Broad core Google algorithm update

Google confirmed via the Google SearchLiaison Twitter account that a broad algorithm update went out in the month of April:

On Monday, we released a broad core algorithm update, as we routinely do throughout the year. For background and advice about these, see our tweet from last month: https://t.co/uPlEdSu6xp

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) April 20, 2018

This follows on from another broad update that went in last month. Google followed up this tweet by saying that there is no way to fix pages that may have lost performance from this update, but to instead keep on building good content.

The fluctuations from the update in search results lasted more than 10 days, appearing to begin on 17 April. Because this was a core update, it was not given an identifiable name and does not appear to target anything in particular.

Google replaces pagination with a “More results” button on mobile

Google have launched a change to their pagination on iOS and Android devices. Next and previous buttons have been replaced with a single “More results” button.

Instead of taking the user to a new page, the new feature loads the next set of results directly below the current set. When ads are loaded, these get inserted where the top of the next page would previously have been.

There have been mixed reactions to this change. Some SEOs said that this new functionality gives a poor user experience, while others said that it could make it more likely that users will make it to the second set of results than previously.

Google My Business adds lists of services

Google My Business has added a new feature within the management interface that allows some listing owners to create a list of their services for each map listing.

This was announced in mid-April on the Google My Business Help forums. It is available in addition to the food menu editor that is available for restaurants.

The service menu can be created and edited from the Google My Business dashboard. The menu must be created in sections and items can contain a name, price and description.

Google rolling out mobile-first indexing to more sites

Google has confirmed in a blog post that they have begun migrating sites that follow mobile best practices over to mobile-first indexing.

Some sites are now beginning to receive notifications in their Google Search Console properties that the site has been migrated:

Google said that sites with content that doesn’t follow mobile best practice need not worry about this change, but also recommended that they begin to make their content mobile-friendly.

Google core update in early March

Our rank tracking tools detected very high volatility in the search engine results from 2 March to 10 March. Here’s what that looked like in SEMrush:

There was a lot of chatter on the SEO forums during this time from webmasters that saw drastic changes in their traffic. Google confirmed that this was a core algorithm update on 12 March:

Each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes. Last week, we released a broad core algorithm update. We do these routinely several times per year….

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) March 12, 2018

Google have not provided a name with which to reference this update.

Captions added to Google Images, taken from page titles

Google has added captions to their image results on mobile. The captions reflect the title of the page from which the image is sourced.

The caption also contains the site’s domain. The caption previously contained only the domain. Adding the title gives the image more context; it also means that page titles have become even more important than before.

Bing adds support for JSON-LD schema

Bing confirmed to John Henshaw on Twitter that they now support parsing of JSON-LD schema metadata. Search Engine Land also received confirmation of the support.

This is the most proof I'm offering. My high-level Bing contact said it's not in their webmaster tools yet, but it is supported. So you may have to wait awhile until you can get it in writing (public help doc and/or it appearing in their tools), but I'm moving forward with it. pic.twitter.com/YDiucVOsYc

— Jon Henshaw (@henshaw) March 3, 2018

Google has supported JSON-LD for the past 2 years and has recommended it for most of this time. Previously, Bing has only supported Microdata and RDFa.

Bing said that they are in the process of updating their schema verification in Bing Webmaster Tools to reflect this change.

Google Chrome to display “Not Secure” warning for non-HTTPS sites starting July 2018

Over the past few years, movements have been started to make the web more secure. Most recently, Google announced that they would begin to mark sites that are using insecure HTTP connections as “Not Secure” via a label in the address bar in the Chrome browser.

Pages with password fields served over HTTPS are already marked as “Not Secure”, but starting July 2018, all HTTP will be labeled. Install your security certificates now!

Possible major Google algorithm update

SEMrush Sensor and other SERP tracking tools were showing high volatility in the search results around 20 February, leading many to believe that this was another major Google algorithm update. However, discussion in search forums leaves a general uncertainty over what this update might be targeting.

Google responded to comment with the usual statement that they make multiple minor updates every week.

“View image” and “Search by image” removed from Google Images

In the past month, Google has removed the “View image” and “search by image” button from image search results. This is in response to a new partnership between stock image provider Getty Images and Google, after Getty Images complained that they may be losing revenue since searchers are able to access images directly from search results, without ever visiting the site.

It’s now intended that searchers should view the image in the context of the site from which it originates, however, the response to these changes from Google Images users was generally negative.

Today we're launching some changes on Google Images to help connect users and useful websites. This will include removing the View Image button. The Visit button remains, so users can see images in the context of the webpages they're on. pic.twitter.com/n76KUj4ioD

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018

Google now displays multiple featured snippets for broad search queries

Featured snippets on Google usually appear as a single box of text, a list or a table at the top of some search results pages, before the organic results; this is known as position 0. A featured snippet may appear when a page directly answers the searcher’s question.

Google has updated the display of featured snippets, so now 2 or more may be shown when the question is broad or could be answered in multiple ways. Google clarified in an article on their blog that this is to provide more “comprehensive” results. For site owners, this means even more opportunities to appear in a featured snippet.

New Google Search Console rolls out for more sites

Google have now opened up access for the new beta version of Google Search Console to all users.

The new interface comes with a number of improvements to user experience, as well as some new reports such as the Index Coverage report.

