2018 was a year of great changes. 411 Locals reached new heights in business and Google did the same in its search algorithm. We saw the birth of the mobile-first index, we experienced meta description lengths get cut in half, and we welcomed the page speed update among other things. As we are entering the new year, we decided to reflect on the past 12 months. Here is what major updates Google made to its search algorithm in chronological order.
Image Search Update — February
The year kicked off with Google changing the way image search functioned. We kissed the “View Image” button from search results goodbye. This update supposedly came after Getty Images filed a complaint and this was part of the settlement.
The “Brackets” Core Update — March
According to John Mueller, Google Spokesman, the update focused on compelling and shareable website content, but it was more about content relevance than quality.
Zero-Result SERP — March
With this update, Google introduced the Knowledge Card which is a field that is displayed as a response to a search query. Those queries are limited to ones about calculation, unit conversion, time, and date. You can easily check it out by typing something like “Exact time in Miami” or “US dollars to Canadian dollars.”
Mobile-First Index — March, Again
True to its commitment to make mobile SERPs great again, Google rolled out the update where the mobile version of your website is now a determining ranking factor.
Meta Descriptions Length Drop — May
After Google had initially boosted length numbers to limits of 300+ characters, it then decided to shorten them again with 150-160 being the new normal. Longer snippets took up too much space on mobile SERPs which is one of the reasons the update was made.
Video Carousels — June
Google replaced video thumbnails with video carousels. As a result of the update, the number of videos showed in SERPs increased significantly.
Mobile Speed Update — July
This update came as a natural extension to the mobile-first index. Page speed became a ranking factor for mobile searches. The idea behind the update was for mobile users to find answers to their search queries as quickly as possible.
The Medic Core Update — August
The name of the update comes from the type of websites that were affected by it, namely health and wellness ones. We discussed the key takeaways from it here.
Conclusions
Looking at these updates, one thing is clear: content is king, mobile compatibility has never been more important, and the same holds true for page speed. User experience is everything. Who knows what 2019 will bring?
If you get lost just reading about those updates much less incorporate the knowledge into your SEO campaign, it might be a good idea to turn to a professional SEO company to take over for you. We will gladly take on the challenge!
Stay tuned for our next topic!