The first question you might ask is “what is an algorithm?” The dictionary defines an algorithm as “a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.”
Wikipedia defines an algorithm as – “In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm (/ˈælɡərɪðəm/ (listen) is a finite sequence of well-defined, computer-implementable instructions, typically to solve a class of problems or to perform a computation.”
An algorithm is a mathematical set of rules specifying how a group of data acts or responds in a digital atmosphere. It’s mathematical and it is science.
I run a digital media agency. I am constantly asked why people see certain things online while others see different content. I am also confronted with questions concerning how algorithms affect digital marketing efforts, ROI, and visibility.
Pertaining to just social media, not Google or search engines, Social media algorithms are a way of sorting posts in a users’ feed based on relevancy, keywords, and content type. Social networks prioritize which content a user sees in their feed first by the likelihood that they’ll want to see it.
Social media algorithms are always changing, sometimes every day. There’s no way to know every technical detail that goes into every change, but we do know that each social media platform’s algorithm is driven by the usage, data, content, timing, and more. The algorithm is different on every platform and it dictates where you rank in social media content placement, visibility, engagement, and so on.
Personally, and in my agency, we are very analytically focused. This means we use the top content types, platforms, tactics, and strategies to acquire the highest organic reach, and then have analytics to prove the results. One of the two top sweet spots is organic Facebook reach. Every day we astonish our clients with the proven organic reach numbers.
Another favorite sweet spot is our use of Google Web Stories (formerly known as AMP Stories.) This is so phenomenal, and we love it. If you love Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories, you will fall in love with Google Web Stories. Last night after hours one of my top digital marketing clients called me at home, and the conversation brought me to tears. She called me to share what has been happening in her law firm. This attorney is one of the top family law, probate law, and criminal law attorneys in Boston and Lynn, MA. She proceeded to thank me and shower me with so many positive comments about her growth during Q4 of 2020 and especially Q1 of 2021. She said her law firm has grown tremendously and clients are telling her staff that they found the firm on social media, but most importantly, 80% of new business is from Google and Google My Business.
She was so happy she kept complimenting me. I thanked her for the call and the personal review. She is writing a Google 5 Star review for me. She said a few very sweet things about how she appreciated my kindness, compassion, and patience in working with her. I realized at that moment the core value I placed on my business back in 2020 has paid off. It is to make generosity and kindness a core value in our company. When I realized I was manifesting and reaping the benefits of that, I almost cried. I quickly thanked her again and we ended the call.
I did mention to her that we were doing Google Web Stories. Basically, Google Web Stories are much like stories on other platforms, but they are published to Google SERPS (Search Engine Results), Google products, and Google Discovery. Landing on Google Discovery can result in a few hundred thousand views and massive organic reach to your website. This is because Google Web Stories originally and inherently live natively on your site through a simple plugin. They are created and published through the plugin. One creator ended up with hundreds of web page stories, and thousands of links to her site.
So, what does this have to do with the algorithm? Well, I got off track, but again, we are focused on organic web and social traffic to get results.
Google Web Stories is a simple 3-5 slide image slide show that tells a story. It is a vertical product just like a story on any other platform. In each image or video slide, you can insert text and a link. In the last slide, you always want a call to action with a link that results in viewers clicking and going directly to the blog post or page on your website.
Google Web Stories are an image or video with very visual storytelling features that will appear inside Google. It is like a mini-blog telling a brief teaser and the action a view takes is click to the full story on your website.
The Google Web Story is condensed into a few images that tell a story.
The reason I share this with you is because of how our digital marketing and the algorithm predict the results of your business being found on google, and the end result, your business explosion, and growth, like the attorney in the story above.
I guess we could say that regardless of what we do, how much we pay for online efforts in digital media, algorithms dictate everything. There is no getting around the way algorithms work or perform on the Internet.
I have researched this and studied it and this video by Forbes is the best informational source I have found on the subject.
If you are interested in how algorithms work and dictate what happens online, you will want to watch this video.
Why Algorithms Shape What We See Online
Watch this video and let me know your thoughts. Comment on my blog below.
Have you seen your online efforts vary and you think algorithms dictate that activity? I will be here to answer your comments.
