Latest Algorithm Updates in SEO

Being on the lookout for the latest Google Algorithm Update has been a prevalent practice in the field of SEO.

10:38 01 June 2020

The search giant rolls out hundreds of core algorithm updates every year and each time it does so, it’s a step forward in improving the search experience for the users.

For SEO professionals, keeping an eye on Google updates is a matter of staying on top of the trends and getting better at their craft. But it’s equally important for website owners to keep a track of these updates.

Here’s why.

Google uses the search algorithms to rank web pages for their relevance to queries in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Knowing the algorithm updates and the resulting SERP changes can help you understand how each update affects your site’s performance, so you can identify the areas of improvement in your SEO strategy.

That said, let’s look at some major Google search algorithm updates that were dropped over the last few months.

September 2019 core update

Google refers to core updates as “significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems.”

Though Google did not provide many details, this global update was observed to have impacted the YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) sites the most. YMYL content is typically information that could directly impact the reader's health, happiness, safety, or financial stability. This includes sites related to healthcare, financial services, retail businesses, and travel.

Sharing his views on the update, Mordy Oberstein, CMO of SEO software company Rank Ranger, wrote in a blog post, “When looking at the September update what sticks out to me is the strong possibility that Google is going deeper into your content. Specifically, the search engine seems better adept at understanding your content and if its purpose aligns with what users ought to see on the page.”

After this, Google released another core update in November which was focused on local rankings.

International BERT Roll-Out, December 2019

Google’s BERT natural language processing algorithm was rolled out globally in 70 languages and had affected 10% of all search queries as well as featured snippets.

In their official blog, Google explained how BERT fine-tuned their understanding of nuances and context of words in search queries and match them with more relevant results. 

Featured Snippet De-Duplication, January 2020

Besides a core update — which showed big implications for YMYL sites — the month of January this year also witnessed featured snippet changes. On Jan 22, Google announced that URLs in Featured Snippets would cease to appear as traditional organic results. This was in accordance with Google's view that a Featured Snippet is a “promoted organic result”. This update significantly affected rank-tracking and organic call-to-actions (CTR).

May 2020 Core Update

This is the most recent core update and the second one so far in 2020. While as usual, Google did not share the precise details of the update, some webmasters and SEO analysts have signalled that the changes will impact a wider range of industries and page types than previous updates. Also, many are speculating (like this Forbes article) that the update could be affecting cryptocurrency and blockchain-related content.

Bottom line

The world of online search and SEO moves at a lightening pace, and you need to be in step with it to build and maintain a successful online presence. As a leading firm offering search engine optimisation in Sydney, we remain in sync with the developments happening in the space. Subscribe to our blog to stay up-to-date.