Google has recently unveiled several updates that have brought about interesting changes to search result data and rankings. Keeping up to date with these developments, and understanding their impact on your business, is key to staying on top of your marketing game.
Here are a few important announcements from June, as well as some useful information to keep in mind moving into the second half of 2019.
1. Google’s June 2019 Core Algorithm Update Impacts Rankings
For the very first time, Google pre-announced its June 2019 core algorithm update which rolled out over the first week of the month. One noticeable impact of this update has been the sudden loss of rankings for high authority websites that demonstrate E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) factors.
Following the update, Bitcoin news site CCN.com revealed their traffic from Google searches on mobile devices fell 71% overnight, with their daily ad revenue also dropping over 90%. CCN temporarily shut down before noticing a previously-used domain was reappearing in Google searches. Find out more here.
2. High Ranking Websites Are Overlooking Accessibility
A recent study from Searchmetrics has found that accessibility for the blind and visually impaired is lacking across websites with high SERP rankings. Using Google Lighthouse, technical optimisation levels were tested including colour contrast, and whether fields including images and buttons were tagged with adequate descriptions.
Failing to make your site inclusive and accessible to those with disabilities, not only ignores an entire group of website visitors and potential customers, but can also open you up to legal issues. Learn more here.
3. Google Search Console Displaying 90 Days of Search and Discover Data
A new adjustment to Google’s Search Console performance report means marketers and business owners can now access significantly more data than before. The default clicks data range for both search results and the Discover feed now covers the past 90 days, an upgrade from the previous limit of 28 days. Find out more here.
Image by Search Engine Journal
4. New Tips for More Effective Video Advertising
If video advertising isn’t part of your digital marketing strategy or you’re struggling to make it work for your brand, here are eight tips to do it well. Making your ads personal, relevant and authentic is always important, as are testing, choosing the right video format, and including an all-important call to action. Read the full list of tips here.
5. Google Restricting Same-Domain Listings For Most Search Results
Another recent update from Google, unrelated to the June 2019 Core Algorithm Update, has revealed new restrictions on the number of times a website domain appears in search results. For most search queries, up to two listings per domain are now shown. Subdomains are considered the same as the root domain, while branded queries are less likely to be affected.
This change is an effort to show greater diversity in search results and avoid a singular domain taking over the top results. Find out more here.