Until now, access to the new Search Console has been limited to a select number of beta testers. However, it was reported by SearchEngineLand on 22 January that it had become accessible to everyone.

There are still a number of bugs and some of the reports are missing while they are reconstructed. The old version will remain accessible alongside the new one for the forseeable future.

Page speed to become a mobile search ranking factor

Google announced on 17 January that they will be making updates to mobile search, meaning that mobile page speed will become a ranking factor. It is now more important than ever to audit your site and work on ensuring fast delivery of content.

The “Speed Update”, as Google called it, will come into effect in July 2018 and affect the ranking position the slowest pages in search results. This update demonstrates Google’s ongoing push for developers to deliver a better user experience.

Google also provided some tools that can be used to measure page performance, which included their own Lighthouse report and the recently updated PageSpeed Insights.

Google updates causing fluctuation throughout January

December saw a number of algorithm updates to Google search results, some of which were even confirmed by Google themselves. Updates have continued into January as webmasters reported changes in site traffic on forums; some positive, some negative.

Reports came in especially around 15 January, with search monitoring tools all showing high volatility around this date. Nothing regarding this has been confirmed by Google, but we are monitoring closely to see if anything changes.

103% increase in smart speaker sales

Adobe Digital Insights reported after their study on voice search that smart speaker sales increased 103% in Q4 2017 vs 2016. Smart speakers were very popular gifts for the recent festive season.

Voice assistant technology is improving daily and more companies are releasing new products to compete in this market. Research data reported on by SearchEngineLand shows that Google Home has now sold 44 million units in total, accounting for 40% of smart speaker sales over the holiday period.

There’s no better time than now to aim for position 0 in search results, with the majority of voice search answers coming from sites in this position.

Product card extensions

Google are trialling a new panel for product name searches, which includes a wealth of product information like critic and user reviews, shopping ads, videos, and stockist locations.

This answers several common user queries immediately without a second search.

However, it may also mean that promoting product pages organically for these searches is more difficult, as they are pushed down the page by this panel.

Mid-November Google update

Search position tracking tools were displaying high levels of fluctuation throughout November, especially on the 15th.

Some webmasters reported lots of movement with their sites; others none at all. Analysis showed that affected sites had lots of ads and thin content.

Google have not commented on this volatility.

Knowledge panel in local pack

For brands with physical locations and a knowledge graph entry, Google may now combine them when searching for the brand name.

The new display includes a list of map locations, as before, now headed with the brand name, logo and a follow button for Google Posts.

The About tab lists all the knowledge graph information, including the website link and  description from Wikipedia.

Google increases snippet length

Google have updated their SERP displays, increasing the average length of descriptive snippets shown under the links.

A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land that this change was “to help people better understand how pages are relevant to their searches”.

It would not be necessary to update meta descriptions, however, as these longer snippets are often generated from the content in the body of the page.

Mobile-first index out for some sites

Webmaster Analyst Gary Illyes recently told a conference audience that Google’s mobile-first indexing has begun rolling out for “a few sites”.

Google is classifying sites based on how similar the mobile version is to the desktop version. Sites that have 100% similar versions are more likely to switch first.

Google can test the changes by rolling out to just a few sites first before the full switch next year.

Google testing blue “Instant” label

Google is testing a new label for AMP results, showing “Instant” in a blue colour instead of “AMP” in grey.

This could be a welcome change, as the average searcher may not understand the meaning of AMP or why the result is tagged as such.

We have also seen tests of the tag using only the AMP icon without accompanying text.

Book online from local listings

Google has started displaying a “Book online” button for eligible businesses in the US that have set the feature up in Google My Business.

The button integrates with 15 external booking providers and can help searchers book with a company in under 1 minute.

We hope to see this feature rolled out to other businesses in more countries soon.

Google ceases using country domains

Using Google’s country-specific domains no longer returns results for that location.

Instead, the users actual location is used, regardless of the domain used to conduct the search. Google say that this is to provide “the most useful information”.

This change affects search on both mobile and desktop. You can still change the country for the results from the preferences page.

Possible algorithm update on 16 September

There is a possibility, though unconfirmed, that Google pushed a major algorithm update on 16 September.

Search Engine Roundtable published observations of forum chatter around traffic changes, some down over 20%.

There were also clear signs of volatility on the SERP trackers. Google have not made a statement as to what caused this.

Apple devices use Google again

Apple will switch back to using Google for web search within Siri on iOS and Spotlight on Mac.

Search features on Apple devices were changed to use Bing back in 2014. Google and Apple have recently made an estimated $3 billion deal, but this may be separate from that.

While there is an option to change the default search engine used by the Safari address bar, users cannot change Siri’s search engine.

Google local pack “website mentions”

Google is beginning to display a label on local business listings where the business’ website mentions a specific phrase from the user’s search query.

The label is displayed underneath the business information and reads: “Their website mentions [phrase]”.

It was not previously thought that content played a part in local ranking, though this proves that Google can understand if site content is relevant to a business listing’s information.

Edit Google My Business listings on SERPs

Google have added a new feature which allows users who are logged into Google My Business to edit their listings directly from the search results.

Business owners can now manage the main display options when their local listing is displayed in search. This can be triggered by searching for the business name.

Chrome to show “not secure” warnings

Google has sent notifications to Search Console property owners with sites using insecure HTTP regarding plans to display a “Not Secure” warning in the address bar on pages with input fields.

