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Google makes changes to search algorithm

Search engine giant Google has recently announced fresh changes to their search algorithm which builds on the ‘Caffeine indexing system’ they put in place last year and signals a sign of intent to overshadow the likes of Microsoft’s Bing. The new changes focus more on provided the most up-to-date results and delivering the most relevant information.

Google estimate that this will affect around 35% of all searches on the web so companies will have to ensure that all of the information being fed from their websites is as regular as possible if they are to remain within the top listings of results and web designers themselves with have to keep a keen eye on this too.

“Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today’s world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old.” Google’s blog.

These means that the emphasis is on keeping your content flowing, for example, a firm providing a consistent flow of up-to-date and topical information is far more likely to have greater off-page SEO than a firm with out-of-date information that is rarely posted and this is definitely something to bear in mind. If we were to search ‘SEO Birmingham’ on Google now, the search results will automatically provide you with the most recent articles and webpages related to this topic.

Google say that ‘different searches have different freshness needs. This algorithmic improvement is designed to better understand how to differentiate between these kinds of searches and the level of freshness you need, and make sure you get the most up to the minute answers.’

This move could be also seen as a response to Microsoft’s update to the Bing search engine to provide more effective use of social media linking and interaction with websites. “This lets users find not only what they’re looking for, but view related information from their family, friends, co workers and contacts, whether it’s about liking the same band, eating at a restaurant or booking a trip,” says Sean Suchter, head of Bing’s social search team at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus.