The impact of Google passage ranking

Google Algorithm Updates

Google's algorithms for presenting hyper-relevant results are complicated and ever-changing. Google's algorithm updates are an attempt to give the greatest user experience possible, ensuring that only the best pages with the most relevant content respond to queries. The Google algorithm ranks websites to find which are the most relevant for a certain query. Although there are many aspects that influence ranking abilities (which we discuss in this piece), content and keywords are the most significant.

Google's algorithm is updated on a regular basis. Google, in reality, makes thousands of minor adjustments each year, the most of which aren't apparent enough to notice. However, there are times when Google releases more substantial changes. It's not uncommon for Google to publicize updates ahead of time, especially if the update is expected to have a significant impact on rankings or if it's a new feature and/or ranking method. The regularity with which these larger upgrades, sometimes known as core updates, are released varies. Several of these upgrades, on the other hand, are usually released once a year. The most recent core upgrade occurred in December, and it resulted in a significant ranking shift for some. It's unclear what Google's algorithmic purpose was here, but it's safe to conclude that it didn't think its platform's ranking mechanism was optimized appropriately.

What Is Passage Ranking?

On February 10th, 2021, Google releases their new passage ranking algorithm. Google's passage ranking upgrade, which is now only available in English SERPs in the United States (but is likely to expand globally), is an intriguing take on how Google sorts through and ranks long-form content. In a nutshell, passage ranking is a new approach for Google to rate web page passages. It's a more efficient approach of looking at long-form content on a page and figuring out where certain portions belong. It helps Google comprehend the content of the website, allowing them to create a better user experience by populating SERPs with the most relevant results (i.e. better answers). Google can distinguish the subjects of multiple paragraphs on the same page and rank them individually using passage ranking.

Let's imagine you were looking for information on "how to set up your AT&T router." Originally, top-ranking results may have primarily consisted of articles that provided a broad overview of the subject. With passage ranking, there's a better chance that other articles that answer this subject quickly and in only a segment of the page will be ranked higher by Google (rather than throughout).

The reasoning behind this new update is straightforward: sometimes the best answers are difficult to come by. These responses may or may not be written in a fully optimal manner or mentioned across the page. The best replies are sometimes shortened to a single sentence and located in the middle of a 3,000-word blog. "We can identify that needle-in-a-haystack information you're seeking for by understanding passages in addition to the relevancy of the overall page," Google says.

How Passage Ranking Works

This upgrade was originally dubbed passage 'indexing,' but because this didn't adequately reflect the true nature of the algorithm and Google didn't want to confuse consumers, it was renamed passage 'ranking.' It's not so much a change in how Google indexes pages as it is a new way Google ranks certain pages.

Google's ultimate goal is to create the best user experience possible. Google will rank pages differently if they consider the sections on a page are more relevant to a query than the entire material. According to what we know, Google will isolate the most relevant line, phrase, paragraph, etc., and then rank the website based on that material.

As strange as this may appear to some, it appears to be very similar to a technique that Google already employs — featured snippets. Featured snippets are excerpts from pages that have been chosen to appear at the top of search engine results pages (i.e. position 'zero'). These sections are "snippets" of content pulled from that specific web page by Google because it appears to be the most relevant text for that particular search.

Even without a high domain authority, these snippets provide potential for sites to boost brand awareness, organic traffic, and CTRs. Google, on the other hand, has indicated that passage ranking is not the same as featured snippets. Featured snippets is an earlier technology that pulls text from other systems (rather than passages).

Google’s Intentions with Passage Ranking

Aside from the aforementioned reasons (better answers may reside in more difficult-to-find locations), this upgrade is likely to be another modest step toward Google's broader objective of being 100 percent effective and accurate 100 percent of the time. Alternatively, fully comprehending the user while constantly providing the greatest search results.

And Google is constantly demonstrating that nothing is ever perfect; everything can be improved. This is especially true when it comes to search engine optimization. According to reports, Google receives over 3 billion queries every day. These searches must find and sort the content of the world's nearly 1.2 trillion webpages.

