Following the helpful content update that finished rolling out on September 9, the search engine giant released the September 2022 broad core update on September 12. This rollout could take 2 weeks to complete. The official Google list of announced updates has stated that it will take up to two weeks to finish rolling out. Image Source
This is the second broad core update for this year, following the May core update. After the May core update, websites witnessed high volatility and bigger swings. Expect the changes to the algorithm to be seen within the next few days as the changes are rolled out to data centers. Core updates impact Google Discover, feature snippets and more.
Does this core update strengthen helpful content update?
Google has not specified anywhere that the Helpful Content Update is a major part of this September core update. However, many marketers believe that this broad core update picks up the changes and trends after the helpful content update.
In his tweet, Danny Sullivan, public liaison for Search, said that the effects of the helpful content update might become more observable during a core algorithm update. Image Source
The Search Community response generates hope that this update will make the search results better. It is expected that the update will get rid of all the really crappy results that rose to the surface.
Search results may bounce around for the next few weeks. The recommended approach is to be vigilant of any changes in search console but don’t react.
Google has not confirmed how the September 2022 core update impacts the search results (SERPs) around the world and in different languages. Most probably, it will affect search results across most languages, as such updates are more general.
Core updates are a few broad and significant changes to Google’s search algorithms and systems. During these updates, websites may notice gains or drops. These updates are designed to ensure that Google is presenting relevant and authoritative content to searchers. Google has said that the sites that experience drops need not try to fix the wrong things. Moreover, there might not be anything to fix at all. Often, there’s nothing in a core update that targets specific pages or sites. Instead, the changes are about improving how Google’s systems assess content overall. These changes may cause some web pages that were previously under-rewarded to do better.
What marketers can better do is to check whether their site content provides complete and original information, and insightful analysis. They should also ensure that the headline and/or page title provides a descriptive, helpful summary of the content and that the headline and/or page title is not exaggerated or shocking in nature. While presenting, check for any spelling issues and check whether there is an excessive number of ads, and how it appears on mobile devices. Also, review Google’s search quality rater guidelines. Above all, benefit from professional content writing services, if you’re outsourcing the task. Experienced digital marketing companies will stay up-to-date with Google algorithm updates and make sure that your websites also meet such standards.
Do you know – most of the web visitors use quoted searches to find the pages with the exact phrase they’re looking for. Quoted text in Google searches will now appear in the snippet. Google has announced that it has updated new snippets for quoted searches terms and text. With this update, quotation-based searches will be included in the snippets that show exactly where the text is located. Viewers can quickly and easily find what they’re looking for. Professional digital marketing outsourcing companies stay updated on changing Google updates and ranking algorithms.
Google has noted that, in the past, Google Search did not always highlight the quoted searches in the Search result snippet because sometimes the quoted material appears in areas that don’t lend themselves to creating helpful snippets. Creating a snippet around word or phrase that appears in the menu item of a page section might not produce an easily readable description.
To find any pages with specific keywords or phrases, Google has a special operator – quotation marks. According to Danny Sullivan,”Quote searching is a great power user tool, but it was hard for some to know where exactly we found quoted terms in a web page. Now our snippets make this clearer.”
The snippets that are displayed for search results will be formed around where a quoted word or phrase occurs in a web document. Readers can more easily identify where to find them. On desktop, the quoted material will be bolded. The latest improvement in search results is designed based on the feedback that people doing quoted searches value seeing where the quoted material occurs on a page, rather than an overall description of the page.
Tips for Performing Quoted Searches
Google recommends following these tips while doing quoted searches –
In certain cases, it may happen that quoted searches may match content that is not readily visible on a page. It seems like the content isn’t available on the page when it actually is present.
Content in a meta description tag, ALT text that describes images, and material brought in through inline frames (iframes) is also looked at for matches, even though that content isn’t visible on the web page itself. Google may also see content that doesn’t initially load on a page when you go to it, it appears only if the reader clicks to make it display.
To find the exact phrase they want, readers may use the standard Find command in a browser, or use developer tools option. Chrome users can search from within Developer Tools to match against all rendered text, which would include the text in drop-down menus and other areas of the site.
It also happens that the Pages may have changed since Google last visited them. Quoted text might appear on a page when Google saw it, but it no longer exists on the current page. Google’s cached copy may highlight where the quoted content appeared on the version of the page visited.
If the quoted text appears only within title links or URLs of a web page, it won’t appear in the search results. Google do not bold such matches.
Some punctuation is seen as spaces and this impact quoted searches. An example explained is that a search for”don’t doesn’t”. In such cases, Google will match content like the ones below, where punctuation like commas or hyphens break up words.
Multiple quoted terms might not appear in search results, mainly if they are far apart from each other. If quoted material appears several times on a page, a snippet will show what seems to be the most relevant occurrence.
