Last week, Search Engine Land shared an interesting perspective on Google’s impact on business performance. In an S-1 filing from 2017, personal finance company NerdWallet identified Google as potential risk factor. (An S-1 filing is part of the process that U.S.-based public companies must follow to register for new, SEC-required securities). Here’s what NerdWallet said:

“We are dependent on internet search engines, in particular, Google, to direct traffic to our websites and refer new users to our platform. If search engines’ algorithms methodologies, and/or policies are modified or enforced in ways we do not anticipate, or if our search results page rankings decline for other reasons, traffic to our platform or user growth or engagement could decline, any of which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

Well said! As a digital marketing agency providing search engine advertising and search engine optimization services to clients of all sizes, we’re very familiar with the performance turbulence that Google’s frequent algorithm updates and ranking tweaks can cause. That turbulence is always worst for companies that rely solely on paid search and SEO for traffic.

As we’ve discussed several times recently on this blog, the past several months have been unusually volatile for organic rankings. That volatility has affected some clients more than others. Those with robust social media strategies, for example, have been somewhat shielded from the traffic fluctuations experienced by others.

As a Google Partner digital marketing agency, GrowthEngine Media has unique insights into Google’s preferred practices, insights that we leverage to deliver best-in-class search engine marketing services. However, even we’re not immune to the symptoms of major algorithm updates. To learn more about Google’s update process and how we can help mitigate risk by improving traffic diversity, contact us today.

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