To What Extent Will This Affect Rankings?

As far as we can tell, there hasn't been much of an effect on rankings. It's possible that passage ranking will only have a minor impact on sites that use long-form, unstructured content, providing them a modest bump in SERPs. Does this imply that the ranking of passages has no bearing on other websites? Perhaps. Or, at the very least, the influence will be insignificant. Simultaneously, Google has stated that this upgrade will effect around 7% of all search searches in all languages. However, because passage ranking has not yet been implemented internationally, this influence may not be apparent.

Steps Moving Forward: Passage Ranking Strategies

Let's talk strategy now that we've gone over the specifics. How can you make sure you're ready for algorithm changes? Most of the time, you must optimize "after the fact" by determining what has changed or why ranks have declined. In some cases, Google may provide information ahead of time, such as with the impending Page Experience change (addressed later). This knowledge could allow you to make essential changes before the algorithm is implemented.

Keyword research, metadata optimization, backlink acquisition, user experience, and other SEO recommended practices still apply to passage ranking. With passage ranking focusing on lengthy form material, long-tail keywords, headers, and, of course, content that is "excellent" – i.e., distinctive and relevant – become increasingly important.

Understanding the User

A thorough understanding of your target audience is at the heart of any successful SEO plan. What are their names? What exactly are they on the lookout for? What is their motivation for desiring it? These questions are related to keyword 'intent,' which is an important aspect of excellent keyword research. There are many intentions for many terms, especially ones that aren't long-tail. For example, a user could have many intents for the query "PlayStation," including but not limited to:

1.????Informational (what is a PlayStation)

2.????Navigational (where is the PlayStation website)

3.????Transactional (how can I buy a PlayStation)

You'll want to double-check that the keywords you select have the right keyword intent. If they don't, you can have a difficult time ranking for that keyword. You might also notice that your website isn't getting the traffic you'd like (conversional traffic). Usually, determining a keyword's intent is simple and may be done by simply looking at the keyword itself. Other times, though, this is not the case. Examining the top-ranking pages in SERPs for a certain keyword is an excellent way to determine keyword intent. Is this a blog? Is this a product page?

Creating Unique, Quality Content

When it comes to creating content for their website, many people have this problem: they write material solely for the purpose of having content (i.e. only to show to Google that they have it). This approach isn't ideal. Unique and relevant material is preferred by Google.

Google favors unique material, owing to the fact that unique content is a sign of quality. There's usually a lot of thought put into the issue and the user while creating unique content (intent). Duplicate content across multiple pages is widespread on some sites (sites that are either not optimizing for SEO or aren't sure how to do it appropriately). Why? Because it is simple. Easy, on the other hand, does not automatically imply good.

In terms of relevance, Google obviously wants information to be relevant. They want to make sure that the most popular content is the best at answering people' questions. As a result, the more specific your content is to a user's wants, needs, and other factors, the more organic success you'll find in SERPs.

Utilizing Long-Tail Keywords & Headers

Because long-tail keywords and optimizing the headings of your passages are the most effective strategies for figuring out how to take full advantage of this new ranking system, using long-tail keywords and optimizing the headings of your passages is the most effective strategy when figuring out how to take full advantage of this new ranking system.

Long-tail keywords may jumpstart Google's passage systems, in addition to being ideal for long-form content (i.e., greater word counts, multiple themes, more options for insertions without impacting readability, etc.). Headers are also important for creating an orderly and easy-to-understand content structure for your website, making it easier to grasp not only for people, but also for Google.

There are numerous tools and platforms available to assist with keyword research and content generation. SEMrush and Ahrefs are two of our favorites. Everything you need to know is right here, including search traffic, keyword difficulty, top-ranking sites, SERP characteristics, related keywords, and more. Keyword research can be done without using a database, but it will be more difficult. Still, researching your competition is a wonderful approach to learn which keywords are popular and which keywords you should target (and have a good chance of ranking for). In-depth competition analysis (direct brand competitors and competitors in SERPs) will provide you with enough data to build a successful keyword and content strategy if done effectively.