The what, when and why of organic search right now

What? When? Why? The SEO team have collated recent announcements from major search engine Google  about algorithm, indexation and functionality changes. Find out what they are, when they’re happening and why you need to know about them.

Google For Jobs

What? It’s the opportunity for job vacancies to appear directly within organic search results – making job seekers’ lives easier. It works via schema, which has already been announced and is in practice.

When? The schema was announced and Google For Jobs was launched in May in the US only. It is rapidly spreading, soon to arrive in the UK.

Why? Google aims to provide a streamlined experience for the end user, and a lot of their users are searching for jobs. If you’re a jobs board, you’ll want to be following the schema to the letter for every single entry to maximise your search visibility. Advertise jobs on your site? You’ll want to add that schema for the chance to appear in front of more candidates.

Read about it here

Mobile first index

What? Google crawls and indexes content on your site and stores it, ready to display in search results. The mobile first index means that the mobile version of all your webpages will be the primary source of content for the index.

When? It’s been in the works for ages, but Google’s mobile first index is supposed to be coming in 2018. It has been confirmed that it won’t be all at once, but rather sites will be indexed in batches.

Why? Looking at your site’s mobile version will be more important than ever, as the desktop version will no longer be the key source for content and no longer have the same influence over your search visibility.

Read about it here 

Google Posts

What? Google Posts allow you to post a message to your Google My Business page, where all your customers (and potential customers) can see. The messages last for about 7 days, but appear directly in search results.

When? This feature was spotted last month, but has not been picked up by many businesses yet.

Why? You can broadcast messages, sales, emergencies and key, usable information directly associated to your business – contacting the customers who need to know there and then. It is a chance for your listing to stand out, especially to customers not using social media.

Read about it here 

June 25^th Update?

What? No one is entirely sure, actually. What we do know is that Google makes updates all the time – with changes to the algorithm happening daily.

When? Various algorithm trackers noticed a spike in ‘SERP activity’ across the weekend of June 25^th, and SEOers noticed ranking fluctuations for ‘clean sites’. However, there was no distinct pattern across the board.

Why? It is important to remember that algorithm tweaks happen, and not all of them will be formally announced.  If your content is fresh, your site user-friendly and the backlinks genuine, these small tweaks are nothing to worry about.

Read about it here

Want to maximise your organic visibility? You can get in touch with the SEO team, for best-practice, white-hat and up-to-date website optimisation.