Google Mayhem (Checklist Included)

Let’s take a look at what Google did in May and the beginning of June and some website checks you can make to help you improve your visibility in search.

The past month or so was one of the most active months I've seen with Google Search in a while and the previous months haven’t exactly been quiet!

There were several unconfirmed algorithm updates, as well as the big May 22nd update and a confirmed Google June 2021 core update.

The Big May Algorithm Update

The big May Algorithm Update touched down on Saturday, May 22nd and was off the charts, showing changes in the Google Search results that haven't been seen in a very long time. This is at the levels of a core update or the old Penguin and Panda updates.

The June Core Update

In contrast, the recent June Core Update began rolling out on Wednesday, June 2 and we didn't initially see a lot of movement but chatter around the rollout did start to pick up although it is still not at the big core update levels that we would normally see. 

We do know that Google said this June 2021 core update is two-part, with another rollout coming in July, so maybe it will have more of a big bang impact of a typical core update when that part rolls out.

You may well have seen changes in your rankings this last month.

Google's Recommendation

Once again, with the release of a core update, Google recommends reading their blog post on core updates, which you can find here. There is so much gold in the article. If you're trying to determine what Google thinks quality is - your answer is there.

If you don’t have the time to read the whole article, I’ve added Google’s updated set of questions to ask yourself about your content below or to make it super easy I’ve created a simple checklist which you can access and download here: Google’s Content Checklist

Focus on content

Are you offering the best content you can? That's what Googles’ algorithms seek to reward.

Take a look a Google’s set of questions to ask yourself about your content:

Content and quality questions 

• Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
• Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
• If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
• Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
• Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking in nature?
• Is this the sort of page you'd want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?

Expertise questions 

• Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site's About page?
• If you researched the site producing the content, would you come away with an impression that it is well-trusted or widely recognized as an authority on its topic?
• Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
• Is the content free from easily verified factual errors?
• Would you feel comfortable trusting this content for issues relating to your money or your life?

Presentation and production questions 

• Is the content free from spelling or stylistic issues?
• Was the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don't get as much attention or care?
• Does the content have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
• Does content display well for mobile devices when viewed on them?

Comparative questions 

• Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
• Does the content seem to be serving the genuine interests of visitors to the site or does it seem to exist solely by someone attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

How does your content measure up?

Support to create the best content for your business.

If you’d like an expert to do the hard work for you so you gain all the benefits from your content without the extra workload and pressure, schedule a call with me here and we’ll have a chat about how I can help you with your content.

Simple Reminder:

The best thing you can do to protect against negative outcomes from Google’s algorithm changes is to follow the search engine’s guidelines and focus on providing value to your audience.

If you approach your SEO with a genuine intention to serve your audience then you should see positive results on an ongoing basis and have nothing to fear from Googles’ updates.

What else has Google been up to?

(If you like to geek out like me… read on!!)

Google announced its next big change in how it understands queries and language on the web - they are calling it MUM - Multitask Unified Model. This is not live yet but Google wanted to share a bit about it. Google said this "new technology Google is exploring internally to better understand language & make it easier to get helpful responses to complex Search needs."

Google said it is like BERT in that it built on a Transformer architecture but it is 1,000 times more powerful. MUM not only understands language, Google said but it also generates language. Google said MUM is "trained across 75 different languages and many different tasks at once, allowing it to develop a more comprehensive understanding of information and world knowledge than previous models. And MUM is multimodal, so it understands information across text and images and, in the future, can expand to more modalities like video and audio." 

Who else finds Googles’ updates interesting?

There's a lesson for us!

As we know, search is constantly evolving as Google strives to always provide the best and most relevant search results for its users’ individual needs.

Are we doing the same? Are we striving to provide the best for our clients and our audience?

We should be!

Found this helpful? Comment and let me know, it will make my day!

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Happy optimising and best wishes, Hazel

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