We live in a world where with each passing minute something becomes obsolete, out-casted. An object or idea will be trending now and in no time it will be tossed into the garbage bin.
With the coming of ever-changing technology in the market, Google too needs to constantly update its algorithms in order to provide the most accurate and relevant search results to its users. Each algorithm update is created to improve the users experience and help them find the information as quickly as possible.
Let’s have a look at the latest Google Algorithms Updates in 2021.
1. Passage Ranking
Passage Ranking Update was introduced on February 10, 2021. Google can now use artificial intelligence strategy to index not only web pages, but individual paragraphs and sentences from those pages, which means that specific passages can show up as the featured snippet. With this update the goal is to quickly answer all the specific queries, instead of making the user go through multiple web pages.
2. About this Result
This Result Update was launched in February 2021, wherein Google provides additional context to individual search results so that users can determine which results would be most helpful to them.
About Us Box shares:
- The date when the page’s website was first indexed by Google
- Your connection to the site whether it’s secure or not
- The terms that you searched for appear in the page
- Other websites with similar search terms link to the page
- The language of the page
- Whether the search seems relevant for this search in many regions
- If you have a wikipedia reference, it will show a brief description from the page
The “About this result” box doesn’t affect your ranking but provides you with a list of facts about the web page.
3. Full Mobile First Index Update
Google has made a considerable effort to not only return accurate search results for queries made on mobile devices, but also to prioritize rankings based on which websites perform best on mobile devices.
Let’s understand the background to fully understand this update. Google began placing more importance on mobile friendliness as a ranking factor back in the year 2015. In 2018, the Speed Update took place where mobile speed became a ranking factor.
On July 1, 2019, mobile-first indexing became default for all new websites (which means that Google will predominantly use the mobile version of your site’s content for indexing and ranking) and in March 2021, it became default for all websites-old and new.
How do you optimize for mobile-first indexing?
- Make sure your website is accessible to google.
- Make sure the content is the same on desktop and mobile.
- Check your structured data.
- Follow Google’s recommendations.
- Stay on top of mobile errors.
4. Product Reviews Update
Google announced that it was releasing its Product Reviews algorithm update on April 8th, 2021. The goal of the update is to reward “product reviews that share in-depth research, insightful analysis and original content rather than a content that simply summarizes a bunch of products.
Instead of just focusing on the sales point of view, give the review which is strictly informational and will prove fruitful to the audience while making a purchase.
The example given below explains how two websites have given their product reviews.
A: The content is purely oriented towards seeking sales.
B: The content is strictly informative in nature.
5. MUM (Multitask Unified Model) Update
Google’s MUM update landed in June 2021, aims to answer modern search demands by using an AI algorithm to improve online search capability. Google now has the ability to understand 75 different languages and bring solutions based not just on textual content but also an interpretation of images, videos, and podcasts.
MUM will give users the most holistic and comprehensive search experience, answering even the most complex queries.
Example:
So instead of searching:
“When is the best time to travel to Europe?,” then
“What places in Europe offer the best adventure experience? ,” then
“Whether I should plan a leisure or an adventure trip to Europe?,”
You can search;
“I wish to travel to Europe during July, for leisure purposes; do I have any options for an adventure trip as well?” and learn it all in one search.
6. Link Spam Update
Google announced the launch of their new algorithm update-Link Spam Update on July 26, 2021. The algorithm update focuses on identifying and nullifying unnatural link spam.
Link spam update focuses on three aspects- paid links, affiliate links and sponsored guest posting.
Tips to protect your website from spammers:
- Update your website’s SSL certificate.
- Use Google Search Console for security issues and manual action reports.
- Do regular clean-ups of suspected spam actions such as multiple requests from an IP address.
- Use no index to prevent Google from indexing low-trust pages and mark the links as no follow.
7. Page Experience Update
On June 16, 2021, Google rolled out Page Experience Update. This update is targeted towards offering a better experience to users by prioritizing pages that offer a quality page performance that extends fast load time, non-shifting and a stable page. Since 2010, Google always had some page experience metrics, but with the 2021 Page Experience update, they are now introducing new metrics that measure both speed and overall page experience.
These new metrics are called Core Web Vitals.
Core Web Vitals Includes:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): how quickly the main content of a page loads.
- First Input Delay (FID): how fast a webpage responds to the user’s first action on the page.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): how stable the layout of the web page is (i.e., elements don’t jump around unexpectedly).
8. Page Title Update
On August 24, 2021, Google confirmed that it has introduced a new system, Page Title Update that will focus more on accurately describing what a page is about rather than adapting to the query posed by the searcher. Earlier, website developers determined these headlines, ensuring that they accurately reflect the brand and page content.
However, this update has not received a warm welcome as it allows Google to completely disregard page title tags if it believes they are not accurately displaying the pages’ content, which has caused significant problems to a lot of website owners. It will consider the main headline (H1), the other headings on the page, the text in the body, and other internal link text.
Google is always changing and updating it’s algorithm to better help the audience what they need; therefore as a website owner you must develop quality content and focus towards upgrading the technical factors of your webpage. You must also audit your website regularly and keep a tab of your analytical data so that you can review the performance of your website and follow the latest practices.
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Source: Digital Ready
