Announcements of more or less significant changes in the results pages, Google algorithm update announcements sometimes generate a wave of panic among SEOs and site owners. Should we necessarily be wary of them? Are most sites at risk from the adjustments made by Google? These are the questions, among others, that we will try to answer with Sandrine Bertrand!
What you need to remember:
- After an announcement, it takes several weeks to confirm the impact of an update.
- The vast majority of updates announced by Google concern the fight against spam.
- Certain types of sites are more prone to position volatility than others, notably YMYL sites and news-related sites.
- Although useful, weather sites in SERPs can create irrational panic.
Google announces an update: what to do?
The first thing to do is not to panic. Sandrine Bertrand advises us to try to understand what is behind the announcement, avoiding touching anything. Problem: Google’s communication is often vague. You must therefore learn to read between the lines, be patient and ideally wait for the end of the deployment.
” You have to wait between one and two weeks before confirming that you have been affected by an update. “
Generally speaking, if a site has been affected, there is no real doubt. But what does “being affected” mean, in the context of an algorithm update? “ It’s not losing one or two positions, it’s losing 80% of its visibility. ”
In other words, the small changes in positions that a site may experience do not mean much. “It’s just movement. The web moves.” Indeed, positions can change every hour, especially on topics related to current events.
Sandrine also advises us to ask ourselves the following question when we notice changes: “Am I the one who lost, or did the other one win?” In some cases, it is simply the competitor site that is a little better, but that does not mean that there is a problem.
Sometimes the site is not penalized per se, but Google considers that the search intent has changed. This can result in pushing the site to the second page for certain queries.
Google stands up to spam
For Sandrine Bertrand, the vast majority of announcements have one primary goal: to allow Google to officially communicate to show that they are putting things in place to fight spam. The other announcements can be summed up as: “we are improving the quality of the results“, which in a way amounts to announcing… fighting spam! In short, most site owners have little reason to worry about the updates deployed by Google.
” As a general rule, if you don’t mess around, you have little chance of being impacted. Except on volatile SERPs. For some sites, this is the norm. “
Some sites are, however, more at risk than others. This is particularly the case for sites designed to position themselves quickly by relying on sometimes poor quality content. For Sandrine, ” the goal is to do it quickly, to do it well and to make money, so you take risks. ” It is therefore not surprising that some of these sites, which Google clearly considers to be spam, are subject to updates that are supposed to combat unwanted content.
The special cases of YMYL sites
YMYL (Your Money Your Life) content, which concerns topics related to health, security or finance, is also a special case. Indeed, given the critical dimension of these topics, Google tends to prioritize trusted sites. As Sandrine points out, this can lead to strange SERPs that highlight sites that have no business being there.
We are thinking in particular of sites affiliated with foreign governments, deemed trustworthy, but not always relevant. Indeed, on certain requests related to health for example, the legislation of different countries may differ, which can mislead Internet users. Consequence: Google tends to frequently adjust its algorithm to resolve this type of error.
Google’s decisions are also a geopolitical matter
To anticipate possible changes implemented by Google, it may also be wise to follow political and geopolitical news, particularly between Europe and the USA. Indeed, certain decisions can have major consequences, as was the case with the entry into force of the GDPR.
Another example, mentioned by Sandrine Bertrand: the antitrust trial that Google is currently facing will certainly have a significant impact, which is however still difficult to measure. Let’s not be mistaken: once the judge’s decision is rendered, we will certainly see a myriad of catastrophic articles appear on the fate reserved for Google… which will appeal the decision anyway. As you will have understood, to understand what is really happening, you must first and foremost stick to reliable and rigorous sources, and which master the specificities of American law (in this precise context).
How to stay informed about updates?
To not miss any new official announcement from Google, the safest thing to do is to follow the accounts of Google Search Central, Google Search Liaison, but also the different accounts of John Mueller, Danny Sullivan. Names that will obviously sound familiar to the ears of SEOs.
A final word from Sandrine, concerning the SERPs weather tools. Although these can be useful for tracking movements in the results pages, they can also create irrational panic movements, due to the general volatility of positions. In short, be careful to take a step back!
