What Does the New Google Broad Core Algorithm Update Mean for Law Firm Search Results Ranking?

Google quietly confirmed that there was a recent, significant change made to their internal ranking systems; what they call a “broad core algorithm update.” The update was put into effect on Monday, April 16, 2018.

As usual, there were no real details given as to how this update might change rankings. The world’s most popular search engine only noted that these core algorithm updates happen a few times per year. They also made a point of reminding their Twitter followers that small updates and tweaks are made to the search algorithms on a daily basis.

How Does the Latest Google Update Affect My SEO?

The quick answer to the question of how this Google update might affect your firm’s SEO is that it really shouldn’t affect it at all.

It was stated that some sites may notice drops or gains in their search result rankings, but there was nothing specific that any site could do to fine tune their rankings around the new update. Google added that those sites that see their position drop slightly are not being penalized for anything, they are simply moving down to make room for sites that were previously “under-rewarded” and now moving up as a result of the algorithm changes.

The basic takeaway is that updates like these are not put in place to penalize anyone. They are designed to increase the usefulness of Google’s index and bring more relevant information to the top of search results.

What If My Law Firm’s Search Rankings Drop?

If you’ve been following good SEO practices, your firm shouldn’t experience any significant drop in search position. If you do notice a drastic move, though, it’s important to try to analyze what’s happening and how it might be fixed as soon as possible. If your SEO is handled by an outside agency, the first thing you should do is contact them and let them know what you’ve seen since Google made the update.

A good way to gain some insights into what could be going wrong is to run searches for the keywords you’ve targeted and look at the competition that is ranking above you. Of course, you shouldn’t steal any content from anyone else’s site, but you may very well spot some similar ideas and concepts that appear to be working well. Implementing these on your own site with your own content could help restore your rankings.

You can read Google’s full announcement thread on Twitter. If you’d like to get more updates and information about Google search, you can follow the Google Search Liaison Twitter account.