The year 2020 is coming to an end and we feel like saying FINALLY! 2020 has not been a restful one and we can’t wait for 2021, for fresh new start.
As you can well imagine, the main topic searched on Google search engine was around the health crisis caused by COVID-19 (coronavirus). However, despite this global pandemic, Google has not stopped working on its algorithm.
For our part, we have continued to offer you new functionalities in order to always meet your needs as best as possible.
In this article we have listed the major changes that the Mountain View firm has made this year, as well as what’s new at Myposeo.
Happy reading!
Google changes in 2020
1 – January 2020 Core Update
Only two weeks into the new year, Google announced on its Twitter account a new major update: January 2020 Core Update.
Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the January 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog post for more about that:https://t.co/e5ZQUA3RC6
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 13, 2020
These “Core Updates” change the way Google ranks the pages of sites referenced in its search results.
This January Core Update was a global update, and was not specific to any region, language or category of web sites. It was a classic “broad core update.”
As after each deployment of a new update, it is imperative to measure the impact of this core update on your website. To do this, these tools are very useful: Google Analytics, the Search Console and Myposeo.
2 – Featured Snippet update
Since 23 January 2020, Position 0 has become the only organic result in the SERPs, i.e. the result displayed in the Featured Snippet (enriched extracts) is no longer offered again in the natural results on the first page.
If a web page listing is elevated into the featured snippet position, we no longer repeat the listing in the search results. This declutters the results & helps users locate relevant information more easily. Featured snippets count as one of the ten web page listings we show.
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) January 22, 2020
Myposeo platform tracks and monitors the SERP environment, including Featured Snippets, Universal Search, Rich Snippets, in fact all result types.
3 – May 2020 Core Update
On May 4, Google confirmed that they are rolling out the second core search algorithm update this year. It is called the “May 2020 Core Update.”
Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the May 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog post for more about that:https://t.co/e5ZQUAlt0G
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 4, 2020
The update has affected the different websites within the search results in very disparate ways and all countries and languages have been impacted.
The most affected categories are Travel, Real Estate, Health and Pets. We can also see that areas of high authority are significantly affected.
The big winner was the News sector.
4 – Google Shopping to include organic results – Free Clicks
In April 2020 Google announced it was to include organic listings into the Shopping tab in the USA, essentially providing advertisers with potentially free clicks. The subsequent roll out was then to be rolled out across Europe, Asia and Latin America in the middle of October 2020.
Retailers can now display their product feeds in the “Shopping” tab of the search engine free of charge to offer a greater number of products online and reach more customers.
5 – New SEO factor: Core Web Vitals
In November, Google stated that Core Web Vitals will become a ranking factor from May 2021.
This means that the experience that your page will offer to users will have an impact on your SEO. The signals relate to loading speed, interactivity and visual stability of the page.
Find some of the most frequently asked questions about Core Web Vitals and Page Experience in this FAQ.
6 – December 2020 Core Update
On 3 December, 7 months after the previous one, Google confirmed on its Twitter account the deployment of a major update of its algorithm: December 2020 Core Update.
Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the December 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog post for more about that:https://t.co/e5ZQUAlt0G
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 3, 2020
This is the 3rd major update carried out by Google on its algorithm in 2020.
The most affected sectors, both on desktop and mobile, are Health, Real Estate, Law & Government.
In terms of desktop search, the Travel and Finance categories also experienced high volatility in the early days of the update roll-out. On the mobile, these are Employment & Education and Pets.
On the winning side are sites operating within the Business & Industrial, Internet & Telecom and Beauty & Fitness industries.
What’s new at Myposeo in 2020
1 – New website and new identity
We constantly welcome our customer feedback on the usability and clarity of the data on the platform After several months of work, we had the pleasure of unveiling our new website and our new identity.
The ergonomics and graphics of the site have been entirely thought out to offer you an optimised consultation, a simple, clear and intuitive navigation.
2 – New module: Keyword Master
This year, 2020, marks the launch of our new module, the Keyword Master.
A complete module dedicated to :
- Keyword Research
- Collecting keywords using Google Search Console
- Collection of Keywords using competitor URL’s
- Keyword suggestions
- Collection of Average and historical search volumes
- Categorising keywords at scale
- Automated Search Intent
3 – New KPI: Weighted Average Ranking
In 2020, our teams have created and developed a customised metrictaking a more precise view than using Average Position as a KPI.
Weighted Average Ranking or W.A.R ,is a calculation that takes into consideration the position of all keywords and the individual search volumes. For an in depth view of using WAR and Global WAR (the inclusion of unranked Keywords) please refer to this blog article.
4 – Brand New Search Engine Tracking: Google Shopping
Since the summer 2020, in addition to the PPC results, Google has been displaying natural product results in SERP Shopping.
Myposeo constant innovations and developments means you can now track and monitor all the Google Shopping SERP results providing powerful insights with the interactions of the paid (PPC) and organic results (SEO). Together with a view of the competitive landscape.
Thank you!
Thank you for your loyalty to the Myposeo platform 🙂
We wish you, your colleagues and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, enjoy your loved ones.
We look forward to seeing you in 2021 for a new and hopefully better year 🙂
Carol-Ann
Marketing manager @myposeo, community manager and writer.
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