This is the beginning of a long term push to increase web security by persuading sites to use the secure HTTPS protocol.

Google My Business action URL update

Google has expanded support for “action URLs” within local listings set up using Google My Business.

More business types can now set up additional URLs for online orders, reservations and appointments, which are then displayed within the listing in Maps and search.

This will make it easier for potential customers to carry out common actions with a business.

“Product” label in Google Images

Following last month’s expansion of the display of structured data in Google Image results, thumbnails which contain product information now carry a label on mobile.

At first glance, these appear like ads; however, they are instead triggered by valid Product schema markup on the target page.

Google may End support for site name

There is evidence to suggest that Google may soon cease displaying custom site names within search results.

The site name could be set up for a site by using the WebSite schema markup. The documentation for the search feature has, however, been removed from Google’s developer docs site, suggesting a change in support.

There is not yet an official comment on whether this feature has or will be removed.

Google switching off instant search

Google are removing the Instant Search feature after 7 years.

Launching in 2010, Google Instant Search served search results to users as they typed their query in the search field.

Google have said that they will be removing this in order to make desktop search more similar to mobile search which does not have this feature.

Google images showing more structured data

Recently Google Image Search has begun showing additional information when viewing individual image results.

This expanded recently to products, showing price and availability when certain items were searched for.

This has now expanded further to videos (showing a watch button) and recipes (showing ingredients, time and yield).

New Google SOS Alerts feature

There is a new Google feature which displays important information about an event which poses a threat to life.

The SOS alerts appear for relevant search queries and display top stories, maps of the affected location, emergency phone numbers and websites.

The data comes from well know response agencies and will provide important information to those in dangerous areas.

Messaging within Google My Business

Google is beginning to roll out a new feature for Google My Business users in the US which allows searchers to message the business directly from search results.

After setting up the service, messages can be received and responded to by the GMB manager via their phone.

Google’s Allo messaging app can be used to simplify this process.

Week-long Google Update

A number of our reporting tools were showing dramatic changes for sites for a week in the middle of May.

Google spokespeople mention that they make regular updates which cause rankings to fluctuate. However, in cases like this, there is often a specific target for which they are attempting to improve the algorithm.

You can find out more on this extended algorithm update on Search Engine Roundtable.

Updated Hotel Review Features

Google have upgraded the features available in the reviews for hotels in the local listings.

Users can now see specific rating averages from different types of guests. It is also possible to filter the reviews to show only those from third-party sites like Expedia.com and Hotels.com.

Hotels have had some special functionality for a while in the ability to book and see pricing directly from the listings on Google.

Bing Introduces Business Chatbots

Microsoft is beginning to roll out automatic chatbots to local businesses. These are available to restaurants only initially and when activated they can be accessed through search Bing search results.

The chatbots use information available through Bing Places to answer the questions, otherwise referring to the business’ phone number. They will work with both Facebook Messenger and Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant.

Highlights in Local Google Listings

Some locations on Google are beginning to show highlights in their listings on mobile. These are specific perks for visiting consumers.

Examples of highlights shown include “quiet”, “good for kids”, “casual”, “good for groups”, “bar games”, “great cocktails” and “on critics’ lists”.

The data to display these highlights likely comes from responses to questions answered through the Local Guides programme.

Google is Now an Art Expert

Google has updated their Maps and Search functionality to provide more information about works of art and where they are housed.

Search results now display specific details about the artwork and the artist(s) and when the art was created.

In Maps, you can now take a virtual tour of art museums. Google have used visual recognition software to scan the walls, so each artwork is labeled with useful annotations.

Google Fact Check Now in Search Results

Google’s fact check schema markup, introduced during the 2016 US elections, is now out in core search and News results.

Google said: “When you conduct a search on Google that returns an authoritative result containing fact checks for one or more public claims, you will see that information clearly on the search results page.”

Any publisher can include the relevant markup on the page but Google will only display it for what it deems to be “authoritative” sources.

Google Test “Suggested Clip” for Video

A new Google feature was seen this month involving the video featured snippets.

For how-to queries, Google may suggest a portion of a video, recognising which section of the video contains the answer to the question. Clicking on the link takes you to the appropriate timestamp.

This feature cannot be replicated consistently, suggesting it is just a test.

Style Ideas and Similar Items in Image Search

Google image search results on mobile and in the Android app now display “similar items” for relevant searches.

Similar items will be displayed for a few types of products that contain Product schema markup on site. This currently only applies handbags, sunglasses and shoes, but the list will be expanding soon.

There is also an upcoming Style Ideas panel which will show similar products for certain clothing searches.

Google Owl Promotes Authoritative Content

A new Google update named Project Owl is designed to promote content with more authority.

This will be specifically beneficial around queries that could show offensive or misleading pages.

This also goes hand in hand with new feedback forms implemented for autocomplete and featured snippets.

“Best” Filter in Maps Pack

Google is beginning to filter the map results for local queries containing the words “best”, “outstanding”, “great”, etc.

When one of these searches is conducted, the 3 map locations are filtered to show only those with a 4-star rating.

This now makes reviews an even more important part of physical business’ local strategy.

15% of Google searches are unique

According to an announcement from Google, 15% of searches conducted by users daily are new and have never been searched before.

