In the spirit of sharing, Google has been putting up recent changes to their ranking algorithm on their Inside Search blog.
Here is our round-up of seven of the most recent changes:
1. Cross Language Information Retrieval: this is for queries in a language where limited web contact is available. So. Macedonian, Albanian or Slovak (and about 20 more). Google will translate English language pages into the relevant language and display them in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) on the fly. Not helpful to me but pretty neat.
2. Improved SERP Snippets: As Google gets more intelligent with understanding web page structure, they are more likely to pull and display snippets from relevant content, rather than headers or menus.
3. Better Page Titles: Google has de-emphasized the important of boilerplate links when determining a page’s title. Boilerplate links are those link’s repeated throughout a website, often in the footer, often in tiny font, and often just variations of the same keyword over and over and all pointing at the home page. This will allow Google to display more accurate page titles (since the boilerplate technique is so often used in a spam-like manner).
4. Extended Snippets For Applications: You will now see more details when searching for software and applications in the SERPs. Google has implemented intelligent fields for things like cost and product reviews. This is cool. I like this. I also like when Google tells me who a celebrity is married to or a best guess for the release date of games… but that’s another story.
5. Image Reference Spam Dead: Images that have multiple links or references or are displayed on multiple sites (from those thieving bastards) around the internet will not longer at as a ranking signal.
6. More Recent Results: Google has changed the way the deal with fresh content. A huge chunk of the algorithm now determines when fresh content is news-worthy, or trending, from a variety of signals and therefore allows pages from as recent as 30 minutes ago to rocket to the top of the results if they provide the best match to the query. In other words, Google results are faster and more recent.
7. Refining Official Page Detection: Google has refined the way it detects ‘official’ pages in order to make sure people are getting the most relevant results to their query. This one is tricky, and I’m glad they know what they are doing. This has been the topic of a long-running debate over whether people searching for ‘apple’ might just be looking for apples, rather than the technology giant. Most think the big indicator is do with plural and non-plural queries… but then I’ve seen the search queries in my AdWords search term reports. I’m not so sure a lot of people are entirely cognitive of what they’re typing into that little Google bar… they don’t need an I’m feeling lucky button, their fingers are already feeling quite lucky… Ellipsis.
Don’t freak out from these changes and suddenly make a heap of changes to your website. That’s a pet peeve of mine. When people hear one little thing, and then they grab and run with it to the non-existent finish line without realizing there isn’t even a race on. What I mean is, Google makes over 500 changes to search in a given year. Don’t go chasing the rabbit. All webmasters need to do is follow the Google guidelines and build the best website from a user’s point of view, go after relevant and quality inbound links, and the rest will be fine.
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