Google uses over 200 ranking factors to rank websites. Not only that, but they are constantly updating their algorithm to help improve user experience. In short, it can be hard to keep up with all the latest Google SEO updates (especially when they seem to change every other day!).
If you’re a business owner, keeping tabs on these changes is essential for maintaining your website’s visibility and ranking. In this quick guide, we’ll break down the most recent Google updates and explain what they mean for your website. So read on and stay ahead of the curve.
What Is Googles Algorithm?
Google’s algorithm is essentially the formula it uses to determine the relevance and importance of a website. It takes into account factors like a site’s content, links, and loading speed to decide where it should rank on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
Google regularly updates its algorithm to provide users with the most useful and up-to-date results possible. In fact, Google makes over 3,000 changes to its algorithm each year. Before you freak out just stop for a second.
Not every single one of Google’s updates is significant. They’re simply trying to constantly improve the algorithm to deliver the best search results to users. As a result, businesses and website owners have to constantly monitor and adapt their SEO strategies to stay on top of SERP rankings.
We know. That sounds like the absolute worst. While Google’s algorithm may be complex and ever-changing, understanding and following its guidelines can result in increased website traffic and success for your business.
How Does Googles Algorithm Affect Your Google Ranking?
Have you ever wondered why some websites appear at the top of Google search results, while others are buried pages deep? It’s all thanks to Google’s algorithm. Now that you know what that is, it’s time to understand how it works.
As mentioned above, Google takes into account various factors, including the quality and relevance of your website’s content, how often it is updated, and its backlinks from other reputable sources.
This means that your website’s loading speed and mobile friendliness also play a role in determining your Google ranking. And don’t even think about trying to cheat the system. Google can detect practices such as keyword stuffing and will penalize you for it.
At the end of the day, Google wants to deliver helpful results to its users, so if your website meets that criteria, Google will likely give you a good ranking.
However, to answer the main question at hand, yes, Google’s algorithm definitely affects your Google ranking. It’s not an exact science though, so don’t get too caught up in trying to game the system. Just focus on making your website as helpful and user-friendly as possible.
Important Google SEO Updates in 2022
With over 3,000 updates per year, it’d be impossible to track all of the important Google SEO updates that occur annually. However, Google releases major algorithm updates that affect a variety of websites and business owners.
In terms of 2022, there have been at least six impactful algorithm updates that have affected sites across several industries. Here’s a breakdown of each of those SEO updates to help provide you with some idea of how these changes affect search rankings.
February 2022: Page Experience Update
Google page experience refers to the overall experience of using a website, including factors like loading speed and mobile friendliness. This February 2022 update was carried over from other page experience updates in 2021.
The main point? Google aims to prioritize websites that provide positive user experiences in its search rankings. This means it’s important for site owners to optimize their sites frequently according to Google updates.
This includes:
- Optimizing images and code
- Avoiding excessive pop-ups
- Ensuring a fast loading speed on both desktop and mobile versions of the site
Google also has specific requirements for technology used on a website, such as having a secure connection and enabling text to be easily selectable or clickable on mobile devices.
By keeping all of these elements in mind, websites can improve their Google page experience and potentially earn higher placement in search results.
March 2022: Product Algorithm Update
March 2022 saw an update to the product algorithm aspect of Google’s ranking system. With this algorithm update, they aimed to boost the rankings of product reviews that offer unique insights and go above and beyond the typical template-style content.
While Google didn’t directly punish lower-quality reviews, sites with low-quality product reviews were warned that they would likely see their rankings decrease if they didn’t step up their game.
That being said, Google provided tips for how to fight this. Namely, they want you to:
- Include in-depth details in product reviews that consumers find helpful (for example, talk about the honest drawbacks of a product, even if it’s yours)
- Include product reviews from people who have actually used the product
- Include unique information beyond what you can find from the manufacturer’s specs online
- Talk about comparable products (yes, even if it’s yours)
Overall, this update was pretty significant, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t bounce back from with the right content writing strategy.
July 2022: Product Review Update
Google’s July 2022 product review update may not have seemed like a big deal at first glance, but it was actually pretty significant for eCommerce sites. It also greatly impacted affiliate sites earning money as Amazon Affiliates.