Google says that collectively it handles over 2 trillion searches per year in statistics released by them.

This reaffirmation comes after their announcement to provide more legitimate sources with Project Owl.

Google maps reminds you where you parked

Google Maps on Android and iOS can now remind you where you park your car when you set it manually upon arrival at a destination.

On adding the reminder, it is also possible to include a note and a reminder when your meter is close to running out.

Maps on iOS is already capable of automatically setting a parking location when disconnecting from USB audio or bluetooth in a new location.

Google’s “Fred” update disrupts SEO

An unconfirmed Google update on March 8 saw a number of sites fluctuate dramatically in rankings.

The name was coined after Google’s Gary Illyes jokingly suggested that this and all future updates should be called Fred.

Further analysis by data-collection company Sistrix identified that this update may be penalising sites with ad-heavy, low-quality content.

Google gives recommendations on SEO hiring

Google has created a new video on hiring a search engine optimisation service.

The video features Google employee Maile Ohye offering realistic advice on what to look for in an SEO service and how to sort the reliable companies from those that offer the impossible.

New podcast structured data type

Google has recently added the ability to display rich results for podcasts and their episodes in search results.

By including the appropriate markup on the podcast’s website, episode information and an embedded player can be shown directly in the SERPs.

This currently only applies to searches conducted on the Google Search app v6.5 and higher and Google Home, though support will be extending in the near future.

Google Posts program opens in US and Brazil

Google Posts is a new way for companies to pass information directly to Google. These posts then show up for relevant search queries.

The program was originally only available to a small handful of users, including the Clinton and Trump presidential campaigns. It is now being opened up to more organisations, including museums, cinemas, musicians and sports groups.

Hacked sites increased 32% in 2016

In Google’s recently published State of Website Security 2016 report, they outlined that the number of hacked sites increased 32% in 2016 compared to 2015.

This is an incentive for more webmasters to verify their sites in Google Search Console, as the platform is able to provide email notifications if the site has been compromised.

Google also documented 3 common types of hacks and how to recover from these.

Google updates AdWords, stalls Search Analytics

Last month, Google made major changes to the way ads are displayed page, with the removal of right hand side results from the right side of SERPs. Instead, a block of four Ads will be displayed at the top of the search results, followed by a further block at the bottom of the pages. It’s currently stated that the four AdWords block will only appear for “highly commercial queries” (e.g. “new car”, “home insurance”).

This means that in many instances organic listings will be pushed below the fold, with many speculating that this could lead to a lowered click through rate for natural search results.

Although there has been speculation as to how the Google ad changes will affect paid search, as of yet there has been fairly little comment on the changes from an SEO perspective. Alongside this, as Google’s Search Analytics report is currently stalled on February 23rd – coincidentally, around the time of the update – an independent analysis of the effect the changes could have on organic click through rate cannot yet take place.

Changes made to Knowledge Box

As of February 2016, the Knowledge Graph boxes that appear in Google’s SERPs can be manually updated by an of the account associated with the graph.

Previously, the information in knowledge box results was largely taken from structured data and schema mark-up on relevant websites. For example, if a business wanted its phone number, location, or social profiles to be displayed within its knowledge graph, this information would need to be included within the site’s schema mark-up.

With the recent update, “official representatives” of the company, person, or website associated with the knowledge graph can now “suggest a change” to the graph. However, this does not make schema redundant, and having valid and rich structured data is still important.

Although it’s not guaranteed that suggested changes will actually take place, the update gives a further degree of power to webmasters or account owners in ensuring that their site is visible in the SERPs.

Accelerated Mobile Pages now live

After being trialed in a mobile demo site, Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages are now showing as live in mobile results for all users.

Initially announced by Google in October 2015, the Accelerated Mobile Pages project is designed to help boost page speed, cut load times, and result in a faster mobile search experience.

The open source initiative is currently backed by around 6000 developers, with thousands of sites currently signed up to show AMPs.

At the time of writing, Google has declined to comment on whether accelerated mobile pages are likely to receive a ranking boost. However, when asked about AMP and natural search, Google’s David Besbris reiterated that page speed and load time are both relevant ranking factors. This hints that at some point in the future, Accelerated Mobile Pages could be treated preferentially in comparison to regular pages.

Study shows outbound links could affect rankings

In January, Google’s John Mueller stated that outbound links are not used as a ranking signal.

However, the results of a recent study suggest that this might not be the case. To test Google’s claims, US based SEO agency Reboot Online conducted an experiment to find whether outbound links really do have no effect on rankings.

Reboot created 10 new web pages, each containing similar but not identical copy. Each page contained a control nonsense keyword – Phylandocic – that before the experiment resulted in 0 search results. 5 of the 10 webpages linked out to high authority sites like the University of Oxford, and 5 contained no outbound links.

Once the webpages had been crawled, a search for Phylandocic resulted in the 10 webpages being displayed in the SERPs. It was found that the top 5 webpages were those that linked out externally, whereas the bottom 5 were those that had no links whatsoever.

Whilst the conditions of the experiment were by no means natural, the results seems to indicate that linking externally could in fact have some benefit to a site, going against Google’s recent comments.

Google core search algorithm updated

In mid January Google confirmed that an update to it’s core ranking algorithm had taken place.

The news came after a number of webmasters reported significant ranking fluctuations, leading many to believe that the impending Penguin update was to blame.

