Google Search Diversity Update
Google Search has announced a new update to their algorithms which could affect what you see in the top results for your searches. According to a tweet by Google SearchLiason the company intends to weed out multiple results from the same website. Up until now it has been fairly common to see a single site dominating the top results for some search terms. For instance, if you searched for “how to cure a common cold,” you might 5 or 6 listings from WebMD or a similar site, each with different solutions for the cold. With the new update, Google intends to limit the number of times a single site can appear in top search listings to just 2 instances. There will be special exceptions where the algorithms will decide that a certain site has multiple results that are particularly relevant and will allow more than 2 links to be displayed.
How It Works
The new update will use algorithms to scan the web when you type in your search terms. It will then take note of what websites have relevant information for you. The new update will check the entire web address of each site, comparing the root domain. Sub domains of the same root domain will be treated as if they are part of the same website, and Google Search will then begin weeding out multiple instances of the site in top results.
Google Core Update Unrelated
This month Google is also launching a core update to its entire platform. However, it is not related to the Google Search Diversity update, according to the search engine giant. The change to the top results comes out of a necessity to prevent certain websites from dominating the front page of top results when other sites have equally relevant information. The company is still working to refine the process, and at times there will still be multiple listings for the same root domain. But, the effort to fine tune how the algorithms display search results is well underway.
User Response
The tweet from Google Search is receiving attention on Twitter, as users respond to the announcement. Some users claim that websites will use other root domains as doorway pages to lure search engines back to their main site. Others are calling for Google to make an effort to get rid of websites that attempt to stuff the top results with such methods. As Google continues to evolve and change with the times, we will no doubt see more stringent requirements placed on SEO companies in order for them to get their clients listed in the top page of search results. What most people seem to hope Google will do is find a way to eliminate sites that use highly searched keywords in their SEO in order to draw people to their site, which actually doesn’t contain the information they are looking for. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to find the answer to a question about the history of France and being led to a subdirectory of a a travel agency website. We will have to wait and see what Google does next.
