Google Announces New Search Updates Which Will Put More Emphasis on Content Depth
Google has revealed some significant changes to its search algorithms that aim to showcase more worthwhile results made for people rather than websites made just with SERP ranking in mind.
The low quality aggregator websites that attempt to match up with popular search phrases in order to draw in more Search traffic are Google’s major objective with these latest improvements.
Google has recently said that it would focus more on the depth and quality of content, which may cause a shift in the overall SEO strategy.
As explained by Google:
“Next week, we’ll launch the “helpful content update” to tackle content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people. This ranking update will help make sure that unoriginal, low quality content doesn’t rank highly in Search, and our testing has found it will especially improve results related to online education, as well as arts and entertainment, shopping and tech-related content.”
According to Google, the change targets low-quality websites that were built solely to manipulate the system by incorporating precise keyword matches and data notes that correspond with important Google search patterns.
In other words, your SERP ranks may rapidly decline if you’re producing thin content focused solely on keyword matching in order to Rank in Search.
“For example, if you search for information about a new movie, you might have previously seen articles that aggregated reviews from other sites without adding perspectives beyond what’s available elsewhere. This isn’t very helpful if you’re expecting to read something new. With this update, you’ll see more results with unique, authentic information, so you’re more likely to read something you haven’t seen before.”
As usual, Google wants to make sure that visitors receive the most relevant, useful results. Aggregator websites or websites made only with search engine rankings in mind typically do not deliver these results. This might diminish the effectiveness of standard SEO techniques like keyword stuffing and utilizing precise search phrases in headers (which is already bad practice).
Sites that actually produce insightful, valuable material on a particular subject shouldn’t be impacted by the move. Ultimately, you should be writing content with your audience in mind and search engine optimization as an afterthought.
Given that we don’t yet fully understand the effects, it is challenging to offer particular advice. Again, it shouldn’t affect most websites because they aren’t made to trick Google’s algorithms, but it could be worthwhile to keep a check on your Analytics data in the coming months.
Google has also revealed a significant revision to its review ranking system that is intended to highlight credible, beneficial reviews in search results.
“Last year, we kicked off a series of updates to show more helpful, in-depth reviews based on first-hand expertise in search results. We’ve continued to refine these systems, and in the coming weeks, we’ll roll out another update to make it even easier to find high-quality, original reviews. We’ll continue this work to make sure you find the most useful information when you’re researching a purchase on the web.”
Google’s review focus is intended to showcase more product reviews that provide in-depth research, “rather than shallow material that merely summarizes a number of items,” similar to the helpful content upgrade.
So you should strive to add more detailed information rather than one-liners and quick-hit quotations if you’re wanting to include product reviews and UGC into your website.
Once more, Google’s top priority is to continue to deliver relevant, high-quality search results that address users’ inquiries when they use its apps. The more precisely you can accomplish this, the higher your search engine performance ought to be.
These revisions highlight Google’s commitment on offering more in-depth solutions and unique information rather than summarized, compiled answers, even though it wasn’t always this straightforward.