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Search engine optimization, or SEO, is one of the key pillars of modern content strategy. But SEO is an ever-evolving field, with many changes and updates every year.
Digital marketers can often miss out on key changes and sometimes use outdated SEO strategy.
We’ve looked at SEO changes since 2020 to help you stay up to date with whats happening in the world of organic search results, Google organic traffic and content strategy.
Here are some of the most significant ones:
1. Google’s May 2020 Core Update
Google’s May 2020 Core Update was one of the biggest updates in recent years. It focused on improving the quality of search results by rewarding websites that provide high-quality, relevant content and penalizing those that don’t. This update also emphasized the importance of user experience, such as page speed and mobile-friendliness.
2. Passage Indexing
In October 2020, Google announced a massive change to its search algorithm called Passage Indexing. Rather than indexing entire pages, Google now indexes individual passages of a page to provide more specific answers to user queries. This means that even if a page doesn’t rank highly for a particular keyword, a relevant passage within that page may still appear in the search results.
3. Voice Search
Voice search has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it has had an impact on SEO. Voice search queries tend to be longer and more conversational than traditional text-based queries. This means that content needs to be optimized for voice search by including long-tail keywords and answering questions in a conversational tone.
4. E-A-T
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness, and it has become increasingly important in SEO since 2020. Google’s algorithm now places a higher value on content that comes from authoritative sources and is written by experts in a particular field. This means that websites need to establish themselves as authoritative sources in their respective industries by providing high-quality content and building a strong online reputation.
5. Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the user experience of a website. These metrics include page speed, mobile-friendliness, and visual stability. In 2021, Google announced that Core Web Vitals would become a ranking factor in its search algorithm, making it essential for websites to optimize their pages for these metrics.
6. AI content
The big talk in 2023 is about AI content and Chat GPT.
Google’s policy on AI content has evolved over time. As of February 8, 2023, Google will not penalize AI-generated content directly, but it does state that using AI to create content that carries the “primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results” is not allowed.
However, on the same day, Google issued new guidelines which state that high-quality content, regardless of how it is produced, will be rewarded.
In addition, Google opposes the creation of deceptive, malicious or inappropriate content, and remains committed to deploying anti-spam tools like SpamBrain to combat automated attempts to manipulate search results.
In summary
SEO is constantly evolving, and businesses need to stay up to date with the latest changes and trends to remain competitive in search rankings.
The changes since 2020 have emphasized the importance of high-quality content, user experience, and online reputation, as well as the need to optimize for voice search and Core Web Vitals.
If you’re looking for quality content management, check out this SEO agency in Devon, UK.
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