Google recently published two new algorithms related to natural language processing. One of them claims a new state of the art for understanding how to answer questions. Google has a longstanding goal to transform search into a computer that can understand questions and answer them like a human. Google itself says these algorithms are just the beginning. Just Because Google Publishes Research… It’s important to note that Google’s boilerplate stance on research papers and patents can be paraphrased thusly, “Just …

The concept of Link Diversity is a concept that is casually accepted without thinking about it. But nothing should be accepted without thinking about it. This is not suggesting that obtaining the same kind of link over and over is fine. It may be helpful to consider what role link diversity plays in ranking a site and whether it is still relevant to SEO in 2018. Reality Check on Link Diversity One of the SEOs who has a strong reputation …

In response to confusion surrounding mobile-first indexing, Google published a series of tweets clearing up the most common misunderstandings. Here is a recap of everything Google recently clarified. URLs in search: With mobile-first indexing, Google indexes the URL of the mobile-friendly version of a site. When there are separate mobile and desktop URLs, Google shows the mobile URL to mobile users, and the desktop URL to desktop users. In both cases, the indexed content will be the mobile version. Crawled …

In a recent webmaster hangout, Google’s John Mueller was asked if Google’s search feedback form can be used to hurt individual websites. Mueller’s response was unambiguous and also informative about how Googles search teams use the information gathered from search feedback. Nuance: What is Search Feedback? At the bottom of every search results page (SERPs) is a link with the anchor text, Send feedback. Value Add Image:The footer of every Google search results contains a link for sending feedback about …

Google has introduced a new type of Knowledge Graph card in search results, which will appear when users search for US colleges. When searching for a 4-year US college, like UCLA or Hamilton College, Google will return a Knowledge Graph card with information about admissions, cost, student life, and more. Google says these new cards have been designed to make it easier to find a college that meets a person’s individual needs, which is something many are struggling with right …

Google’s John Mueller revealed that more weight is given to pages in search results based on how many clicks it takes to get to them from a site’s home page versus the URL structure. This topic came up in a recent Google Webmaster Central hangout, where an ecommerce store owner asked about the best way to structure their site. This was the question from the store owner: “We have a multi-location brick and mortar store. We have a single website. …

Google’s John Mueller revealed that splitting a website into two or more sites, or merging multiple sites together, could cause months of instability in search results. This topic came up in a recent Google Webmaster Central hangout, where a site owner was asked about the best way to split a website while moving content from the old site to the new site. “I want to move some content of a French website to a new one. I’d also like to …

Google has released new details about about its spam fighting efforts, revealing that more than 80% of hacked sites have been detected and removed from search results. The search giant plans to continue its efforts by working directly with popular content management systems to fight back against those who compromise forums and comment sections with spam. “Last year, we focused a great deal of effort on reducing the impact on users from hacked websites, and were able to detect and …

Google in Español published an inaugural hangout on YouTube. A web publisher asked about the proper way to import a large product feed with content that is already indexed by other vendors. The web publisher asked if he should use no-index. The publisher stated that he already understood that using original descriptions is the best approach. But he indicated that he is importing a large quantity of products. The following Spanish to English translations were made by me, as I speak …

Google announced it has a host of new search features prepared for the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off next week on June 14th. The new features are designed to keep fans informed with what’s going on in and out of the game. When the FIFA World Cup is in progress, searchers will find new experience for exploring group tables, stats and trending players. So fans can keep track of the tournament directly in search results. Google also plans to …