Quoted content will be bolded for web page snippets on desktop. However, for recipe or video boxes, special modes such as image or news search, and for mobile results, bolding won’t appear in snippets. However, anything listed in these boxes or special modes will contain the quoted terms.
Quoted searches don’t work for local results.
Though using quotes is a great tool for power users, Google recommends first doing any search in natural language without resorting to operators like quotation marks. Operators are often no longer necessary, as by default, Google systems are designed to look for both the exact words and phrases entered and related terms and concepts, which is often useful. The search engine giant also warns that when using a quoted search, viewers might miss helpful content that uses closely related words.
Quoted searches are now even better and are helpful in getting the exact words to appear on the search results page. Google has confirmed that this update is not a ranking change, but rather a user interface change on how Google Search will show some searches that use quotes. This may impact the click-through rate from the Google search results but will have no impact on how the sites rank for those types of queries.
Running an online store, an eCommerce business or a product review website? July 2022 google product reviews update can impact your site. Know why and how.
July 2022 Google product reviews update that was first announced on July 27, 2022, has completed rolling out on August 2, 2022. Let us discuss the impact of the update. Product reviews are critical to eliminate shoppers’ concerns regarding a product. Most customers look for product reviews before making a purchase. Relevant reviews play a crucial role in enhancing the credibility of your eCommerce business. Google’s product reviews update focuses on rewarding high-quality product reviews which go in-sdepth and contain supporting files such as Images or videos.
July 2022 Google product reviews update, is the fourth version of the product reviews update that target at ranking product review-related content on the web that is most helpful and useful to searchers. The search engine giant has said that this update is not a penalty, but promotes or rewards “insightful analysis and original research “.
The first product reviews update was launched on April 8, 2021, the second was launched on December 1, 2021, and the third was released on March 23, 2022.
July 2022 Google Product Reviews Update – 6 Days Roll Out
Though Google had announced that this rollout will take 2-3 weeks to complete, it took only six days, from July 27 to August 2, 2022. Marketers saw only very limited changes from the tracking tools and overall, this update had much lesser chatter from within the SEO community than all previous product reviews updates.
With this Google product reviews update, it has been reported that some review sites lost the rich snippet stars they previously earned with the most recent core update or earlier.
Google said that it will promote unique product review content in its search results rankings. According to Google, this is not a penalty against the content, but it is just rewarding sites with more insightful review content with rankings above others.
Technically, Google product reviews update applies only to all forms of product review content. Though the initial rollout will be only for “English-language product reviews,” Google said that this update may in the future impact those who create product reviews in any other languages too.
Publishing high quality product reviews can assist shoppers learn more about a product before making a purchase. Websites that are hit by this update will need to look at their content and see if they can do better. To beat the competition online, it is important for businesses to make their product review content unique. To help online shoppers to discover their product reviews in Google Search and on other Google surfaces, Google has recommended following these best practices when creating reviews:
Assess the product from a user’s perspective.
Demonstrate your knowledge and expertise about the products reviewed.
Include evidence such as visuals, audio, or other links of your own experience with the product, to reinforce the authenticity of the review.
Share quantitative measurements about how a product measures up in various categories of performance.
Explain what sets a product apart from its competitors.
Cover comparable products to consider, or explain which products might be best for certain uses or circumstances.
Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of a particular product, based on your own original research.
Describe how a product has evolved from previous models or releases to provide improvements, address issues, or otherwise help users in making a purchase decision.
Identify key decision-making factors for the product’s category and how the product performs in those areas.
Describe key choices in how a product has been designed and their effect on the users beyond what the manufacturer says.
Include links to other useful resources to help a reader make a decision.
Include links to multiple sellers to give the reader the option to purchase from their merchant of choice.
When recommending a product as the best for a certain purpose, explain why you consider that product the best, with first-hand supporting evidence.
Ensure there is enough useful content in your ranked lists for them to stand on their own, even if you choose to write separate in-depth single product reviews for each recommended product.
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Recently, Google confirmed rolling out their page experience update “slowly” to desktop search results. First rolled out only to mobile search results, this ranking algorithm’s major goal is to ensure an improved web-browsing experience – both on mobile and desktop – because page experience remains one of the many factors Google’s systems take into account. While rolling out this update to mobile search results, the company in advance noted that the same update will also be applied to desktop search by February 2022. As expected, the page experience update was rolled out on February 22, 2022, and finished rolling out on March 3, 2022. Our search engine optimization companykeeps track of new Google updates and trends and understands how it can impact our clients’ digital marketing campaigns.
