Reshaping the Landscape of Search: Tracking Google’s Algorithm changes

Reshaping the Landscape of Search:

Tracking Google’s Algorithm changes

Welcome!

Google SERPs are constantly changingAverage volatility score is 4.9 out of 10 (SEMrush data for Google US)

Google is constantly testingMajor updates happen almost monthly now

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Number of Google Updates in 2017*

*SEMrush data @fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

TOTAL

ORGANIC SEARCH

official

ORGANIC SEARCH

Unconfirmed

PAID SEARCH

official + unconfirmed

28

2

24

2

Tools that track Google SERP volatility

@olgandrienko#SMX #21A

serp.watch

Software Keywords Mobile/Desktop Categories Countries SERP Features Google

Updates Other search engines

28,000

✅ x 7 x ✅ x

17,000 ✅ ✅ 2 x ✅ x

11,000 ✅ x 3 x ✅ x

50,000 ✅ ✅ 2 x x x

1,000 x x x ✅ x x

10,000 ✅ x x ✅ x x

no public info ✅ ✅ 6 ✅ ✅ x

no public info ✅ ✅ 7 x x x

no public info x x x x x Bing

no public info ✅ x 50 x x x

Tools that track Google SERP volatility

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

serp.watch

Biggest issue-different scales

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Scale from 1 to 3

Scale from 0 to 10

Scale from 0 to 70

Scale from 0 to 80

Spikes in all tools: Fred Update in April 2017

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Some industries fluctuate more than others and

this has nothing to do with Google updates

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Sports (keyword: tennis)

Mobile Desktop

Some industries fluctuate more than others and

this has nothing to do with Google updates

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

News (keyword: British

Airways; Mobile SERP)

Desktop vs. Mobile

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Latest scores indicate mobile SERPs tend to change more frequently. Especially the % and

number of SERP features is different.

Categories with highest changes

News/mediaAverage score in November: 9.4

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

SportsAverage score in November : 9.1

EntertainmentAverage score in November : 6.2

Example of a very high volatility score (8.0 score)May 17th update (unconfirmed). Keyword: mock draft, first 10 organic positions

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

usatoday.com

seccountry.com

nfl.com

foxsports.com

bleacherreport.com

walterfootball.com

cbssports.com

sbnation.com

rotoworld.com

draftwizard.fantasypros.com10

1

4

5

6

7

8

9

3

2 sbnation.com

si.com

cbssports.com

bleacherreport.com

seccountry.com

nfl.com

foxsports.com

draftwizard.fantasypros.com

usatoday.com

nypost.com NEW!

+6 pos.

+1 pos.

-2 pos.

-5 pos.

-3 pos.

+2 pos.

-6 pos.

NEW!

+6 pos.M

ay b

efo

re t

he

up

dat

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18

th(a

fter

th

e u

pd

ate)

Categories that get hit the most during Google updatesData from SEMrush Sensor

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Go granular. SERP Features trends in the UK’s Finance Industry

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

HTPPS Usage

Go granular. SERP Features trends in the UK’s News Industry

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Top Stories SERPFeatures changes for the last 30 days

Go granular. SERP Features trends in the UK’s Shopping Industry

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Top Ads changes for the last 30 days

Go granular. Track your own scope of keywords

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Position Tracking integration with Sensor

Segmentation by categories

might still be too general.

Track the volatility of SERPs in

your specific niche for

keywords that matter to you.

Biggest spikes: April-May

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

May 23rd

May 18th

April 25th

April 17th

April 4th

Chatter in the SEO world and similar spikes in tools

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Google update & traffic changes : May 2017

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Some sites are dropping or

surging 20-30%, while others saw

much more impact. And there

were several that dropped

heavily in early May, only to surge

back on 5/17.

Source: Glenn Gabe

http://www.gsqi.com/marketing-blog/may-

17-2017-google-algorithm-update/

Common features among update ”losers”

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Aggressive advertising implementations

Thin content pages

Low quality content

UX issues

usually either hindering to interact with a site, disturbing in general or deceptive

(e.g. almost empty category pages, out of stock items), also causing internal content duplication

Boiler plates, content with misspellings, poor grammar or content not of any value

Wrong user perception (e.g. snippet promises something. entirely different), and high bounce rates / low dwell time as the result–and generally weak UX signals

This leads to the obvious… Fix or remove

thin/outdated content

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Improve user experience

Ensure there are no

technical issues.

And machines are not yet smarter than us

@fernando1angulo #SearchCamp

Tools can only guide you,

the road you pick yourself.

Change = disasterIf you fail to adjust

Change = opportunityIf you are ready for it

Thank you!

Thank you!

Fernando Angulo

Head of International Partnerships and Corporate Speakerf.angulo@semrush.com