Things To Know About The Recent Algorithm Updates And Their Impact On SEO
- 8 October, 2018
- Jason Ferry
- Algorithm Updates
Many SEO experts and webmasters are concerned about what Google is “targeting” on their recent algorithm updates. It is said that the latest algorithm demands a reassessment on the common SEO practices. Google is now beyond matching heading elements and title tags to current search queries. For such reason, it’s imperative to understand how the author intent of content relates to the searcher’s intent.
To help you understand these recent algorithms and their impact to SEO, read the following details.
August 2018 Google Update
The August 2018 Update launched by Google was once considered to be “targeting” medical sites in particular. But John Mueller clarified that it was actually a “general ranking update” and it can affect any sites out there. And since this update is about ranking, it means it’s also about relevance.
Neural Matching Algorithm
Another update from Google is the Neural Matching Algorithm, which is an AI algorithm involved in about 30% of the search queries. This update is about understanding what users mean when making queries and what a page of content means, then put these together without using links.
While none of these recent algorithms mentioned the author intent or its use, it’s said that this is still a useful piece to know what Google is doing. The concept of Author Intent can help make us understand why medical sites about natural healing are not ranking for medical phrases anymore. It can be because Google now better understands that “natural” solutions are different from medical ones, regardless of the keywords in the heading elements and title tags.
This SEO news first appeared on https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-september-update/272441/. Click here to learn more.
By working with an experienced SEO company, you can have a better understanding of how algorithm updates can impact your site. Visit our web page where we discuss this and more.