Summer is upon us here on Vancouver Island, but before we go into holiday mode, here are the most pertinent SEO news and happenings in the world of search engine marketing in Q2.
Learn how Google’s big leak, core algorithm updates, and changes to continuous scrolling and paid search attribution in Google Analytics can affect your search rankings and what to do about it.
1. Google Confirms Document Leak
Google confirmed an “accidental disclosure” of their plans to introduce a feature enabling better indexing and ranking of documents such as PDFs, Word files, and other non-HTML formats within search results. The leak revealed that Google is developing advanced algorithms to better crawl and extract data from documents. The leak was significant because it shed light on Google’s intention to extend SEO practices beyond traditional web pages, giving businesses another dimension to optimize.
While it’s not fully released, this feature is expected to significantly alter how businesses organize downloadable content.
Applying This to Your Business
You can also view your top pages, including documents, in Google Search Console. When we do our competitor research in our content strategies, we’ve seen how surprisingly a businesses’ top visited page from search is a PDF they made years ago! (We use the paid SEO tool ahrefs to get to this level of detail). So upload those PDFs, link to them, and ensure they have relevant keywords so you’ll be ready when this feature launches.
2. Google Core Update June 2024: What Small Businesses Should Focus On
May’s Spam update did a number on low-quality content, with many data points showing drops off a cliff. June is more of the same, punishing sites with thin, outdated content. Write useful content that you yourself would actually want to read.
If I sound preachy, it’s because some site owners still aren’t listening. It’s OK to write with AI, but not only with AI. Spend your limited resources on creating relevant, high-quality content with a strong user experience. Note the last part – don’t make the user work hard! Good content is now table stakes, excellent design and optimizing pages for conversions is the next step in this progression.
Applying This to Your Business
Prioritize updating older content, use proper header structures, eliminate popups, and create a seamless user experience across devices. 50% of users are viewing your site on mobile, don’t neglect them!
3. Google Releases FAQs about AI Overviews: How This Affects SEO
In an effort to clarify how AI-generated summaries are affecting search, Google released a series of FAQs in Q2. These FAQs explain how AI overviews are generated and what types of content AI pulls from. In short, AI-driven overviews prioritize content that answers search queries clearly and comprehensively.
Applying This to Your Business
Again, good, useful content wins. Directly answer user questions. Don’t know what they’re asking? Use Google’s autocomplete, a site like AlsoAsked, and Reddit. Adding FAQs, clear headers, and concise answers will help your content get featured in AI summaries.
4. Google Ends Continuous Scroll: What It Means for SERP Rankings
In a surprising move, Google announced it would end the continuous scroll feature on mobile. Instead, search results will now be displayed page by page. This change impacts how businesses should view their SERP rankings, as the difference between a result on page 1 versus page 2 becomes more pronounced again.
Continuous scroll was meant to reduce friction and keep users engaged, but Google likely noticed it didn’t improve the user experience and users primarily click on the top search results.
Applying This to Your Business
With the return of paginated search, being buried on page 2 or 3 will significantly reduce visibility. Focus on “cusp pages”, content in positions 11-15 that are on the cusp of page 1 as it’s clear that the benefit of being on lower-ranked pages is limited.
5. Google Analytics 4 Changes Will Affect Organic & Paid Search Campaigns
Google Analytics 4 (GA4 is introducing updates that will change how organic and paid search data are collected and reported – in short, more is going to paid. That sure looks good for Google…
Applying This to Your Business
This change affects how ROI is reported. Analyze paid search reports from June to July a little deeper as they may vary in unexpected ways. Make a note going forward if you do any monthly traffic reporting.
Next Steps to Improve Search Visibility
Curious what your competitor’s top pages are? Big Cedar specializes in research to get actionable insights that will boost your search rankings, which means more clients contacting you.
If you’re unsure where to start or want an audit to identify quick wins and opportunities for long term gains, reach out to the Big Cedar team.
