Google algorithm updates in 2022

According to the SEO community, several tracking tools showed SERP volatility, and many digital marketers saw drops in site traffic around this unconfirmed Google algorithm update. Although Google didn’t confirm any major changes to the algorithm, the dips in traffic could indicate that a minor update was made. For this update, there was an increase in the number of “People Also Asked” boxes appearing in search results along with a decrease in snippets.

Source: Google Search Ranking Update On January 11th (Unconfirmed)

Google launched a new algorithm update that uses “page experience” as a new factor when ranking web pages. The following search ranking factors from the page experience update are being used to evaluate rankings on desktop:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures how long it takes to load your webpage. Google recommends that your website should load in 2.5 seconds or less.
• First Input Delay (FID): This measures how responsive your webpage is to user input once the page has loaded. Google recommends keeping this under 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This measures the stability of your layout and looks for things such as text moving or resources loading in asynchronously. Google recommends your site’s CLS score should be .1 or under.
• HTTPS: This evaluates a site’s security by checking to see if your page is served over HTTPS. Google considers this especially important because HTTPS adds extra security and helps protect customers’ data.
  • Back in 2018, Google released an official update on Chrome labeling any site not served over HTTPS as “Not secure”. For more information and how to serve your site over HTTPS click here.
• Intrusive interstitials: This refers to the content being accessible to the user.
  • This also enforces a previous update. This update from 2017 saw Google penalizing sites had popups blocking the main content. Please see this article for more information and examples that websites want to avoid.

To evaluate your current standing for some of these metrics, you can use the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console.

Overall, the desktop page experience update was a minor algorithm update that did not have a large impact on most websites. The page experience is just one of many factors that Google uses to determine rank.

Much like the other two unconfirmed updates in 2022, this update was observed through some volatility in rankings. However, the volatility lasted only about three days before returning to normal. The consensus seems to be that this wasn’t an algorithm update.

This update’s primary focus was to better identify high-quality product reviews and get them in front of the user. Here are some of the metrics Google is using to determine the pages they want users to see:

• Include helpful in-depth details, like the benefits or drawbacks of a certain item, specifics on how a product performs, or how the product differs from previous versions.
• Use product reviews from people who have actually used the products, and show what the product physically looks like or how it’s used.
• Include unique information beyond what the manufacturer provides—like visuals, audio, or links to other content detailing the reviewer’s experience.
• Discuss comparable products or explain what sets the product apart from its competitors.

For more guidelines about writing product reviews, read Google’s full list. This March 2022 product review update only affected product review sites, so e-commerce sites and companies were more likely to see some SERP volatility and rank fluctuations.