we can learn about Google’s algorithm changes in the past and current //

Google’s SERPs have been impacted by algorithm changes over the past few years.

Remember Penguin, Panda and May Day?

Google’s updates usually begin as narrow attempts to solve a specific problem. They then expand and get names before they are incorporated into the core algorithms.

Google remains committed to combating spammy content on the web, despite its dynamic nature.

Understanding Google’s search psychology is crucial, as AI revolutionizes our lives and search.

Examine the common threads that run through Google’s updates, both past and current, to better understand what Google values in terms of actions and content.

Google Search Generative Experience (vs. Knowledge Panel

It is easy to see the comparison. The search community’s reaction to these two updates is similar.

Google Search Generative Experience Preview was released recently. Various articles from Google bring SGE and Bard closer together.

Google shared this animated preview:

The preview caused panic among SEOs as it showed a limited amount of space for organic links.

Search marketers were afraid that SEO and paid search (potentially) would be obsolete without clickable components.

Search was declared dead by many people as soon as the language changed.

A certain FAQ update caused to go up on Twitter as Google documentation confirmed Bard “rarely listed citations and linked to content creators.”

Google’s search professionals were worried that it would stop providing traffic to the wider web due to fewer organic links and a lack direct citations.

That seems unlikely to me. Google’s revenue model is entirely based on click-to-buy advertising.

It’s not that things couldn’t be done differently. You can pay to have your brand mentioned more frequently by an AI in more relevant chats. Forget keywords!

It takes time to get such a technology globally.

Google’s model of advertising is not likely to change over night.

We will go through a period of adapting to new technologies.

We may be asked to craft ads more quickly and change the approach using AI recommendations rather than keywords and links.

Search will continue despite the changes, but in a very different way.

Does this sound familiar? Google launched its knowledge panels in 2012.

Google’s Knowledge Graph, a system that contextualizes information and groups it into entities (without revealing the source), was used to extract information directly into search engine results. This eliminated the need to link to a webpage.

Since then it has undergone many changes.

When the knowledge panel was released for the first time it looked like this:

There were still a lot of organic links. It was a big visual shift that gave more space to informational queries (especially in the search results).

Knowledge panels are available in a wide variety of formats today:

In many cases, there’s no need for a citational hyperlink as the knowledge panel provides the information required directly.

Knowledge panels are not always as aggressive but they can often eliminate the need for clicking, especially when it comes to highly informative queries.

Before AI was mainstream, knowledge panels were introduced in 2012. Many SEOs were predicting doom and disaster even then.

Search is still a thing, even 11 years after the original search.

Google is still the main source of traffic for websites.

SEO isn’t dead.

Google’s SGE/Bard deployments will likely be no different. Just as the knowledge panel in its most advanced form failed to kill the search engine, I expect the same for Google SGE/Bard.

But that still doesn’t mean you will have a bright future.

We must all adapt. There may be a drop in clicks, which we will need to manage. Or alternative advertising methods.

AI, however, is not a meteor that will end our careers.

SEO will change into something new, just as information retrieval (IR), the era that preceded SEO.

Google Helpful Content and Panda

We can make a comparison that is very clear.

Google started talking about “Helpful Content” in August 2022. This system had the goals:

The update to helpful content aims to reward content where visitors have a positive experience. Content that does not meet visitor expectations will perform less well.

How can you be sure that your content will be successful after our update? Follow our guidelines and advice to create content that is geared towards people, rather than search engines. Content creators who put people first focus on producing satisfying content while incorporating SEO best practices in order to provide searchers with additional value. If you answered yes to any of the following questions, then your people-first strategy is probably working.

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  Would you find it useful to have a direct audience of people who are interested in your site or business?
  
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  Does the content you create clearly show first-hand knowledge and expertise (for instance, if it is based on having used a service or product, or visited a location)?
  
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  Is there a main purpose or focus to your website?
  
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  Will someone feel they have learned enough to achieve their goals after reading your content?
  
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  Does someone who reads your content feel satisfied?
  
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  Do you remember our guidelines for core updates and product reviews?
  

Do not create content first for search engines

Following SEO best practices such as those in Google’s SEO guide is not invalidated by our advice to put people first. When applied to content that puts people first, SEO can be a useful activity. “Content created for search engine traffic has a strong correlation with unsatisfying content.”

Many SEOs will be familiar with the Panda update from Google.

Google still refers to by name.

This 2011 Blog Post provides insight into the initial release notes of the update (even though Panda was not called by that name at that time).

Our goal is to provide the best answers possible to our users’ queries. Our algorithms must be constantly tuned, because new content (both good and bad) is posted online every day.

Most of the changes that we make are subtle enough that few people even notice them. We wanted to inform people about a major algorithmic change we made to our ranking in the past few days. This change has a noticeable impact on 11.8% of all our queries. This update aims to lower the rankings of low-quality websites, such as those that offer little value for users or copy content from another website. It will also improve the ranking of high-quality websites, such as those with original information and content, like research, detailed reports, thoughtful analyses, etc.

It is impossible to make major improvements without impacting rankings on many sites. Some sites must go up, and others down. Google relies on the quality content produced by websites all over the world. We have a duty to promote a healthy web eco-system. It is therefore important that high-quality websites are rewarded. This change achieves this.

Google’s goal remains the same: to generate revenue, they depend on a search engine that is useful.

Users will be exposed to more spam if “created-for-SEO” content dominates the search results. This can lead to a decrease in usage and loss of ad revenue.

The rhetoric between Panda’s initial release and the Helpful Content Update is shockingly similar.

The key points are the same, even though the tone has changed.

• Google knows that a healthy ecosystem on the web is in its best interest. You may not trust Google, but it’s in their best interest to not eat their audience.
• Produce content that is useful and helpful to end users. Produce content that is useful and helpful to end users, not just for search engines or SEO.
• Google keeps an eye on the impact of individual updates to their query space. Google is known to make incremental and cautious progress, allowing us to adjust.
• When users are online, they have tasks to accomplish. How can your content help users achieve their goals? When creating your content, focus on this.
• Google still needs human-produced web content in order to learn. It is essential for Google to have new content from which their AI can learn. Without it, online news and information will stagnate. This will render Google’s search engine ineffective.

Initial tests have failed in this area if you believe that AI will learn from itself eventually and eliminate the requirement for human-produced material.

When AI feeds on itself, it seems to degrade the quality of the material produced.

Examining the common threads that connect the past with the present

Doomsayers gain momentum when disruptive technologies such as AI are introduced. They declare, “Search is over, SEO will die!”

We can get a better understanding of Google’s current updates by comparing past Google updates with the rhetoric surrounding them.

This helps us to avoid panic, while aligning with Google’s vision of our content, links, and sites.

We can plan strategically and adapt to years of disruption.

History shows that predictions of rapid technology adoption are usually inaccurate.

AI is a new frontier that we need to explore. With the state of our global economy, it is a necessity.

The article What can we learn from Google’s algorithm updates past and present first appeared on Search Engineland.