According to Google, “the page experience signal measures aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page”. It is made up of several existing Google search ranking factors, including:
Mobile-friendly update
Page Speed Update
The HTTPS ranking boost
The intrusive interstitials penalty
Safe Browsing Penalty
These refinements – which are under what Google calls Core Web Vitals – when optimized make the web more user-friendly and delightful for users across all web browsers and surfaces. It will also help websites evolve towards user expectations on mobile. Google believes that all these factors will contribute to the success of a business, as users grow more engaged and can transact with less friction.
The Page Experience Update for Desktop
The Page Experience update, which was thought to only impact mobile search, has now rolled out to desktop and this information was revealed during a session on preparing for the Page Experience update from Google I/O on May 2021.
According to Google, this ranking launch will be based on the same page experience signals that were rolled out for mobile in 2021. But then, there would be some key differences between how Page Experience is applied to mobile compared to desktop search results.
For instance, all of the page experience factors for mobile search results will be included with the exception of the mobile-friendliness requirement. That is, the same three Core Web Vitals metrics (LCP, FID, and CLS), their associated thresholds, other aspects of page experience signals (such as HTTPS security and absence of intrusive interstitials) will apply for the desktop ranking. While the mobile-friendliness signals– which continue to be a part of mobile ranking – won’t be a factor for this update with desktop search results.
The desktop signal is based on the URLs that desktop users seem a site has a separate desktop and mobile URLs with an appropriate configuration.
What we have to understand with this update is that factors that weren’t previously evaluated for a website in desktop search results will now be taken into consideration by Google. In fact, if a website scores well for these factors on mobile, it’s likely to perform similarly as well on desktop too.
Even if it isn’t optimized for mobile – because mobile-friendliness isn’t a factor for the Page Experience desktop update – your website could potentially benefit from a ranking boost in desktop search if other criteria are met.
Similar to Core Web Vitals metrics and other attributes, intrusive interstitials will apply to the desktop version as well. Also, remember that the page experience update no longer considers safe browsing – so for mobile and desktop, it looks like this:
Google released updated page experience reports for desktop a few months ago as a way to support the upcoming rollout of page experience ranking to desktop. However, Search Console now has a dedicated desktop section in its Page Experience report as it helps site owners understand Google’s ‘good page experience’ criteria.
For page experience update rollout to mobile search results, Google says not to expect drastic changes, because the update was designed to highlight pages that provide a great user experience. According to searchengineland, the same is expected for the desktop rollout too.
As the update is now rolled out completely, Google will be now planning to help site owners understand how their desktop pages are performing with regard to page experience using a Search Console report which will be launched before desktop becomes a ranking signal. Local SEO companies providing search engine optimization services keep track of these updates and can help you prepare for them.
As a reliable search engine optimization company, we keep track of all search engine algorithmic updates and can help you prepare for them. We believe in getting you results through a full spectrum of services from SEO, content writing, to conversion rate optimization.
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In the last week of December 2021, Google confirmed its November 2021 update to local search and map pack results. The update, which was officially referred to as the November 2021 local search update, began on November 30, 2021, and was completed rolling out on December 8, 2021. Reliable organic SEO companies keep track of Google’s algorithm updates and trends to understand how it can impact their clients’ digital marketing campaign.
The November 2021 local search update involved a rebalancing of various factors that Google considers in generating local search results. The news about this update was confirmed through Google Search Central’s Twitter handle:
Many local businesses witnessed huge fluctuations in their local search rankings during the rollout period. According to BrightLocal, this is the largest change to the local algorithm since Possum in 2016 and has caused widespread ranking disruption.
As the tweet indicates, Google has recommended following its guidelines to improve ranking in local search. As per Google, we should keep in mind that the weight of each ranking element indicated in Google’s help guide has been rebalanced.
What Changed with the November 2021 Local Update
To better understand the impact of this update, let’s take a look at what changed. The ranking factors for Google’s local search results are based primarily on three factors:
Relevance: This ranking factor refers to how well a local Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. To help Google better understand your business and match your profile to relevant searches, add complete and detailed business information.
Distance: This factor considers how far each potential search result is from the location term used in a search. For instance, if a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what it knows about their location.
Prominence: This relates to how well known a business is. Search results try to reflect the details of a business – such as places that are more prominent in the offline world (famous museums, landmark hotels, or well-known store brands) –in local ranking. This ranking factor is also based on information that Google has about a business, from across the web – such as links, articles, and directories. Along with this, position in web results and Google review count and review score also factor into local search ranking — more reviews and positive ratings can improve your business’s local ranking.
Impact on Businesses
Both large and small businesses are experiencing changes in their rankings following the November 2021 update. As the algorithm reduced the weight of keywords in business names, companies that didn’t have keywords in their name saw a higher ranking than brands that had.
Companies that have added their location in their profile and are closer to or in the vicinity of the person performing the search are also seeing better web results.
