queries and needs. To do so, we do proper research on the users' needs and intent and accordingly produce content that can solve their problems. We no longer believe in keyword stuffing and generating backlinks from sites that are nowhere related to our niche.

Additionally, we are also more focused towards page speed and mobile optimisations to give better on page experience to our users. With this we have prioritized technical SEO with a focus on better site architecture which will help in indexing and crawlability.

We have taken a more holistic approach that balances technical SEO and high-quality content which excelles and improves our overall search visibility.

Omm Dev Sharma, Founder, Mavericks Global

As an agency, we've consistently adapted our SEO strategies to align with each Google algorithm update, ensuring that our clients' search engine rankings are maintained or improved. For instance:

• Following updates emphasising content quality, we've focused on creating informative, engaging, and well-structured content that provides genuine value to users, while also incorporating relevant keywords naturally.
• With the shift towards mobile-first indexing, we prioritize mobile optimization, ensuring that our websites are responsive and deliver a seamless user experience across all devices.
• We've emphasised site speed and performance optimization, recognizing its impact on both user engagement and SEO ranking.
• Adhering to technical SEO best practices, such as optimizing website structure, meta descriptions, title tags, and internal linking, to enhance search engine crawling and indexing.

Nishant Shah, Head-Digital Marketing, Blue Buzz

Our SEO strategy has evolved significantly in response to Google's algorithm updates. We've transitioned from a focus on keyword density and backlink quantity to prioritizing user intent and content quality. Understanding our audience's needs has become paramount, guiding our content creation and optimization efforts.

We conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant topics and incorporate them naturally into our content. Additionally, we prioritize creating engaging, multimedia-rich content that not only ranks well in search results but also resonates with our audience. By focusing on providing value to our users, we've seen improved search visibility and user engagement.

Kishore Acharya, SVP & Head of Marketing, Masai School

The most recent updates from Google focus on Low-value content creation, manipulative outgoing links, and repurposing of expired domains to artificially boost rankings. While this is still being done in phases, the algorithm is yet to be fully ready.

Our SEO strategy has evolved to prioritise user experience and create only high-quality and engaging content that meets the search intent of users. We emphasise factors such as mobile-friendliness, page speed, and relevant keywords to ensure our content ranks well in search results.

Kiran James, Global Head of Marketing & Product Development, Muthoottu Mini Financiers Ltd

Our SEO strategy adapts to recent Google updates by prioritizing quality content, optimizing for user experience, and addressing technical issues like broken links. We emphasize expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness to build credibility. Our approach is flexible, incorporating new tactics and staying informed about industry trends. We focus on providing value to users while adhering to Google's guidelines, aiming to maintain visibility in search results despite algorithm changes.

Sumit Singh, CEO & Co-Founder, DashLoc

We at DashLoc swiftly adapt our SEO strategy to any updates in the Google algorithm to ensure ongoing effectiveness and relevance. This involves prioritizing several key elements, including quality content, user experience enhancements, local optimization, technical improvements, and adaptability.

By consistently delivering valuable content, optimizing for local search parameters, ensuring seamless mobile experiences, and staying abreast of the latest SEO best practices, we maintain our visibility and competitiveness in search engine rankings. This agile approach enables us to successfully navigate algorithmic changes, ensuring our sustained online presence and growth in an ever-evolving digital environment.

Pranjal Agarwal, VP-Brand Marketing, Mudrex, a Global Crypto Investment Platform

While all the recent Google algorithm updates addressed the issue of low-quality, unhelpful content and automated content scaling abuse, our SEO strategy remains user-centric. We prioritize helpful, original content to avoid the pitfalls of AI-generated spam. Our approach is user-centric; creating value for them has been the key to success.