Search Algorithms
Search engines have complex search algorithms which are used to ensure they are able to display the most relevant and useful results to their users. While algorithm changes are common and won’t usually affect a site’s ranking, search engines such as Google will occasionally introduce a major update which may impact search results. Our Hangout Notes cover insights from Google around these algorithms with best practice advice.
Google’s Algorithms Don’t Use 3rd Party Trust Sites as a Source
John confirmed that Google does not use the Better Business Bureaus score (BBB) or any other third-party trust sites in their search engine algorithms.
Invalid HTML Can Impact Google’s Ability to Understand Structured Data
Invalid HTML can make it difficult for Googlebot to understand which parts of a page belong together for structured data.
Algorithms Don’t Change Depending on Industry
Google’s algorithms won’t expect different things from different industries and won’t be adjusted separately. This is also the case for things like times of year, so there aren’t designated algorithms looking at Christmas or Halloween-related queries.
Google News Works Differently Than Organic Search Algorithms
Rankings and algorithms work differently for Google News than for regular organic search results.
Accessibility is Not Currently a Ranking Factor
There has been talk at Google of making accessibility a ranking factor in future, but this isn’t something that’s being actively worked on at the moment.
Above the Fold Algorithm Will be Similar with Mobile-first Indexing
John expects that Google’s above the fold algorithm will be similar once a site has been moved over to mobile-first indexing, however it isn’t clear if the mobile version of this page will be used.
Google Doesn’t Select Homepages as the Most Important Page by Default
Google doesn’t automatically decide that the homepage is the most important page on a site. This is an effect often seen because Google’s signals indicate the homepage is important e.g. through internal linking and backlinks.
When splitting a category page into two separate pages, John recommends redirecting the old URL to one of the new pages and then updating internal linking normally within your website’s structure. There is no specific markup which can tell Google that a page has been split into two separate pages.
Sites looking to recover after Google’s core algorithm update on August 1st should focus on making their pages more relevant for searchers. It takes time for Google to understand how individual pages and whole sites are relevant and the impact of changes that have been made.
Google Displays Different Date Types Depending on Which is Most Relevant
Google’s algorithms decide to show the last modification date or the original publication date depending on which is deemed more relevant. For example, the last modification date might be more useful if something has significantly changed on the page.
Mobile-friendly Results Will Rank Higher
If a page is mobile-friendly then this allows Google to rank it higher as a search result because it provides a better experience for users.