On top of this, Google stated that it’s Panda algorithm, which is responsible for detecting poor quality or “spammy” content, is now incorporated within the it’s core search algorithm. However, it’s been made clear that Panda wasn’t refreshed within the recent core update.

Whilst details of the exact nature of the update are still thin on the ground, many of the ranking drops reported by webmasters occurred on sites that had thin or poor quality content; publisher websites were particularly hard hit.

With this in mind, and with the Penguin update set to drop soon, webmasters should be checking rankings regularly.

Title tags not a “primary ranking factor”

In a Google Q&A session last month, John Mueller stated that having title tags is not a “primary ranking factor” for a page.

Mueller’s initial statement was that title tags are not a “critical ranking factor”, which led many to assume that tags are not a ranking factor at all.

However, in a clarification Mueller said that “titles are important! They are important for SEO. They are used as a ranking factor”, but that specifically targeting a large number of keywords in a title tag is likely to have negligible benefit for the page. “It’s not worthwhile filling [title tags ] with keywords” as this won’t help a page rank, and can be bad for user experience.

Instead, Mueller stated that the main ranking signal on a page is the content, saying that “the actual content on the page” is a critical ranking signal, and that if a page has good content it could in theory rank without a title tag. Whilst this doesn’t mean that title tags have no importance, it’s perhaps a sign for webmasters to rethink how they’re using them.

Google updates webmaster guidelines

Last month Google carried out quiet changes to it’s webmaster guidelines, the best practice document that acts as a “do’s and don’t’s” list for webmasters.

consisted of clarifications or minor edits to existing points, the new changes contain entirely new guidelines, with the removal of certain guidelines.

One of the most significant new additions is the recommendation that sites use HTTPS, with Google saying “If possible, secure your site’s connections with HTTPS”. Whilst this has been something Google has informally pushed for a while, the update makes having HTTPS a best practice requirement.

The updates now also include optimisation for mobile as an official guidelines, stating “Design your site for all device types and sizes, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.”

Other additions relate to accessibility, and the use of content containing tabs, with Google saying that any important content that might be hidden by a tab should be made “visible by default”.

Outbound links not a ranking factor

In a recent Google hangout, Google’s John Mueller cleared up the question whether linking out externally to high quality websites provides any benefit.

When asked if Google considers external links to other sites as a ranking factor, Mueller stated “external links to other sites, so links from your site to other people’s sites isn’t specifically a ranking factor”.

Whilst not commonly accepted as a ranking factor, external linking has been viewed by some SEO’s as something that could bring a small benefit to the linking site, in part due to the fact that inbound links do have a ranking benefit.

However, Mueller says that the only potential benefit of external links has is that they can “bring value to your content”.

Whilst this has been stated by Google before, this is perhaps the clearest answer we’ve had on the matter so far.

Panda 4.2 update still in progress”

In July 2015, Google announced a “slow-rollout” of Panda, saying that the latest update would be continuous and occurring over a larger space of time than previously. For this reason, it was suggested that websites might not notice ranking increases or decreases immediately.

After a month of Panda 4.2, reports from webmasters have been mixed, with many sites as of yet seeing little to no influence.

Other webmasters have noticed short term ranking increases or decreases occurring over 1-2 week periods, only for a site to return to it’s pre-Panda standing. This has led to some to speculate as to whether the 4.2 update has been “reversed”.

However, it’s more likely that these ups and downs are simply due to the slower nature of the 4.2 refresh; in fact, Google warned that this rollout may result in ranking fluctuations. As such, webmasters shouldn’t accept any ranking changes attributed to Panda 4.2 as permanent, and should anticipate subsequent fluctuations as the refresh continues.

Going “mobile only” is fine

Websites only operating with a mobile versions, and without desktop, will not see adverse ranking effects, so says Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller.

This statement follows the mobile friendly update rolled out earlier in the year, after which not having a mobile friendly site could have a negative effect on a sites search rankings.

Muller states that “you definitely do not need a specific desktop website in addition to a mobile website”, so long as you“ make sure that desktop users can still see some [of your sites] content”.

This means that so long as sites optimised for mobiles and tablets are still usable on a desktop device, it isn’t a necessity for a separate desktop site to be created. However, a mobile site must still be properly optimised along Google’s outlines in order to rank well within mobile results.

Google clarifies position on soft 404 response codes

It’s common knowledge that pages returning a 404 error code are not crawled by Google. In fact, Google even recommends to 404 pages that contain “bad links” pointing to them if these links can’t be removed.

However, it’s not widely known how Google treats so called “soft 404s”; pages that should be returning a 404 code, but actually return a 200 “ok” status code.

Recently, Google’s Gary Illyes and John Mueller both gave the similar responses when asked about soft 404s. Illyes said that soft 404 responses are treated like 404s, and thus pages where they occur are not indexed.

However, Mueller expanded on this a little, stating that whilst soft 404s aren’t indexed (and thus any links pointing to them have no influence on a sites ranking), Google first needs to work out that a page is a soft 404; something that Mueller states can be “difficult”. As such, before a soft 404 page is identified, it will be indexed, potentially carrying on equity –positive or negative – from links pointing to it. Once identified, as Mueller states that Google only indexes pages eliciting a 200 response, the soft 404 page will no longer be indexed.

