For the past year, SEO has been nothing but stable when it comes to several algorithm updates such as the Pigeon, Panda, and Penguin. These updates have raised questions and caused anxiety to different sectors of the industry.
Pigeon was released in 2014 and since then we have not heard of any disruptive updates from Google. They sent out announcements and couple of minor changes but nothing that caused major buzz online. This is likely due to the various updates, rollouts, and certain short-notice changes that hurl many websites. Another factor can be that Google has been more focused on artificial intelligence (AI) in online Search. Just like other big companies, Google is also headed to AI. Aside from the fact that it is directly tied to the Rank Brain update, another hint we have is that Google’s head of AI got promoted to CEO last February 2016.
Besides AI, Google has also been focusing on mobile optimization and its increasing importance. This is due to the fact that more and more people are starting to switch from using a desktop computer to using mobile phones and tablets. With the constant upgrade in the technology, people can now do almost anything on a mobile device that can easily fit in the palm of our hands. We also cannot deny the fact that through these gadgets, it is now easier for us to be a part of online forums, meet up groups, chat groups etc. Therefore, be it for work or pleasure, mobile gadgets make it easier for us to accomplish our day-to-day tasks.
The Search Engine Results Page or SEPR has also changed and now includes more social media related results than before. If you search something on Google or Bing, you will notice that some results are from social media platform posts such as Facebook posts, tweets, video links, and even pinterest posts. It is also noticeable that they have improved the rich snippets and more detailed answers to our searches. There are even times that you no longer have to leave the Google page just to find the answer to your queries. Lastly, the voice search has become more efficient.
The Great and not so Great News from Google for the Past Few Months
High quality sites are getting some serious rewards as Google has been raising the bar when it comes to defining what “quality sites” area. You might have also noticed a dip in volume of low quality sites in search pages since many of them have already been removed from top page positions. That’s why if you are planning to create a new website or improve an old one, better start creating high-quality content if you want Google to send you rewards. It might be time consuming but the results will surely be worth it. For those who have received penalties on their sites, don’t fret! Google’s algorithm switching has also improved, making it easier for you to get your site out of penalties.
On the other hand, the game in the top-fold space is also changing. Due to the fact that pages are being customized for mobile phones and tablets, the searches are becoming smaller. This change results to having to remove paid ads on the right sidebar of many pages, and placing them only at the top or bottom of the page instead