Recent changes in SEO
Jordi Ordóñez
27/02/2020
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Something is happening on Google: recent SEO changes are taking place and no one says anything from the search engine. What is going on? Let´s try to find out.
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Normally, when we talk in this blog about updates that affect Google's search engine, we usually do it about specific updates, filters that affect certain aspects to be corrected like Panda or Penguin that may cause penalties.It is not the case today. In this post we will try to find out what is happening because, it is clear that positions are moving and many pages are losing visibility since a specific moment of this February.Meanwhile, Google says nothing at all.
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Unidentified SEO movement
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SEO community was somewhat uneasy due to the amount of changes that are occurring in the algorithm in recent months. The most generic core updates happen almost every two months, and we must add others of great relevance such as Google BERT and recent changes in local SEO.When failures on different websites started to be reported through Twitter - it is advisable to keep up to date in this social network in terms of SEO - it makes sense to use those tools that handle volatility indexes. These are very clear: something was happening in February and had nothing to do with Valentine's Day.If we take a look at the activity that Mozcast shows, we can see how on the 7th (it reaches 116 degrees) and then the instability is triggered. It is not until the 10th when it regains normal values.
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SemRush Sensor, for its part, identifies this trend a couple of days later. Day 9 marks a volatility index of 9.4 out of 10.
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Such high figures in both tools, together with the rumor from Twitter, is like adding two plus two: something is happening in SEO. The fact is that the affectation is transversal and occurs globally in all sectors and subjects.Unlike other occasions, Google has not released any additional data that sheds some light. In cases such as the recent launch of BERT, they have notified days in advance of specific dates, while in others, such as core updates or the recent local SEO, they have confirmed in hindsight.Google neither confirm nor deny any change in SEO. The closest thing to a statement that has been published is a tweet on its official channel in which they just say that changes occur every week, nothing more. They do not specify or give any guidelines.
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What do we know about the SEO update in February?
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In the absence of explanation from Google, we have some certainty and other reflection. It is not a change in the core or, at least, that is what we are told by the search engine itself.It affects multiple niches and profiles. In reality, it detects a common pattern. In the last changes, the criteria of the authority and the YMYL sites have always prevailed, as in the original medical update of August 2018.By the way, recently it has been known the registration of a patent by Google in which it uses a vector system to quantify the authority of a web page in a certain subject or area. This happened on February 24, and, as we know how Google works, it does not seem a coincidence at all.There have been cases in which some pages positively affected in other previous updates have recovered traffic, something that is symptomatic of the tests that occur regularly.Keeping the path of the hypotheses, we can also review some that seem to be real. Especially, the fact of living numerous changes in the design of the SERP.
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The fact of including more and more elements outside the organic search itself, such as image carousels, maps, recipes, FAQs, featured snippets and, in short, elements that satisfy the search intention without the need to click, there is a traffic drop to the web even if the positions are maintained. This is one of the most reliable explanations although none is 100%.
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What can we do if we have been affected
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As there are no patterns, all we have left to do is to apply the same recommendations that Google refers to when we are affected by a core update.As there is nothing about on page or off page SEO to fix, we must focus on providing quality content that responds to search intentions and specific questions. In addition, it is essential that the sources are of the highest authority, so that our page is enhanced by them.Apart from that, we only have to continue complying with the Google guidelines.
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Has your page suffered a visibility drop with the recent SEO changes of February? We will keep an eye on the news and update this post if necessary. Follow us!
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Images | Unsplash and tools linked.