Each year, Google makes hundreds of changes to search. In 2018, they reported an incredible 3,234 updates — an average of almost 9 per day, and more than 8 times the number of updates in 2009. While most of these changes are minor, Google occasionally rolls out a major algorithmic update (such as Panda and Penguin) that affects search results in significant ways.
For search marketers, knowing when major Google updates happened can help explain changes in rankings and organic website traffic and ultimately improve search engine optimization.
SEO is complicated. If Google made SEO easy you would see product and service pages rank at the top of every Google search instead of content-rich pages.
That means it would be easier for you to rank and make money, which would cause fewer companies to spend money on Google Ads.
While the updates have certainly been substantial, something you need to keep in mind is that Google update their algorithm every single day. Often multiple times per day.
Search results are also different around the world, and in different languages, and changing search results is a staple of Google, rather than something that has suddenly just happened.
However, what has happened in recent months has certainly been substantial, and the daily updates that typically occur certainly don’t compare to this in any way.
As with any update, some sites may note drops or gains. There’s nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well. Instead, it’s that changes to our systems are benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded.
There’s no ‘fix’ for pages that may perform less well other than to remain focused on building great content. Over time, it may be that your content may rise relative to other pages.”
Mobile vs. Desktop (read the latest 2019 data)
- In 2018, 58% of site visits were from mobile devices
- Mobile devices made up 42% of total time spent online
- Mobile bounce rate came in at 50%