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By Jason

Ascend 05: Google’s Update Shifts the SEO Sands

Last Updated 20 Dec 2024

Attention! Google has made some significant moves in the search landscape recently. Buckle up while we jump into some of these key developments:

  • The November Core Update: This update aims to elevate high-quality content and potentially boost your holiday season traffic. Learn how to optimise your site for success.
  • AI Overviews and Shopping Results: Google’s AI is playing a bigger role, influencing both informational and shopping searches. Discover how to leverage this trend.
  • Google Search Console Recommendations: This long-awaited feature is here to stay! Get insights on how to improve your website’s performance and prioritise your SEO efforts.

Google’s November Core Algorithm Update

Google has officially kicked off its November 2024 core update, a significant algorithm adjustment that could impact search rankings across the board. This update is expected to last for approximately two weeks.

Similar to previous core updates, this one aims to improve search results by rewarding high-quality, relevant content while penalising low-quality or spammy sites.

While there’s no guaranteed way to recover from the negative impact of a core update, focusing on creating valuable, user-centric content remains the best long-term strategy.

Here’s why this matters:

  • Improved Search Results: Google aims to deliver the most relevant and helpful results to users. Core updates help ensure that high-quality content rises to the top.
  • Potential for Increased Traffic: If your website aligns with Google’s quality standards, you could see a boost in organic traffic, just in time for the Christmas rush.
  • Stay Ahead of the Competition: By understanding and adapting to Google’s algorithm changes, you can gain a competitive edge.

Remember, the key to success is creating high-quality, user-centric content.

Read the Full Article Here


Top insights from the latest Core update

Overlap between organic and AIO citations

Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) are a new feature in search results that use AI to provide concise and informative summaries of web content. These AI-generated summaries can appear at the top of search results, potentially impacting organic traffic and click-through rates.

Google is continuing to align AI-generated search results with organic search results. This means that websites that rank highly organically are more likely to appear in AI-powered search results. This trend suggests that Google’s focus on high-quality, relevant content remains a key factor for SEO success.

Shopping queries ranked differently

The recent update has led to a divergence between organic and AI-powered shopping search results. While organic results focus on traditional product listings, AI-powered results often include additional product recommendations and comparisons. This suggests Google is prioritising a more personalised and informative shopping experience.

Patterns in how AIO cites content

The volatility patterns give an early tentative indication of what kinds of queries Google is giving priority in this update. Again, these are real-time results that are subject to change as new parts of the update are rolled out.

BrightEdge’s insights from volatility rates:

  • Educational content maintains stronger stability
  • Product-focused content showing higher volatility
  • Research-oriented sites demonstrating resilience
  • Industry expertise appears to have gained prominence

Read the Full Article Here


Google’s fight again reputation abuse

Google has updated its site reputation abuse policy to combat “parasite SEO,”where websites misuse established domains to manipulate search rankings with third-party content.

The policy clarifies that using third-party content to exploit a site’s ranking signals is a violation, regardless of oversight. Examples of violations include educational sites hosting unrelated payday loan reviews and news sites publishing third-party coupons.

Legitimate practices, such as editorial content with host site involvement and properly disclosed advertorials, are not penalised. Major publishers in the US like CNN and USA Today have faced manual penalties, particularly before Black Friday, for hosting such content.

What happens if I’m penalised?

If your site falls victim to this, the recovery process from penalties requires removing or noindexing offending content, but ranking improvements after this will take time.

Read the Full Article Here


Finally, GSC recommendations are here to stay!

Google has fully rolled out its Search Console (GSC) Recommendations feature, which provides users with tailored suggestions to improve website performance. These recommendations will appear prominently on the dashboard for websites that have them available, focusing on key aspects such as addressing issues, exploring opportunities for traffic growth, and simplifying configurations. While useful, the availability of these recommendations depends on the specific site and its unique needs.

Key takeaways

  • Google has completed the rollout of its Search Console Recommendations feature, now accessible to all users with eligible sites.
  • Recommendations will only appear on the dashboard if Google has specific suggestions for the user’s website.
  • Types of recommendations include issues to fix, opportunities to enhance traffic and configuration improvements.
  • The recommendations aim to help users prioritise their search optimisation efforts effectively.
  • Suggestions may include implementing structured data, adding sitemaps, and analysing trending queries.
  • Users can check their Google Search Console properties to see if any recommendations are available for their sites.
  • The introduction of this feature illustrates Google’s ongoing commitment to improving user experience and search performance insights.