In this article, we will cover some of the biggest and most significant Google updates that have been released in the last year.
Some of the most visible changes in Google SEO include the crackdown on link spam, the shift from creating content specifically for search engines to a more “people-friendly” approach, and the incorporation of AI in Search.
Google SEO Updates
These are the “main” Google SEO updates that influence how websites and pages perform in the SERPs.
Core Algorithm Updates
Google algorithm updates are a common occurrence. In fact, Google makes hundreds, if not thousands, of changes to its algorithms every year.
According to Search Engine Land, Google made about 4,500 changes to Search in 2020. We can expect that this figure will remain the same or even more for 2023.
With that being said, most of these updates are so minimal that you won’t even notice a significant change in your rankings and traffic.
Every now and then, Google releases a major update to its search engine algorithm. These are called “Core Algorithm Updates” and they tend to have a noticeable impact on rankings and the SERPs.
According to Google, “Core updates are designed to increase the overall relevancy of our search results and make them more helpful and useful for everyone.”
Since May 2022, Google has released 3 Core Algorithm Updates:
- May 2022 Core Update
- September 2022 Core Update
- March 2023 Core Update
Although Google doesn’t give specifics on changes, you can more or less figure out which elements the new update penalizes or rewards.
Some people noticed that one of the key takeaways from this update is focused on quality, others noticed significant changes in local search rankings, some agencies have noticed that the update appears to have prioritized primary business categories in Google Business as a ranking factor. They’ve also observed that the business categories have increased a business’s ability to rank for broad match searches.
Helpful Content Update
Google released two help content updates since August 2022.
Luckily, Google has given specifics on what the update entails and how webmasters can ensure that their websites benefit from these updates.
So, what are the helpful content updates all about?
These updates reward reliable, people-friendly content, instead of content that is written entirely just for gaining higher search engine rankings.
Google actually provides a series of questions that webmasters and marketers can ask themselves to ensure that their content is people-first.
These questions include:
- Does your content provide original research, information, or analysis?
- Are you able to display first-hand experience and knowledge?
- Is the content a comprehensive and substantial description of the topic?
- Does the content provide more value than other similar pages?
- Is the content free from spelling and grammatical errors?
- Do the title and headline provide an accurate summary of the content that’s free of clickbait?
Another element of the helpful content update is the page experience. This checks the following:
- Do the site’s pages have good Core Web Vitals scores?
- Is the page secure for users to access and interact with?
- Does the site load and display properly on all devices?
Google also mentions that your website needs to have a primary focus or purpose.
This statement makes it clear that content creators and marketers need to stick to the main topic or niche of their websites.
So if your website talks about email marketing, don’t add content about social media marketing or SEO
E-A-T to E-E-A-T
Tying into the help content update is Google’s addition of an extra “E” to their E-A-T acronym.
The new acronym, E-E-A-T, stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust, and is a way for search quality raters to evaluate the quality of the search results.
The addition of the extra “E” or “Experience” looks to determine whether the content was produced by an individual with some degree of experience.
Google gives a great example of this in real life, “if you’re looking for information on how to correctly fill out your tax returns, that’s probably a situation where you want to see content produced by an expert in the field of accounting.”
To determine whether your content satisfies the new E-E-A-T guidelines, you should keep the following in mind:
- Does the person who created the content have relevant industry experience?
- Can the reader easily find who wrote the content?
- Is there an author byline on the page with more information about the author, their background, and the topics they write about?
We should state that E-E-A-T is not a direct Google ranking factor. However, it’s still important to keep these guidelines in mind since Google aims to serve results with good E-E-A-T metrics.
Link Spam Update
Google rolled out the December 2022 Link Spam update at the end of last year. This update aims to “neutralize” the effect of spammy, unnatural links. Google can now detect which sites are engaging in spammy link-building tactics, including the purchasing and selling of backlinks for ranking purposes.
Websites that have these unnatural links pointing to them will likely see a decrease in rankings because of this update. Since this update aims to crack down on link spam, websites that participate in excessive link exchanges are also at risk of getting penalized.
Product Review Algorithm Update
This next set of updates is of vital importance to anyone running, owning, or marketing a product reviews website.
Google has released three “Product Review Algorithm” updates since July 2022.
These updates are aimed at rewarding high-quality, in-depth product review articles that give more information than what you’d find on the manufacturer or reseller’s websites.
So the takeaway is that you shouldn’t just post generic information about the products you’re reviewing.
Google also wants to be able to see that you’ve got first-hand, personal experience testing the products you’re reviewing by including information such as comparative analysis, quantitative findings, benefits, and drawbacks of the product.
Other things you can do to demonstrate first-hand experience is adding your own photos and videos of the products, instead of stock imagery or manufacturer photos.
In fact, this is one of Google’s guidelines for writing reviews, “Provide evidence such as visuals, audio, or other links of your own experience with what you are reviewing, to support your expertise and reinforce the authenticity of your review.”
Furthermore, you should incorporate first-person pronouns such as “We” or “I” when writing product reviews. This is to signal that a review represents an actual product experience from the writer.
You should consider adding links to multiple sellers or retailers to give readers the flexibility to buy from a store of their choice.
Conclusion on Google SEO updates
There are constant changes happening and sometimes it’s hard to follow. In ForexAds we also offer SEO services, to bring your website on a higher level.
