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Google algorithm updates 2022 in review: Core updates, product reviews, helpful content updates, spam updates and beyond
Google introduced a brand new ranking algorithm this year, the helpful content update but pushed the same number of official updates in 2022 as it did in 2021.
Google says don’t expect a new core update by year-end
The holidays are approaching and SEOs are worried that we might get another core update by year end.
Google doubles up on E with updated search quality raters guidelines (E-E-A-T)
Add an E to E-A-T with experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
Google releases December 2022 link spam update
This update is rolling out now for the next couple weeks, while the helpful content is still rolling out.
Hit by the Google spam update? Here’s what you might be doing wrong
Steer clear of outdated and dubious SEO tactics. Here are tips for doing SEO that benefits real-world users – without tricking anybody.
Google helpful content system update rolling out now (December 2022 update)
This update adds new signals and also brings the helpful content update globally for all languages.
Google brings continuous scroll to desktop search results
This is now rolling out for English / U.S. search results.
Link juice: Is it the new snake oil of Google SEO?
Should you reject any SEO advice mentioning "link juice"? Here's a look at the term's origins and why you shouldn't completely dismiss it.
Google Search adds new spam policy: Policy circumvention
If you find ways to get around Google's spam measures, Google may take action on your content, site or account anyway.
Google publishes document on more notable ranking systems
Google also lists the algorithms that are no longer being used for search rankings.
Google Search Console adds Shopping tab listings feature
This gives you more details on your product snippets, merchant listings and the shopping tab listings.
Google’s Panda algorithm evolved into the Coati algorithm
At SMX Next, Google revealed that, years ago, the Panda algorithm was replaced with an updated algorithm called Coati
SMX Next Day 1 kicks off today with Google VP of Search H.J. Kim
We get into the mindset of the people who write the Google Search ranking algorithms.
Google now recommends using dots for decimal numbers in your review snippet structured data
Commas will continue to work but Google is specifically recommending you use dots over commas.
Links may be less important to the Google Search ranking algorithm in the future
As Google better understands how the content fits in within the context of the whole web, links might not be as necessary.
5 SEO best practices for Black Friday and the holiday season
Looking to boost your holiday sales this Black Friday/festive season? It's best to plan ahead of time and implement these seasonal SEO tips.
Google Search adds new coupons, side-by-side deals and price insights
Right before the holiday shopping season, Google added new search features to help searchers find deals.
How seasonality affects the SERPs and what it means for SEO
Assessing how the SERPs will change during these seasonal periods helps inform our SEO strategies to maintain brand visibility.
Google’s 2010 and 2018 page speed algorithms were replaced by core web vitals
Yep, it is all about the Page Experience update and core web vitals when it comes to Google's ranking alogrithms.
Crawl efficacy: How to level up crawl optimization
Crawl budget is a vanity metric. Your goal should be to guide Googlebot in crawling important URLs fast once they are published or updated.
Google search study: 25.6% of desktop, 17.3% of mobile are zero-click
Is Google stealing all those zero-click searches for themselves? No. In fact, many are a result of query refinement from searchers.
Google Search Console mislabeled structured data errors as errors
This was a reporting issue only and did not impact the Google search results.
Google October 2022 spam update done rolling out in less than 48 hours
The update started on October 19th and was completed less than two days later on October 21st.
Google releases October 2022 spam update
This is a global update that may take several days to fully roll out.
7 tips to turn Google’s Search Essentials into strategy
Building an SEO strategy around the Search Essentials documentation gives you the best chance to boost your clients' Google performance.
Google rolling out site names and updated favicon logos in search results
Make sure to check out the new site name structured data documentation.
Google replaces its Webmaster Guidelines with Google Search Essentials
Google has done a full refresh of its old Webmaster Guidelines, simplifying them and removing the term "webmaster."
Google adds more example categories of sites that may be impacted by the product reviews update
Three new examples were added to the how to write product reviews Google help document.
Google Analytics v3 Search Console report currently not showing query data
The data is showing in GA4 and in Search Console but not in Universal Analytics 3.
What the new wave of machine learning libraries means for SEO, marketing
There's more to algorithms than Google. Learn about advances in machine learning, how they're used today, and what's in it for you.
The modern search landscape: How and where to reach your target audience
Today's web users go beyond traditional search engines to search. Learn about the platforms that should be on every search marketer’s radar.
25 tips to optimize your content for people and search engines
Content optimization today should combine a user-first approach with a good grounding in SEO. Here's how to get the right balance.
Technical SEO testing: How Googlebot handles iframes
Here are some test scenarios that may lead Google to index the content inside an iFrame, while assigning that content to its parent URL.
10 biggest announcements from Google Search On 22
Here's a recap of the biggest updates from Google Search On 2022 event, including Multisearch, Lens, autocomplete, search filters and more.
Google’s September 2022 core update hit fast but was less significant than previous updates
The data is in from the tracking tools and here is what these tools are showing with the latest Google algorithm update.
Google releases September 2022 product reviews update
This is the fifth Google product reviews update that comes out about a month after the last update.
Google expands enhanced product experiences to more ecommerce sites, releases new Search Console reports
You no longer need to be in Google Merchant Center, websites that implement structured data will also gain rich product experiences in Google search results.
Google releases September 2022 broad core update
This update will take about two weeks to complete and follows the helpful content update that completed last Friday.
Google helpful content update is now done rolling out
The update started on August 25th and completed 15 days later on September 9th.
What is quality content?
Learn what it takes to create quality content that is helpful for users, ranks well in the SERPs, and surpasses the competition.