The goal of any search engine is to quickly connect users with relevant and useful answers to their queries. Last month, Google’s Danny Sullivan briefly described on the company blog how Google sets about achieving this aim. His comments underscored some of the challenges facing search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search service providers.
Google’s search engine results page (SERP) has changed drastically since the platform’s launch. Where once it delivered a simple list of links to websites, it now offers a suite of useful features, including featured snippets, knowledge panels, and search autocomplete. In fact, Google makes more than 3,200 changes to its search system every year, or about 8 or 9 changes every day.
“Some of these were visible launches of new features, while many others were regular updates meant to keep our results relevant as content on the web changes… And some are also improvements based on issues we identified, either via public reports or our own ongoing quality evaluations,” Sullivan wrote.
While some of these changes took immediate effect, others were implemented slowly.
“Unlike with Search features where we are able to quickly correct issues that violate our policies, sometimes identifying the root cause of ranking issues can take time, and improvements may not happen immediately,” Sullivan continued.
The frequency of Google’s changes reflects the company’s massive growth – in 2009, only 350-400 changes were made.
Digital marketers know that search is always changing. Google has released regular updates for years and will continue to do so. Search engine optimization professionals must respond and adapt to these changes while also identifying trends and predicting the direction of Google’s future changes.
As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media is positioned to ensure your website remains visible and relevant throughout Google’s changes. Contact us today to learn more about our search engine optimization and paid search marketing services.
