The following are the top 10 high traffic websites in Canada according to Alexa.
- Google.com
- Youtube.com
- Facebook.com
- Google.ca
- Reddit.com
- Amazon.ca
- Yahoo.com
- Wikipedia.org
- Live.com
- Amazon.com
New websites often struggle to build traffic but most wouldn’t have to if they understood how freshness impacts SEO outcomes. While all the major search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Baidu) use freshness in some way, I’ll focus on the giant – big G. After all, that’s what the majority of consumers use right now, which can change in the future.
How High Traffic Websites Leverage the “Freshness Algorithm”
Understanding how Google’s “freshness algorithm” works can skyrocket your website traffic.
The algorithm focuses on promoting fresh, relevant content that may also be trending at the moment. That doesn’t mean you need tons of shares to matter. Rather it means you stand a higher chance of ranking for a particular keyword when your web page is fresh (or recent) and relevant.
The idea is that search results are best when fresh. The “freshness algorithm” attempts to produce the most relevant and recent search result even if a user doesn’t specify a date. In other words, it automatically determines if freshness is necessary for any topic.
Here’s a breakdown of the algorithm’s core directives.
- Any topic or a recent event that begins trending on the web is elevated. For example, every time you search for the term, “Trump”, you’ll see the most recent stories or articles.
- Regularly recurring event searches will always display the upcoming or most recent events. For instance, when you search for “NFL”, it displays the Super Bowl results for the most recent event. Then presents the searcher with the latest news on it.
- Topics that update frequently like “the best computer graphics card” or “Mercedes Benz reviews” will show the most up to date information.
Old web pages that are useful still appear on search results. The “freshness algorithm” simply determines the level of freshness needed based on a user’s queries.
How to Use Freshness to Drive Traffic
It’s all about relevance. Let me explain.
High traffic websites like the ones mentioned previously all have two things in common. Whether it’s by leveraging UGC (user-generated content), done in house, or outsourced, they all produce and update content often.
A domain/website that regularly produces new content and updates existing ones should have a strong overall relevance score (not an official term). So start regularly producing and updating existing content if you want more website traffic.
I know it sounds easy but the truth is content marketing is an investment. This is why new businesses should begin small unless they have a good budget to throw at it. I’d recommend publishing content once a week to start and increase frequency as you grow.
But keep in mind that freshness doesn’t always mean better. So don’t update existing content that’s still relevant. And do not publish useless or completely regurgitated rubbish on your site. Focus on serving and being relevant to your target audience.
Furthermore, you can use trending topics to boost your own traffic. For example, publishing an article about a new and innovative website building technique is a traffic opportunity. Similarly, relating an article about POS (point of sale) systems to an upcoming holiday like Christmas can boost traffic.
Lastly, I’ve never been a huge fan of putting the current year on content titles unless it makes sense. This is because it’s too easy to forget about updating the date when you enter a new year. Nonetheless, adding the year in your title can potentially boost traffic.
I’m a freelance copywriter and SEO specialist. I aim to empower individuals and businesses with impactful marketing solutions and insights. In my downtime, I recharge by embracing the beauty of nature or cherishing moments with my loved ones. If you found value in this post, please consider sharing it.
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