Digital Marketing

5 Google Algorithm Updates To Stay On Top Of In 2022

Team Pepper
Posted on 30/03/226 min read
5 Google Algorithm Updates To Stay On Top Of In 2022

Search engines are the wheels of the digital marketing revolution in today’s times. Endless names are competing to get a spot on the first page of Google today. That’s why the company is constantly improving its algorithms and processes to bring the best search results to its users.

There are hundreds of Google algorithm updates every year, both official and unofficial. These updates affect the way websites rank on the search engine. That’s why marketers need to keep track of these algorithms. SEO will be a shot in the dark without a thorough knowledge of these algorithm updates. So let’s look at the latest google algorithm updates in 2022.

What are Google’s Algorithm Updates?

Google algorithms ensure that the search results shown on Google are relevant to the user’s queries. These algorithms analyze the content on all the websites indexed by Google and rank it based on several factors. These factors include quality of content, the authority of a page, user experience, accuracy, and much more.

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There is no set formula for these algorithms. Google continually changes and improves its algorithms to align with existing technological changes and user expectations. Such changes are called google algorithm updates. Since these updates are frequently released, there is no consolidated database. Google does not publicly announce all updates. Google does not publicly announce all updates. Company officials subtly mention some, while some are left for marketers to figure out. But the question is.

Why are Algorithm Updates Important? 

Since technology is continuously improving and search engines need to keep up, algorithms must be updated frequently. If this is not done, people will find ways to push irrelevant, low-quality content to Google users. It’s essential for websites that offer valuable content to stay on top. The only way to ensure that is by updating Google algorithms timely. 

In this way, only the most relevant content reaches the top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Updates also help SEO managers to find new ways for websites to rank. It discourages black hat SEO practices and penalizes websites that don’t follow existing guidelines.

5 Google Algorithm Updates to Know of in 2022

There are countless updates to google algorithms every year, but here are a few to watch for in 2022.

1. Link Spam Update

Link building has always been an essential SEO practice carefully used by marketers. Your website’s quality of backlinks determines how well it will rank. But many people engage in link spamming to increase their number of backlinks. 

Google rolled out an update in August 2021 to discourage link spamming. This update will enable the algorithms to study the quality and relevance of all links used on a web page quality and relevance. The update supports multiple languages. The websites that monetize themselves through affiliate links, guest posts, or social promotion have to be especially cautious of this update. To avoid getting penalized under this update, remember to follow all link qualifying guidelines shared by google.

2. Sneak Peek to MUM

MUM (multitask unified model) is a technology being developed by Google that will be used to solve complex search queries. Instead of a single update, it’s a culmination of several different updates that will work together to enhance the overall searcher experience. Google plans to use machine intelligence to understand nuanced queries and give richer answers. Apart from standard blue links and snippets, it will include solutions in the form of text, audio, images, and video.

For example, while answering queries like ‘travel plans to Bali’, Google will list subtopics and related content to give the searcher a thorough answer. Users can refine their search or broaden it. MUM is likely to be a thousand times stronger than BERT, which Google currently uses to process text queries. Features like Google Lens and result translation are some of the sneak peeks of MUM technology. Although there’s no threat to marketers from MUM, content quality standards may change as this Google algorithm matures. So you should keep an eye on this update.

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To generate an affiliate income, creators frequently use product reviews. Nevertheless, some creators ignore Google’s guidelines for quality content and just focus on link building. Quality reviews that are detailed, authentic, and users will be rewarded, and ‘thin content’ will be penalized. As per Google, product reviews must cover all aspects of a product and offer expert insights. It includes product characteristics, pros, cons, usage, design, etc. The more researched and helpful a product review is, the more likely it is to rank it on top. So content creators especially should be mindful of this new update to avoid losing their rank.

3. Page Experience Score

Google has recently rolled out this update to enhance the overall user experience on top-listed pages. Each page will be assigned a score. The scores will be displayed in Google Search Console. As part of this process, we consider the core web vitals, the ad experience, security, and mobile optimization. 

Various metrics are included in Core Web Vitals that influence user experience on any page. During this update, the emphasis will be on loading speed, interactivity of the page elements, and visual layout. The initial impact of this rollout has been soft on the indexed websites. But experts believe Google will make further changes that may have a massive effect on the ranking. That’s why marketers should be wary of this update and start optimizing their websites.

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4. Broad Core Update in 2021

Broad core updates are more subtle, and most websites do not visibly feel the effect of these changes on their websites. The 2021 July update was one such core update. There is still ambiguity about the ranking factors it affected. But some SEO experts believe it brought some changes in the ‘Image Search’ and ‘People Also Ask’ sections of the SERP. Google advises that sites can’t do much to optimize their core updates. But one thing that can help websites recover from any ranking losses due to updates is creating better quality content. So marketers should dig deeper into Google’s content guidelines and up their game.

With this, we conclude the list of the top 5 google algorithm updates for 2022. Google’s developer page provides more information regarding updates, so stay up to date by reading this list. Marketers must improve their websites in line with these updates to continue ranking well.

Key Takeaways

  • Google algorithms ensure that the search results are relevant, accurate, high-quality, and authentic. The algorithms use several factors to determine the rank of web pages of the search engine result pages.
  • Google algorithm updates are crucial to enhance the searcher experience. It helps the search engine keep up with advancing technology and black hat SEO strategies.
  • Google’s link spam update penalizes websites for using irrelevant, faulty links to gain authority. Marketers should qualify all their affiliate and sponsored links to avoid losing ranking.
  • Multitask Unified Model (MUM) is a new technology that will help Google answer complex queries effectively. Google lens, image search, ‘Refine this search’, etc., are some features under the update.
  • Product reviews update is relevant for content creators who monetize through affiliate marketing. Google ranks only authentic, thorough, and high-quality reviews under this update.
  • Page experience update brought in a score on Google Search Console to evaluate the overall user experience on a webpage. This update prioritizes UX, mobile-friendliness, and ad experience.
  • We don’t know much about the broad core update, as it was very subtle. There have been slight revisions to the “People Also Ask” and “Image Search” sections.

FAQs

1. Why does Google have algorithm updates?

Google algorithm updates are essential to keep the search results relevant to user queries. Without these updates, authentic content will not rank well.

2. What are Google algorithms?

Google algorithms are data retrieval systems that index and analyze web pages for the best search results. They use different ranking factors to determine the relevance of the web content.

3. How often does Google update its algorithm?

Google does not reveal when it updates its algorithms. But based on expert observation, it brings in more than 400 algorithm updates every year.

4. How many types of Google algorithms are there?

More than eight major Google algorithm updates have occurred, but there are no specific types of algorithms. The factors considered ranging from backlink popularity to content quality.

5. What are the top Google algorithm updates?

Google’s top algorithm updates for 2022 include the link spam update, product reviews update, broad core update, MUM, and page experience update.