Google’s software is ever-changing to keep up with users’ desires and improve the overall efficacy of the platform. They make updates every year, each with a different focus and target.

In this article, we will provide an expert guide to recent changes, a brief history of Google’s updates, and how Rooster Marketing can support you.

 

The state of search engines

Google recognises there’s a problem with the amount of resources available in modern search engines, many of which aim to boost their own agendas rather than offering valuable information to the public.

Many thought leaders publish insightful articles on topics they are passionate about, using SEO to enhance the visibility of their content. However, SEO tools can also be abused by spammy websites packed with adverts that benefit the publisher, not the user.

Google’s most recent update focuses on this spammy, low-quality content, with their algorithm now favoring higher-quality, more relevant results.

 

A brief history

Google’s first-ever confirmed and documented algorithm update, the ‘Boston update’ of February 2003, combatted websites that crammed keywords on their pages, known as keyword stuffing, and placed more emphasis on meta information for ranking purposes.

The major update that has shaped the modern SEO landscape was rolled out in 2011. This algorithm update targeted websites created purely for ranking purposes, devoid of useful or accurate information.

Throughout the last decade, Google has also sought to deter the illegal spreading of copyrighted content and spammy content, aiming to elevate user experience and ensure people get the results they desire.

 

Today

Google’s algorithm updates have enabled their search engine to become a cornucopia of relevant and useful information, optimising results based on your location and mobile-friendly websites, as well as introducing voice search.

 

Updates in 2024

This year’s Google core update focus is to enhance the quality of search results, filtering out ‘spammy, low quality’ content in favour of more useful information. This will be implemented through changes to Google’s algorithm that aims to boost high-quality results whilst reducing the appearance of unoriginal results by a forecasted 40%.

This update will also tackle site reputation abuse. Sometimes, reputable websites with high-quality content will be used as hosts for third-party content that doesn’t align with the values of the brand or confuse customers’ expectations.

Third parties, however, will capitalise on the original website’s SEO ranking, enabling their spammy content to be viewed by a significantly larger audience. To combat this, Google has warned the original websites of the potential depletion in their ranking due to this misleading display of content, ahead of the rollout of enforcement on the 5th of May.

Google acknowledges that there are always areas for improvement, due to the sheer scale of the resources available, and aims to continue helping people find the results they need.

 

AI Overviews

Additionally, separate from the core update, the algorithm is also being affected by Google’s implementation of ‘AI Overviews,’ which summarise the most relevant information for your search. While this update has its benefits, it has been very disruptive to many businesses.

It’s currently unclear where the results for AI Overviews are drawn from and whether SEO matters. It could be high-ranking search results, quality results that provide the most useful information, or poor-ranking web pages.

Google has implemented this update to elevate user experience, displaying a clear summary of results for a particular search term, avoiding the laborious task of users sifting through multiple websites to find what they’re looking for.

 

The potential pitfalls

However, there has been discourse concerning whether AI will be the downfall of the internet. This new update has had a significant impact on website traffic for reputable websites, such as GQ and New York Magazine, according to the BBC.

The main concern stems from the AI system supposedly gathering inaccurate information from poor-quality resources, hiding results for websites providing high-quality, valuable content.

Only time will tell. Google is committed to ensuring the highest quality content reaches audiences and therefore monitors their algorithms rigorously.

 

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The digital landscape is tumultuous, one that requires expert knowledge to navigate. With over 15 years of expertise, our full-service marketing agency has a wealth of understanding of this complex industry, specialising in SEO and marketing strategies.

Contact us today to find out more about our comprehensive services and how we can support you in achieving your marketing goals.