As Google never reveals the actual weighting of any ranking element, rebalancing your efforts may be the best method to respond to this upgrade. With a lot of Google algorithm shakeups in 2021 November, it was an active and eventful month in SEO. If you were impacted by the November 2021 local search update specifically, then it should be fairly easy to determine. The local ranking changes in the Google Maps and local pack results, along with the new local interface update, may have resulted in traffic changes to your business.
As a company offering organic SEO services, we keep track of all search engine algorithmic updates or core updates and can help you prepare for them. We can help you apply best practices to improve your ranking in local search results.
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Do you know that 46% of Google searches are for a local business or local service? Nearly half of all Google searches comprises people searching for local information or businesses in their area or within a specific service area. The search results are often modified to geo-specific searches. Using its algorithm, Google determines which local businesses are relevant to the user and worthy of ranking high in the results. So, to increase your chances of ranking, driving traffic, and attracting customers through search results, consider implementing local search engine optimization (SEO). Local SEO companies implement strategies to ensure websites are optimized for local search so that potential customers can find them easily.
If you are looking to improve your local ranking, make sure you choose a search engine optimization company that up to date on the latest local search tactics. This is all the more important as Google recently launched new features for local search, as well as new tools to assist journalists with producing locally-relevant stories.
Google’s New Local Search Features
Due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, different communities had different needs and were impacted in different ways. People started looking for local information and continue to do so. They are searching for local news on Google more than ever before using queries like “News near me”.
Image Source: https://blog.google/
The graph shows that “news near me” queries tripled over the past five years, reaching an all time high during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020.
As more searchers are using “news near me” than ever before, the tech giant recently announced a rollout of new features to help readers better connect with publishers through locally relevant stories. Google is also helping publishers more efficiently and creatively by rolling out new tools to produce quality journalism their readers want. This is similar to Journalist Studio, a collection of new tools that Google launched a year ago to help reporters in their daily jobs.
Let’s take a look at the features of Google’s new local search optimization tools:
New Product Features for Google News Carousel
Carousel for Local News Stories: Initially launched for COVID searches, this feature is now getting expanded. With the new changes, readers can now see a local news carousel when Google finds local news coverage relevant to their query. Available globally in all languages, the carousel helps readers easily find stories near them from local news publishers. It also helps local publishers by adding another way for their essential reporting to reach the community that needs it most.
Top Stories: To help both the brand and the content of news publishers reach more people, Google is improving their systems and top stories carousel. Typically reserved for stories from national publications, authoritative local news sources will now appear more often in the Top Stories carousel.
Topics beyond just broad areas: Along with the carousel for local news stories and top stories, Google had also improved the local news experience by refining the ability to understand topics beyond just broad areas to narrower subtopics – such as sports, specifically football and high school football. When paired with Google’s location signals, this feature helps readers get more relevant material for the topics they are searching.
For instance, when a user in Long Island searches for football, Google will now show them results for local high school and college teams, rather than just showing the user results for, say, the professional team.
Image Source: https://blog.google/
People often look to social media for additional information about local issues. Local SEO companies help local business leverage social media to build their presence. To help people find local information on the topics they’re searching for, Google now surfaces tweets by local, authoritative sources and authors, including tweets from news organizations.
Image Source: https://blog.google/
New Data Tools for Journalists
Along with Google’s new features for searchers, the tech giant is also launching new tools for journalists, aiming to help them cover stories by providing them with locally relevant data.
Census Mapper Project: With layers and layers of important data, the U.S. Census is one of the largest data sets journalists can access. But then the challenge is sorting through that data and visualizing it in a way that helps readers understand trends and the bigger picture. To help journalists dig through all that data to find stories and embed visualizations on their sites, Google launched a new tool, Census Mapper project. This embeddable map displays Census data at the national, state and county level, as well as census tracts.
Image Source: https://blog.google/
Common Knowledge Project: As part of Google’s investment in data journalism, few improvements are made to the company’s Common Knowledge Project. This new version data explorer and visual journalism project – which is built with journalists for journalists – allows US journalists to explore local data and integrates journalist feedback with new features including geographic comparisons, new charts and visuals.
Image Source: https://blog.google/
From helping find, collect and visualize data, to searching through the data for stories, Google will continue to invest in developing new tools to assist local news publishers with producing more engaging stories.
If you are a local news publisher or a reporter trying to grab attention, then this is your big chance to be seen and build the reputation you deserve. These latest local search updates can help many types of businesses reach more people. Companies providing organic search engine optimization services stay on top these updates and help their clients make the most of these new features and tools.
As a reliable search engine optimization company, we keep track of all search engine algorithmic updates and can help you prepare for them. We believe in getting you results through a full spectrum of services from SEO, content writing, to 
