Google is preparing an extensive search engine update that it says will improve the quality and reliability of search results.
In a new blog post, the company describes a series of changes that will roll out in the coming months, whose broad aim is to “SEO“First” content designed to perform well in search rankings rather than directly addressing the needs of human readers.
Similarly, Google deprioritizes unoriginal content and reports, including information aggregators that by themselves do not add value to the conversation, and seeks to promote product reviews that demonstrate direct expertise.
Quality over quantity
Google releases thousands of updates to its search engine ranking system each year. In most cases there will be incremental improvements (sometimes resulting in lower quality results), but expect the latest to have a significant impact on the user experience.
answer questions from tech radar proGoogle’s Danny Sullivan, whose job it is to help the general public better understand search, explains that queries related to shopping, entertainment, technology, and “how-to” style searches are most beneficial. Did.
“We typically announce ranking updates that are noticeable or expected to be particularly felt by publishers,” he said.
“This is a meaningful ranking update for search and we will continue this work in the coming months with more updates in this vein. should be expected.”
Broadly speaking, the aim is to minimize how often users are disappointed with search results because the content is primarily designed to generate clicks or fails to provide the information they need. says the update will give you a ton of results, including “something you’ve never seen before.”
On the other side of the equation, the update is also expected to have a significant impact on publishers and content creators, who Sullivan said outlets that already offer “original and helpful content” will likely be impacted by the change. Others say their page may decrease rankings.
“This update aggregates a variety of signals about pages and sites to determine page rankings, but primarily the content is useful and helps people and provides information, rather than ranking well in search engines. It can be explained that it is designed to provide and serve,” he added.
“Certain tactics creators can consider in their content include demonstrating direct experience or depth of knowledge about the topic, and giving the site (and content) a primary purpose or focus.”
This is not to say that Google will follow SEO best practices and penalize publishers to “add value to searchers”. It’s about removing the incentives for clickbait, the quantity over quality approach, and the shortcuts designed to manipulate the system.