Moz releases 2015 search ranking factors study

SEO software company Moz has released it’s annual search study, based on a survey of “over 150 leading search marketers” giving their “expert opinions on over 90 ranking factors”. Factors were rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being most influential and 1 being least.

The study shows that links remain a strong perceived ranking factor, with link features rated both 1st and 2nd highest by those surveyed. Keyword related factors were also rated as strong, coming in at 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th, whilst engagement was rated as the 5th most important ranking factor.

,p>Although the results are taken from a relatively small pool, they do serve to reinforce the importance that basic SEO factors can have on a sites ranking. Again, just because a factor is rated lower (e.g. social) doesn’t mean it’s influence is negligible; good rankings come from a range of these factors combined, rather than time invested solely in one area.

Google’s business model restructured

On August 10th 2015, Google CEO Larry Page announced the formation of “Alphabet”, a public holding company for Google and it’s subsidiary businesses. Whilst Google will still be the largest business under the Alphabet umbrella, the restructure will result in a “slimmed down” and more streamlined Google. Following the restructure, Page will become CEO of Alphabet, with Google’s current Product Manager Sundar Pichai taking his place.

Alongside the creation of Alphabet, Google has received a brand update. The company has revealed a new logo and logo icons, and is slowly revealing updated search results pages. So far, there has been a large focus on mobile usability, mainly on Google’s own Android devices.

It’s unlikely that the restructure or re-branding process will have any direct SEO implications. However, the introduction of new usability features suggests that further prerequisites for mobile usability or schema mark-up could be implemented in future.

Image sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_Inc.#/media/File:Alphabet_Chart-vector.svg

https://moz.com/search-ranking-factors

Google confirms Panda 4.2 now rolling out slowly

After months of speculation, Google have stated that as of 22nd July 2015, the Panda 4.2 update is now rolling out. Panda last updated around 10 months ago in September 2014, making this the longest gap between updates so far.

The rollout means that sites penalized by the last update – which affects sites with “poor quality” content– should in theory be able to recover, providing they’ve made steps to stand in line with Google’s recommendations.
However, unlike previous updates, webmasters are unlikely to notice these changes immediately. That’s because Panda 4.2 is rolling out at a much slower rate than usual, meaning that any changes to rankings are likely to take place over a much longer period of time.

Speaking about the update, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller stated that Panda 4.2 is updating at a slower rate than normal due to “technical reasons” and an “internal issue”. With this in mind, it could take months for webmasters to see any positive or negative influence.

Webmasters warned for blocking JavaScript & CSS

Towards the end of July mass notifications were issued to webmasters through Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools), highlighting sites that appeared to be blocking CSS and JavaScript.

This follows Google’s October 2014 webmaster guidelines update, which warned that blocking CSS and JavaScript could result in “suboptimal rankings”. This is something the notification specifically states, before offering information on how to fix the issue.

Whist recommendations not to block JS and CSS may have been in place for a while, this is the first time that webmasters have been nudged en masse towards rectifying this.

However, webmasters in receipt of this notification shouldn’t worry, as it appears to be a widespread and often general warning. If you did receive this notification, the best course of action is to simply follow the steps within.

Google says all generic Top Level Domains treated the same

Back in 2014, the rules around generic Top Level Domains ( e.g. .com, .org) changed, essentially allowing for a whole new and unrestricted range to be created.

These changes brought on much speculation about how new gTDLs would be treated by Google, with many assuming that certain domains would receive preferential treatment. This was especially the case for geo specific gTLD’s (e.g. .london), which it was commonly assumed would rank higher in their respective locations.

However, in a recent Webmaster Central Blog Google’s John Mueller cleared up some misconceptions. As it turns out, the new gTLD’s are handled in the same way as the old gTLD’s, with Mueller stating that “our systems treat new gTLDs like other gTLDs…. keywords in a TLD do not give any advantage or disadvantage in search”. This is the same for geo-specific TLD’s (although “there may be exceptions down the line”). However, Google does make an effort country code top-level domains (like .uk) to geo-target websites, but this is something that was already known.

Google summed up the rules around gTLD’s as “if you spot a domain name on a new TLD that you really like, you’re keen on using it for longer, and understand there’s no magical SEO bonus, then go for it ”.

Google clarifies position on asking for links

During July, a small post on the Portuguese Google webmaster blog attracted the attention of many in the SEO community, after it said that asking for links could result in a penalty for Google.

The translated post , with original emphasis, reads “let some advice to [sic] ensure you that you are not violating Google’s guidelines: do not buy, sell, exchange or ask for links”.

Linkbuilding has long been a standard procedure for SEO’s, and as such the implication that this practice inherently falls outside of Google guidelines was news to many.

However, Google later altered the post to read “do not buy sell, exchange or ask for links that may violate our linking webmaster guidelines”. So, asking for links and linkbuilding is not a violation of guidelines, so long as this is done in a manner Google approves of.

Google says to expect Panda update soon

At the start of the month, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst Gary Illyes warned to expect a Panda update in the coming weeks. In typical Google fashion, Illyes was relatively vague in giving the exact timeframe of the expected update, being only as specific as “two to four weeks”.

Rather than an algorithm update, the most recent rollout is stated to just be a “data refresh”, meaning that sites hit by previous updates could potentially recover. However, this doesn’t mean that the refresh won’t have an impact on previously unaffected sites, and as always there is a risk of sites with poor quality content being hit.

