Two changes are coming in the next few months to one of the tools that most of us use every day – Google. Learning about these changes before their full rollout is a good way to ensure that your business is prepared for ongoing web success.
The changes coming to Google will affect two important things for your company – information you can access about your customers via cookies and your search result ranking.
Google Chrome Cookies
Google Chrome is the most used browser in the world, so when changes happen here the effects are widespread. Google Chrome will be blocking third-party cookies, having them fully phased out by 2022. Third-party cookies are created by sites other than the one you’re visiting in order to serve you ads after you’ve moved on to the next site.
The blocking of third-party cookies has already happened on other browsers like Firefox and Safari.
The end of these third-party cookies could drastically change how you market. To prepare for this change, make sure your company cleans up internal lists (like the ones you utilize for email marketing) and adds forms that encourage new website visitors to willingly share their information. Also, make sure your team is beginning to learn the basics of Google’s Privacy Sandbox. The Privacy Sandbox, once fully developed, will act as an alternative to third-party cookies. It will deliver ads with anonymized signals instead of cookies.
Google Search Results Core Web Vitals
Google is changing the way they evaluate websites to appear in search results. In the past, site content, mobile optimization, and page security carried a lot of weight. If your website was strong in all of these areas, it had a better chance of appearing in Google Search results.
While these key ranking factors will continue to carry weight, Google is adding new criteria with what they call “Core Web Vitals.”
Core Web Vitals are a bit more complex, so have a seasoned web developer perform an audit and suggest changes the site needs.
The changes coming to Google may seem complex, but start familiarizing yourself with the changes and updating your marketing strategy to help your company seamlessly adapt.
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