14 Feb 2024
- 01 Feb 2018
- 4 Min read
January 2018: SEO News & Google Updates
- by Emily Park
In the world of digital marketing and SEO, 2018 has gotten off to a busy start. Google has been making announcements left, right, and centre. So, to help you keep track of what’s been going on, we’ve pulled together four of the main updates and new stories you should be aware of: Google revealed that mobile page speed is set to become a ranking factor, a new Q&A feature was added to Google My Business, YouTube’s Partner Programme eligibility requirements changed, and hundreds of publishers were accidently removed from the Google News Index.
Read on to learn more about all of the developments from January 2018, and how they could affect you and your business.
Page speed will soon be used as a mobile ranking factor
On 17 January, Google published a post on their Webmaster Central blog that announced page speed will be used as a mobile ranking factor from July 2018. The search engine giant has used page speed as a ranking factor for quite a while, but the signal has only applied to desktop searches.
Google has said that the “Speed Update” will only have a negative impact on pages that deliver the slowest experience to users, which should mean that only a small percentage of sites are affected. However, they did note that the intent behind a search query is still a very strong signal, which means a slow page might still rank highly if it has high-quality and relevant content.
People want to find the information they’re looking for as quickly as possible, which is why it’s so important you ensure your site doesn’t keep them waiting. If you have any concerns about how your website could be affected by this change, you can evaluate a page’s performance using Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
New Q&A feature added to Google My Business
Back in August 2017, Google announced that they were planning to add a question and answer feature to local business listings, and it finally came into effect this month.
People looking to visit an establishment often have questions, such as whether they provide high-chairs and what the accessibility is like. This information isn’t always available online, and business owners will always have the most reliable answers to their customers’ queries. So, the Q&A feature will provide business owners like you with a new way to engage with potential visitors.
To take advantage of this feature, simply search for your business on Google and go to the Question and Answers feature within your business listing. You can then respond to any questions directly. You’ll also be able to add FAQs and highlight any high-quality responses from others in the community.
New eligibility requirements for YouTube Partner Program
On 16 January, Google announced new eligibility requirements for its YouTube Partner Programme (YPP). The company has said that this move is being made in an effort to better protect creators using the platform, but it does make it more difficult for people and businesses to monetise their videos.
In April, YouTube brought in rules that meant a channel had to have 10,000 lifetime views in order to join the YPP, but they have since decided that the bar has to be higher. So, now, channels will only be accepted onto the scheme if they’ve racked up 4,000 hours of watchtime in the last 12 months, and they must have at least 1,000 subscribers.
These new rules already apply to people who are thinking about applying to the YPP but, from 20 February, it will also affect people who are already part of the scheme. From that date, any channels without 4,000 hours of watchtime or 1,000 subscribers will no longer be monetised, regardless of whether they’ve previously been accepted onto the programme.
You should pay close attention to these changes if YouTube is one of your revenue streams, or you’re hoping to turn it into one. Plus, the guidelines could change again if YouTube feels the new rules aren’t effective, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for further updates.
Google rolls out new Search Console
On 8 January, Google published a blog post that explained it would be rolling out a new Search Console experience. A few months ago, they had released a beta version to a limited number of users and, as their tests went successfully, they’ve decided to make this available to everyone. According to their announcement, this is “so everyone can explore this simplified process of optimising a website’s presence on Google Search”.
Google hasn’t yet finished combining the features of the old and new Search Consoles, but this is happening gradually. For now, both versions will live side-by-side — you can easily navigate between them using links in the navigation bar.
So, what’s new? Firstly, you’ll be able to access Search Performance reports, which offer 16 months’ worth of data. This will allow you to spot long-term trends and ensure it’s much easier for you to make year-on-year comparisons.
The updated Index Coverage report will also provide more helpful information than the previous version. As well as offering insight into which of your URLs are correctly indexed, whether there are any potential issues and what you can do about them, it will alert you when there are new problems and help you to fix them.
The new Search Console’s features will give you more information and a better understanding of how your website is performing. Plus, they’ll soon be integrated into the classic Console, so it’s certainly worth trying them out.
Hundreds of publishers accidentally removed from Google News
At the beginning of January, a number of news publishers found that they had been removed from Google News, according to Search Engine Land. At first, it wasn’t clear whether this was intentional, but the search engine has since confirmed that this was done accidentally. They said: “We apologize for the issue that resulted in a number of sites being delisted from Google News. This was an unintentional technical issue and not something we did manually. We are working hard to identify the sites that were incorrectly affected and will get them back in as soon as we possibly can.”
Fortunately, this bug was identified quickly, and affected sites were welcomed back into the Google News Index shortly after.
You’re now up to speed with the biggest SEO and digital marketing news from January 2018. We also update our Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles with news and advice on a daily basis. So, be sure to follow us!