At the time of writing – around 4 weeks since the announcement – signs of any update to the content quality update have yet to be noticed, meaning that the update could come at any time.

Google updates core search algorithm

In mid-June, webmasters reported seeing significant ranking changes, something of course first blamed on the expected Panda update. However, clarification from Google revealed that any ranking changes were most likely to be due to an update to the Core Search Algorithm, as the Panda updates had yet to take place.

Whilst Google regularly makes updates to its core search algorithms, it’s rare for these changes to have such a large effect on rankings. With this in mind, many have searched for other explanations for the ranking changes. One frequently cited influencing factor could be that Wikipedia –a number 1 search result – decided to change all its URL’s from HTTP to HTTPS. This could have affected the top 5 rankings for many searches, thus causing such a fluctuation in rankings across the board.

As always Google have been tight lipped, meaning that any explanations can only really be speculation.

Penalties now issued for improper schema implementation

Penalties issued as a result of May’s “Quality Update” have led to a reading between the lines of Google’s policies on structured data. In the aftermath of the update, some webmasters were given penalties relating to site schema; data used in order to show rich snippets, which can improve organic search visibility.

In March 2015, Google updated its policies on rich snippet markup, stating that this may only be placed on specific items and not whole pages or categories. However, either due to lack of awareness of the updated policy or misunderstanding of how to correctly implement markup, many sites were hit with warnings and penalties.

As such, to avoid penalties, it’s recommended that webmasters become au-fait with Google’s policies before implementing markup. Google also has a Structured Data Testing Tool, allowing developers to check whether markup is correctly implemented before making any real changes.

Google tests “slow to load” mobile results label

This month, some mobile users have reported seeing “slow to load” labels in the mobile search results page. The labels – as seen in the right example – are designed to indicate to users that certain pages may take longer than average to load, or not load at all.

At the moment, the “slow to load” label is in testing, and as such not all users will be able to see them. A similar label was placed into testing back in February, indicating that some form of labelling for mobile devices is likely to be introduced fully at some stage.

However, there has been much speculation as to what exactly Google define as a “slow to load” page, and how this is determined. It isn’t known whether the labelling depends solely on the site or page itself, or whether the speed of an individual’s device or connection is taken into account. As such, some have expressed concerns that the labelling in its current form is arbitrary, giving little indication to webmasters on how to act to prevent a page or site being labelled.

Google limits crawling of sites with response-times over 2 minutes

Whilst it’s well known that having a site with a slow server response and load time can have an effect on your search results rankings, exactly what Google classes as a “slow site” has been up for debate. However, in a recent Webmaster Help thread, John Mueller stated that if Googlebot takes “over 2 seconds to fetch a single URL”, this will affect how your site is crawled. If Google views a site as slow, it will limit the number of URL’s crawled on your site, affecting how well your site ranks.

Google give more details on upcoming mobile-friendly changes

Ahead of its release on the 21st of April, Google have clarified a number of points regarding the mobile-friendlyalgorithm. The roll-out is set to run over the course of a week in a real time, page by page basis. Real time means that a site may benefit from any mobile-friendly changes made as soon as Google picks up on these, and “page by page” means that only pages on a site that are mobile friendly will benefit, rather than the whole site. Again, Google stated the algorithm will run on a binary “yes/no” basis, meaning there are no in-betweens; Google classifies a page either as mobile friendly, or not. Google have also released details as to the scale of the algorithm, which is set to have a wider effect than both Penguin and Panda. Although set to only impact search rankings on mobile devices, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that ignoring Google’s mobile recommendations could result in dire consequences in the coming weeks.

Google set to penalise doorway pages

Sites that attempt to maximise their search results appearance with “doorway pages” are set to be hit by a new ranking adjustment, Google have announced. Doorway pages are pages specifically created to rank highly for certain search results, often containing little in depth or useful information and simply acting as a “doorway” to a site. As such, Google views doorway pages as leading to a bad user experience, and with these ranking adjustment updates, no longer wants to rank them. If your site currently has pages that could be classified as doorway pages, it’s likely you may see a ranking drop in the near future.

More than 80% of HTTPS URLs are not displayed in Google SERP’s

A recent webmaster trends analysis discovered that over 80% of HTTPS URLS are not currently being displayed in Google’s search results, instead appearing as HTTP. This is something Google puts down to webmaster configuration, with many webmasters not using HTTPS versions in sitemaps, rel-canonical, and rel-alternate-hreflang elements. This means that although a site is still indexed, it appears as HTTP. Google have previously suggested that they’d prefer sites to use the more secure HTTPS, always displaying this variant if possible and even affording a small ranking boost to sites that use this. Although the benefits might not be immediately visible, it’s worthwhile for webmasters to use and make visible HTTPS on eligible sites.

Google to start favouring mobile friendly sites in search
results page

Google has revealed a significant expansion of the effect “mobile-friendliness” gives sites within the search engine results page. Announced in a Webmaster Central blog, the changes are set to take place from April 21st. Sites that are deemed mobile-friendly will automatically be ranked higher in the device search results page than sites will low mobile usability. The algorithm changes are likely to significantly affect the mobile search results rankings, meaning that sites currently viewed as “unfriendly” should attempt to make changes before the algorithm comes into action in April. Read our in depth analysis of the changes here.

