Search engine optimization (SEO) is an ever-evolving field, and it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the latest updates from Google to ensure your website’s ranking is not affected. Google frequently updates its algorithms to provide the best possible search results for users. Here are some of the latest Google updates regarding SEO that you need to know.
- Passage Ranking
Google’s Passage Ranking is one of the most significant updates in recent years. This update focuses on the ranking of individual passages within a web page rather than the entire page’s content. With Passage Ranking, Google can identify the most relevant passage on a page and rank it accordingly. This update benefits long-form content creators, where there are many relevant sections to a page.
- Page Experience
Google has always emphasized the importance of user experience, and this update is a step towards making it a ranking factor. This update takes into account several factors such as page loading speed, mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, and more. Websites that provide a better user experience will rank higher on Google.
- Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a subset of the Page Experience update and focus on three critical metrics: loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These metrics measure how fast a page loads, how quickly a user can interact with the page, and how stable the page remains while loading. Google’s goal is to provide users with a seamless experience, and Core Web Vitals are essential to achieving that goal.
- Passage Indexing
Passage Indexing is another update related to Passage Ranking. This update enables Google to identify individual passages on a page that are relevant to a user’s search query and display them in the search results. This update benefits content creators who provide detailed, long-form content on their web pages.
- BERT
BERT stands for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. It is a deep learning algorithm that Google uses to understand the context of words in a search query. This update helps Google better understand the intent behind a user’s search query, resulting in more relevant search results. BERT is a critical update for websites that rely on long-tail keywords and natural language queries.
- Mobile-first Indexing
Mobile-first Indexing is an update that emphasizes the importance of mobile-friendly websites. With Mobile-first Indexing, Google indexes and ranks websites based on their mobile version rather than the desktop version. This update is a response to the growing number of users accessing the internet on their mobile devices. Websites that are not mobile-friendly may experience a drop in ranking.
- Local SEO
Local SEO is an update that focuses on providing users with more relevant local search results. Google now displays a “Local Pack” of businesses for local search queries, and this pack includes three businesses that match the user’s search query. Local SEO factors include a business’s location, reviews, and directory listings. This update is particularly useful for small businesses that rely on local customers.
- E-A-T
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. It is an update that emphasizes the importance of creating high-quality, trustworthy content. Google wants to provide its users with the most accurate and reliable information possible, and E-A-T is a critical factor in achieving this goal. Websites that produce high-quality content and establish themselves as experts in their field will rank higher on Google.
In conclusion, staying up-to-date with the latest Google updates is essential for maintaining a high ranking on Google’s search results. Each update focuses on a different aspect of SEO, and it’s essential to understand how they affect your website’s ranking.