Insights

Google’s definition of a low quality website (Part One)

In 2016, keywords are not the only thing Google cares about. Google has started to crack down on poor quality website content, which means that business owners have had to adapt their strategies accordingly. There are a number of factors you will need to address to ensure your website can stand up to the challenge that Google has set. Here at iFactory, we will be discussing these aspects in two blog articles. Part one will focus on what you may be penalised for, while part two will focus on what makes a high quality website. Read on to discover the five biggest mistakes that make up a low quality website.

Read on for part one of our series to find out what makes Google recognise your website as ‘low quality’.

1. Duplicate content

Copy and pasting or ‘scraping’ text from other websites on to yours is extremely detrimental to your SEO results. Even 100 words of duplicate content could mean that your website is penalised by Google.

2. Untrustworthy or ‘filler’ content

In order to earn the respect of Google, you need to prove that you’re an authority on your chosen topic. If you don’t show off industry-specific knowledge, Google will be able to tell. If you’re simply writing for the sake of having words on the page, this is ‘filler’ content and should be avoided, as it will negatively impact the experience of your users and your rankings.

3. Outdated content or broken links

If you still have your Christmas blog from 2009 on the front page of your website, it may be time to delete or update it. By leaving unnecessary or outdated content, Google may think that you don’t perform regular maintenance on your website. This is the same if your website has broken links (404 pages) or images.

4. Negative reviews

The internet is bursting with platforms for users to review your business. Some sites include Trip Advisor, True Local, Yelp and, of course, Google My Business. Negative reviews on these popular reviewing platforms can have a massive impact on your SEO results due to the latest ranking algorithms from Google.

5. An unintuitive website design

If your website is cluttered with ads then it’s likely Google will penalise you for it. This is because, in Google’s eyes, if a webpage’s main prerogative is to drive its users towards the ads, it’s most likely not going to have very valuable information.

Google Search Quality made another update in website design and user experience in 2015, which penalised websites that weren’t mobile-friendly or responsive. This was due to the large increase in traffic on handheld devices.

We hope you’ve enjoyed part one of our series. Here at iFactory, staying informed about the latest Google updates is very important to us. To discover how to fix these issues, and what defines a high quality website, contact us. Be sure to keep an eye out for part two coming soon.

Read more insights