March has come and gone and spring is officially here, which feels like summer is coming even if it is still a bit cold outside. March has been another interesting month in the world of search, here are some stand out changes we should all consider.
Google has been testing their New Mobile First index for over a year now and this month they have now officially launched it. So they have now started indexing sites to follow their new mobile-first index. The main areas they are focusing on are:
This new way to index as been coming for some time now, and all of our sites here at Verve have been designed for this new way of thinking. We are keeping a keen eye on SERP ranking and will be monitoring them over the next few months for any change.
Google’s new Adwords user interface is still in the Beta stage, cbut this new interface has some great improvements. Not only does it bring the design in line with the rest of google’s APIs which makes it feel more intuitive. It has also made great improvements when it comes to reporting with more in depth custom columns, so we can give our clients a more meaningful report with just the information they are looking for.
For a while now Google have been showing answers to simple every day search queries. For example, if you search for “time in Los Angeles”, Google will show the answer to common search questions:
Google said for queries where this shows up, searchers “rarely use full search results,” and if the searcher wants those results, they can access it with the ‘Show all results’ button. Danny Sullivan of Google recently said:
“For calculator, unit converter & local time, we’re experimenting with a condensed view to further speed up load times. People who search for these tools rarely use full search results, but the results will remain available for those who want them via the “Show all results” button”.
Today Google also reported you can now ask Google to show the air quality in major towns and cities around the world. So if you search for “what is the air quality in London” Google will show a quality rating of the air in London. We think Google‘s instant answers will only grow in popularity as this is another quick way to find answers to everyday tasks.
As well as Google giving us more and more instant answers to everyday questions in a search results page, now google is starting to test “answers” in the “Also Asked” feature. So Instead of just showing additional questions other people may have asked around your query, Google is now showing a snippet of the answer directly below the question to. This could be another handy feature as it gives the user more of an insight into the quality of the information. which again shows the importance Google puts on the quality of your content.
Google my Business (GMB) has added a new feature under your GMB control panel called ‘Add attributes’ released for Women’s History Month, you can now say whether you business is a women-led business. If selected in your control panel you will then see the female Venus symbol show up next to your business listings in the search engine results page.
Here at Verve we are always impressed with the topical artwork on google’s home page and this months was no exception. So to recognize the Irish achievement in the six nations, we thought we would highlight our personal favourite for St. Patrick’s day, which was created by the Irish artist Ross Stewart. it depicts a man building a stone wall with the letters of ‘Google’ hidden in it.
If you have any questions about these changes or have concerns about your own search strategy, please get in touch here or call me on 01743 360 000