Each year, Google’s search algorithms are updated several times to ensure that the most relevant and reliable results are listed most prominently.
This ongoing commitment to experienced search and quality results has helped Google reduce the number of inappropriate results displayed on a search page by up to 40% in the last five years, the agency said. search engine.
While many of these updates go unnoticed, they often come with someone who really scares the SEO boat.
In this column, we’ll take a look back at the innovations that have shaped SEO this past year and how they have affected your plans going forward.
Here are the five most popular Google Search updates from 2021.
Contents
1. The Page Experience Update
Google began announcing its upcoming Page update in June 2021 and announced its completion on September 2nd.
SEO professionals and marketers of all types have been eagerly awaiting this since it was first unveiled in November 2020.
With this update came a Marketing Score Page that can be seen in a new report in the Google Search Console.
Page Effects are somewhat explanatory; designed to improve the user experience on each website. The score is taken into account:
Since the inception of the app, Google has made it clear that Safe Browsing is not a category brand.
On August 4, 2021, an update to this Google Search Central blog post states, “The Safe Browsing system continues to play an important role in ensuring the security of Google Search users, and any banners will continue to be displayed on the Search Console outside of the Impact Page. ”
2. Google’s Link Spam Update
Google warned marketers in July that its Link Spam Update would be free for those affected:
“In our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of search, we are launching a new version of spam links today – which we call the‘ spam update network …
Sites that participate in spam links will see changes in the Search as our algorithms re -examine those links. “
The update was buried in the Google Search Central Blog post under the heading ‘Improving our systems to block link spam.’
“In our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of search, we are introducing a new version of the spam link today – which we call the ‘spam update link.”
This updated algorithm, which will take place over the next two weeks, will be more effective in identifying and eliminating spam messages in the general public, in the many languages. “
At the same time, Google recommended making sure consumers and marketers are following best practices for internal and external communication, creating the best content, and focusing on improving productivity. human experience.
“Promote your website by using relevant branded links, and funded with good affiliate links,” the ad says.
3. Summer Broad Core Update(s)
Google started announcing a major update in June, it didn’t have time to implement everything that needed to be done, and picked up where it was put in July.
Danny Sullivan tweeted at the time:
“Some of our improvement plans for the June 2021 update aren’t quite ready, so we’re moving forward with the existing features, and then we’ll follow up with more details in July 2021.
Most sites don’t notice any of these updates, as is common with any major update.
However, as Roger Montti points out in his analysis of how July’s main algorithm update was shaken, an unusual thing preceded two spam updates.
SEO pros speculate that this update has resulted in an increase in the results of People Also Ask, perhaps based on the results of Image Search. on the other hand, and may inadvertently generate spam in search results.
Google’s long (and somewhat frustrating) advice on basic algorithm updates is that there is nothing you can do to prepare for, or fix it – other than constant risk. There are no exceptions.
But interestingly, Google’s John Mueller suggested in the October Search Central SEO office-hours hangout that content optimization better helps you recover from an algorithm update than specific content.
4. April Product Reviews Update
In April, Google announced an update designed to reward higher quality, in -depth product reviews and more visibility in Search.
The update was announced on April 8, 2021, and specifically focused on “thin stuff that only summarizes a wide range of products,” Google said.
The first broadcast affected only English language reviews, and Mordy Oberstein wrote an excellent description of who seemed to be affected and why.
Google said at the time that “Although it’s different from our usual regular updates, the advice we give about producing good content for them is also relevant here.”
The search engine advises developers to ask themselves questions about their product reviews, they:
Google recently announced that the next Data Search event is running over the next three weeks in December. This is designed to reward real, high -quality information.
5. The Introduction of MUM
Google’s plan for MUM is arguably the most influential search engine this year.
The Multitask Unified Model (MUM) harnesses the power of AI to help researchers complete more complex tasks. According to the first announcement about it, MUM was taught in 75 different languages and was praised by Google as 1,000 times more powerful than BERT.
MUM understands information from text and images, and Google plans to expand its capabilities to include video and audio, as well.
Pandu Nayak, Google Fellow and Vice President of Research, wrote on May 18, 2021, announcing, “We will be bringing the MUM-powered feature and improving it to our products in the coming months and years.”
We have already seen the practical application of MUM technology in Google Search – in activating and understanding vaccine information queries and developing new ways to research and find issues, for example.
MUM will give Google’s algorithms a better understanding of search engine optimization, quality and relevance, and more in the coming months and years.
It wouldn’t be the best “for;” however, MUM is a technology to be aware of and understand, as it will undoubtedly continue to raise the bar to the standards of what is most efficient, relevant, and useful.
Other Google Updates & Stories Of Note
This is not a complete list of Google updates that have shaped the SEO world in the last 12 months.
Here are some developments you want to be aware of as you develop your digital marketing plan for the coming year.
Passage Ranking
Google announced in February that its algorithms can consider phrases from pages as an additional indexing group, for English queries in the United States.
November Core Algorithm Update
Overall, data from the SEO community suggests that this update is quite interesting. As Jim Boykin of Internet Marketing Ninjas puts it, “Overall, another algo innovation … there will always be winners and losers.”
October Search Quality Raters Guidelines Updates
Google added five updates to its Search Engine Optimization in October, including updated guidelines on how to search. reputation for websites and creations, and a change to the definition of “People Group” in the YMYL section.
Google Updates Requirements For Schema Markup
In October, Google changed the requirements for HowTo, QAPage, and the SpecialAnnouncement schema to make these types of data easier. You may want to check for changes to the scheduled data for review, as well.
Google Algorithm Update Targets Slander
The New York Times reported in June that Google had plans to crack down on websites that publish inaccurate or defamatory information against others. Learn more in Matt Southern’s article on innovation.
Gearing Up For Successful SEO Strategy In 2022
You don’t have to stay on top of every Google update. But being aware of new features, changing SERPs availability, and multiple Google updates provides valuable insights into what you’re seeing in your website’s performance data.
ICYMI, you’ll also want to have Research Engine Journal’s State of SEO 2021 research industry on hand as you navigate the changing search landscape and plan how to turn this past year’s challenges into opportunities in 2022.
And if you’re looking for training sessions to increase team members for a start-up in January, be sure to check out our e-book library, explore these webinars on demand, and listen to the SEJ Show Podcast .
Photo credit: Shutterstock/Dilok Klaisataporn
