Google is a search engine that helps a user in finding the best search result for his/her query. It can do this by creating an ecosystem of products and services which revolves around the internet.
There are a lot of websites on the Internet and thousands of keywords and each keyword is well contested among various players. Some are big players and some are small players. But, Google offers a lot of fair play using which even a small website can target competitive keywords.
As a Digital Marketing expert, you have to prepare strategies using which you can rank the website. The expert uses what’s called Google Algorithm which is analyzed and a solution is implemented on the website to rank it higher.
Before finding out what Google updates in the year 2022, let’s find out what is Google Algorithm.
What is Google Algorithm?
Algorithms are a set of rules which are set to produce a favorable outcome of something. Google uses this set of rules otherwise known as the Algorithm to rank websites on keywords.
Google constantly updates these algorithms to ensure the quality of the websites ranking higher on SERPs remains relevant. On average, Google releases at least 350-400 algorithm updates per year.
These updates force the website owner to keep their website’s standard high and serve the users with the latest and best information. Occasionally, Google releases big updates called core updates like the BERT Core update that changes the core functioning of search.
The fluctuation in the rankings happens when the core updates are released by Google. If your website is hit by the algorithm update then you are required to analyze the update and prepare a solution to tackle that.
Below, we have listed the core updates released by Google using which you can get a basic understanding of various updates and prepare a strategy to rank your website higher.
Google Updates in 2022
The following is the list of updates released in the Year 2022-
March 2022 Product Algorithm Update
March 23, 2022
March Product Algorithm Update is an algorithm update that focuses on the product review and their impact on the search ranking. Product reviews are the most manipulated thing that every business uses.
This update is the third update in the series of Product review update series that started last year in April 2021 and the second update was released in December later that year. March 2022 product update is the third installment of this update.
Most of the reviews that you see on the internet are usually the ones that are either purchased or simply faked using false IDs. This update helps Google in identifying high-quality reviews
The following are some of the guidelines that Google recommends vis a vis the March Core update-
- The review should be detailed and should contain benefits as well as drawback
- The reviews will be analyzed based on the performance of the product or service
- An image of the product with the user using it would help in authenticity
- Highlighting the product USP is also an amazing strategy for a product review update
Page Experience Update
February 22, 2022
Google announced the page experience update for the desktop search in February 2022 and the update will be fully rolled out in March 2022.
As the name suggests, a Page experience Update is an update that centers around the Page experience of a website.
There are three factors called Core Web Vitals that will be taken into consideration which are as follows-
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)- Time frame at which the largest content element appears on the screen
- First Input Delay (FID)- The time it takes for the browser to respond to the user’s first interaction
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)- how ‘stable’ content elements load onto your screen without creating bad experiences
Apart from these, HTTPS security is also an important factor that is used to determine the page Experience.
Based on all these factors, below we have provided you few guidelines which you can use to improve your page Experience-
- Improving your website load speed can be very helpful in ranking your website higher which can be done by purchasing the best web hosting or reducing the page size of your website
- Always have an SSL certificate installed on your website for the best security
- The content quality of your web pages must be good in terms of quantity (No. of words) and quality (grammar, relevance, etc.)
- A good website or high-ranking website always respects the whitespace and you should as well. This keeps the look and feel of the website good and interactive
I am Sunil Tarwara, a seasoned IT professional with over 13 years of hands-on experience in Website Development and Digital Marketing. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses, I have been trusted by hundreds of clients to achieve their digital goals. I have Master’s degree in Information Technology.
Apart from websites, I like hill stations.