Google labels slow loading pages in SERPs

Users have recently reported spotting red “slow” labels in the mobile search results snippets of slow loading sites. These labels will warn users in advance before clicking on a site that the page may load slowly. Although Google has considered page loading speed when determining ranking factors since 2010, labelling pages for speed is something not previously noticed. However, based on the testing and introduction of the mobile friendly label last year, it’s possible this feature may turn out to be more than just an experiment.

Google tests new look mobile search results interface

Google may have just rolled out a new look mobile search results interface. Owners of iOS and Android devices have reported seeing a coloured line separator in the search results, rather than the typical grey line, as seen in the two examples below. The exact reason for the alternation is not yet known, and for some this might not seem like a huge change. However, it’s likely that this is a feature designed to increase mobile-usability, reflecting the increasing importance Google has placed on this area in the past few months.

Google test live chat functionality in knowledge graph results

Google have recently tested a “live chat” tool within the search results of local businesses. Displayed within the knowledge graph local box, the feature shows whether someone from the business is available to chat. When the feature is clicked a Google Chat/Google Hangouts page opens, allowing users and potential customers to chat with an employee. Some have expressed concern that the feature may have the capacity to affect CTR, and thus have a negative impact on SEO. For example, a potential customer may not need to click through onto the site of the business, as their query has been answered offsite through the live chat function. However, as this option is currently only in testing mode, these concerns are only speculative.

Google starts sending “mobile-usability” warnings to webmasters

Following on from last year’s increased emphasis on mobile usability, Google has reportedly begun sending out warnings to webmasters of “mobile-unfriendly” websites. The warnings, sent out en-masse via Webmaster Tools and email, warn webmasters to fix mobile usability issues on the affected sites in question. Specific problems or affected pages are not listed within the warning message, and webcasters must download a detailed report to see these. This is yet another move from google to increase the mobile-usability of sites, and although not explicitly stated, a suggestion that an algorithm change may be in the pipeline.

Google can now crawl and index locale-adaptive webpages

Websites that automatically change their content depending on the location of visitors can now be crawled by Google, according to an announcement made last month. In a post on the Webmaster Central blog, it was stated that sites that have the capacity to change their language depending on visitor location/language settings will now be crawled and indexed, something that google has previously found difficult; in the past, Googlebot would only see the U.S English language version of locale-adaptive webpages. However, Google is still recommending that webmasters wanting to show their site is locale-adaptive continue to use the suggested rel=alternate hreflang annotations, to help Googlebot recognise that sites are locale-adaptive.

Mobile sites blocking Google now visible in search results

Google has announced that sites that are blocking Google’s crawlers will be made visible within the mobile search results page. Users will be able to tell a site is attempting to block Google by the information in the search results snippet, which will specify the reason why the text is unable to be displayed (as seen in the below example). This has been a feature on desktops searches since back in 2012, but will now apply to all uncrawlable mobile sites, even if the desktop version is crawlable. Sites blocking Google mobile from accessing JavaScript, CSS, or image files for mobile usability purposes will be made visible, representing another push for webmasters to make their sites mobile friendly.

Social profiles for brands now visible in Google’s knowledge graph results

Google has started to display social profiles other than in the knowledge graph results of certain brands. Although a link to Google+ has previously been displayed for brands, the knowledge graph now displays icons for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Myspace. This feature has been previously available, but only for “personalities” and celebrities. Brands and companies wishing to have their social profiles visible in the knowledge graph will need to apply a new mark-up to their sites.

Image Sources:
http://searchengineland.com/figz/wp-content/seloads/2015/01/google-blocked-snippet-mobile.png

Google recently announced around 40 algorithm changes that have taken place during February 2012, or are about to be rolled out. Whilst most SEOs attention was drawn to the “link evaluation” point, and the fact that Google may soon make big changes to how they evaluate the characteristics of links to judge the content of a destination URL, it’s the roll out of an algorithm called “Google Venice” which has caught our attention today.

The “Google Venice” algorithm update focuses on local results. Historically, a generic keyword search e.g. for “fitted kitchens”, would most likely return a Google Places map result with some local listings, alongside some generic non-local standard organic results. However, we are now seeing many generic searches that generate a Places map result and generic results, as well as featuring some local results in the main organic listings.

Google uses a number of methods to detect where a user is based – most notably, the user can set their default location in their search preferences, and Google will also look at IP address and to some degree past search history.

This is big news on two fronts. First of all, there’s a clear advantage for businesses with a local physical presence to gain visibility for generic phrases amongst searchers in their area.

Secondly, bigger nationwide companies who have strong visibility for generic phrases despite not having a physical presence in the searcher’s area will most likely lose visibility, at the expense of local businesses.

Any business with physical and online presence must consider this as part of their search strategy if they weren’t before, at a local SME level as well as national multi-store retailers. Our recommendation would be to first identify searches relevant to your product and service which may trigger the Venice algorithm, and to ensure that on-page optimisation elements target those products/service combined with location. For businesses in one location this will most likely be your homepage, whilst multi-store businesses should scale this across individual location pages. The big challenge for multi-store businesses will then be tracking results for multiple phrases across multiple geographic areas, and it remains to be seen how effective standard off-site SEO practises will be in improving Venice results.