Google has confirmed that their page speed update – officially called the “Speed Update” is now rolling out. The change makes a site’s mobile page speed a ranking factor. Google’s Page Speed Algo had previously only considered the desktop speed forsearch results, with sites with a very slow desktop speed being impacted negatively in both […]
Google Uses Speed Scale for Mobile Page Speed Update
Google’s new mobile page speed update has a new improvement over the desktop page speed algo that Google has used for years… you can improve your mobile site speed on a sliding scale, and that will help rankings. Every mobile page speed improvement made could potentially increase rankings. Previously, the desktop page speed algo was […]
Meta Keywords Use Not a Spam Signal, But Not Used by Google
Meta keywords were one of the early meta tags, but as it is something that could easily be spammed, search engines started to phase out its usage over the years. And some search engines still use it and many CMS still have that section active for site owners to add to pages. But because meta keywords […]
Google: Using Synonyms on a Page for SEO
The old joke goes “An SEO walked into a bar, pub, public house, Irish pub, tavern, beer garden…” and some site owners have been creative about interweaving synonyms into content on a page – some with more success than others. And when it is not done very well, the content can be off putting for […]
Google Search Automatically Learns New Synonyms Over Time
In the last Google Webmaster Office Hours, the topic of synonyms in Google Search was discussed, specifically around how Google recognizes synonyms, and when there is a new word introduced, how Google learns to connect it. First, he says that Google learns synonyms automatically. There isn’t a generated database of synonyms that Google obtains and […]
Google Testing Large Product Knowledge Panel With Paid & Organic Features
Google is testing a new large product based knowledge panel in their search results. This new style is a cross between a product knowledge panel and a Product Listing Ad, something they first began testing several years ago, with a combination of both paid and organic search features included. Dr. Pete Meyers from Moz spotted […]
Keyword Stuffing Will Not Cause Sites to be Removed from Google
Keyword stuffing is an SEO trick that dates back many, many years – predating Google – and it is still periodically seen by sites that are ranking well in the search results. But how bad is it to do it on a site? The question came up on Twitter and John Mueller from Google clarified […]
Google Adds New Hotel Carousel Features to Search Results
Google is testing a new carousel style feature to local packs for resorts and hotels. In addition to the usual information, it has added an additional carousel before the listings. Dr. Pete Meyers spotted the test. Here is what it looks like: As you can see in the screenshot, there are new buttons in a […]
Google Adds Location & Location Icon to Search Results
Google is testing a new icon in the search results to show the specific location of a search result, in addition to showing a location icon, similar to the map icon used on Google Maps. It seems to be used primarily for news results in the regular organic search results. Here is what it looks […]
Google Treats Hreflang in Sitemaps and HTML the Same
There are multiple ways to add hreflang annotations for webpages, but are any of the ways treated differently by Google? Is one way processed faster than another? The question came up on Twitter, and John Mueller from Google confirmed that Google treats each hreflang application the same, regardless of whether it is in HTML or […]