The update focused on rewarding high-quality product reviews, which meant that fraudulent or fake reviews would no longer be as beneficial for a website’s rankings.
Google originally projected that it would take two to three weeks for the update to fully roll out, but it turned out to happen in just six days. Overall, the algorithm update didn’t cause as much ranking volatility as previous updates in this series.
How can you prepare for this type of update in the future? If your website has genuine and helpful product reviews, these updates typically work in your favor. Focus on creating content for humans and evaluate your products from their perspective.
August 2022: Helpful Content Update
Google’s August 2022 helpful content update was all about rewarding content that helps and informs people, not just stuff that looks good to Google’s algorithm.
They even gave marketers and site owners a list of 15 questions to ask themselves during their content review process to make sure they’re putting the human experience first. These included questions such as:
- Is there an audience that would find this content useful?
- Does your content demonstrate first-hand knowledge of the subject matter?
- After reading your content, will users leave feeling they’ve learned something?
The update rolled out at the end of August and had its biggest impact in some niche categories. But really, it’s something all website creators should be keeping in mind. Google wants you to focus on actually helping your readers, not just chasing those sweet search rankings.
September 2022: Core Update
At the beginning of September, Google rolled out its second core update of the year. These updates involve significant changes to Google’s search algorithms and systems.
The ultimate goal of these updates is to make sure Google is delivering the most helpful and reliable results for its users. So what does this mean for website owners? It’s important to stay on top of Google’s updates and assess how they might affect your content.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, regularly updating your content and focusing on providing value to users can help improve your ranking in search results.
Just remember that Google’s core updates can take time to fully roll out, so don’t panic if you don’t see immediate changes. Stay focused on creating quality content, and the rest will fall into place.
October 2022: Spam Update
Google rolled out a pretty big update in October 2022 that targeted search spam in all languages. Yes, that means this was a global update that affected sites around the world.
While Google’s systems are always on the lookout for spam, occasionally they get upgraded to catch new types and make them even better at their job. What else is there to know about this SEO update?
Google’s mission is to provide users with the most relevant and helpful search results, and part of that involves keeping spam out of their index. This is part of why they have automated systems running constantly to detect and prevent search spam.
One such system is their AI-powered SpamBrain. When they update that system, it helps them catch new types of spam and ensure that the content showing up in search results is high quality.
If you noticed a change after one of these updates, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re following Google’s spam policies.
Understanding EAT Guidelines
Regardless of what other algorithm updates Google releases in the coming months, it’s important to understand how to EAT. No, we dont mean physically eating. We’re talking about EAT:
- Expertise
- Authority
- Trustworthiness
EAT guidelines are a set of principles created by Google to provide website owners with advice on creating high-quality content. The idea is to emphasize the importance of having credible authors, accurate information, and a positive reputation.
These principles help ensure that search engines can provide users with the most reliable and trustworthy results. So why should you care about EAT?
Following EAT guidelines can improve your website’s search rankings and boost your credibility in the eyes of both users and search engines. Keeping EAT in mind as you create content will not only bring more traffic to your site, but it’ll also make it more valuable for those who do visit.
So start showing off your expertise, building up your authority, and establishing trustworthiness. You’ll still need to engage in other SEO tactics, but it’s a great way to ensure you dont tank your rankings.
How to Prepare for Google SEO Updates
If the idea of having to keep up with thousands of SEO updates has put you off of the idea of investing in SEO then just take a deep breath! You dont have to keep up with every single update.
We know that staying up-to-date on Google’s algorithm updates can feel overwhelming, but there are a few things you can do to prepare and ensure your website stays in good standing.
First, make sure your website has a clear hierarchy and easy navigation so search engines can crawl and index the pages accurately. Additionally, prioritize content that is original and valuable to users. This will not only improve your rankings but also help you attract organic traffic.
It’s also important to monitor your site’s technical health by regularly checking for broken links or slow-loading pages. These can negatively impact rankings and user experience.
And lastly, stay informed by subscribing to search industry blogs or attending conferences to learn about any major updates that might affect your SEO strategy. By taking these steps, you’ll be prepared for any changes Google throws at you.
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