5 Recent Google Updates You Can’t Miss

1. Goodbye Instant Search! In a move to align mobile + desktop user experience, Google results no longer dynamically update as you type. Yes, predictive words still appear in the search box, but the actual results stay put til you click “Search”. We predict this will lead to more impact from long-tail phrases (i.e., users won’t stop mid-query to click one of the results they see). 

    

2. As part of its move to mobile-first indexing/optimization, Google will happily index tabbed/hidden/expandable (accordion) content if it provides a good user experience on mobile. Historically, tabbed/hidden content was penalized in search results. Read more from our Blog: Expandable Tab Content Will Be Given Full SEO Weight in Google’s Mobile-First Index

    

3. Google has mentioned that they like breadcrumb navigation within sites as a method of providing great user experience, good organization and navigation flow. In fact, on June 22, Google’s Gary Illyes verified that breadcrumb navigation is used in PageRank computation:
    

   

   What does that mean for you? Good breadcrumbs = better PageRank scores = better SEO and SERP results.

    

4. Historically, Google mostly used the server location and top-level domain indicators (ccTLDs) to figure out whether a site should rank in a particular part of the world. However, with more cloud-based, non-localized hosting, Google now relies on ccTLDs and the Google Search Console (used to be Webmaster Tools) setting for geotargeting (where a site should be “seen”). 
    

   

   HDMZ follows current best practices by using ccTLD (i.e., domain.de) or subdirectories (i.e., /de-de/) and sets geotargeting settings in Search Console based on client needs.

    

5. Google Posts are now available for companies with verified listings on Google My Business. These tweet-like posts feature prominent CTAs and will appear alongside business listings – but will likely expand to other areas of Google search results. If your content calendar would benefit from adding a new Google-hosted channel, let’s talk.
   More from: Google’s Announcement or SearchEngine Land

Our team, as always, loves to keep up on recent news and help our clients work smarter. Drop us a line if you have any questions!