Google’s latest algorithm change – its so-called freshness update – could spell all-change for estate agents’ websites.
This month the search engine giant announced that the freshest news possible will now show up top in search results.
The change will have an effect on between 6% and 35% of web searches.
The pressure will be on agents to keep the content of their sites changing and up to date, in order for them to do well in terms of search engine visibility. Critics of the update say Google’s emphasis is now on freshness of content, not quality.
Searches for recent events, hot topics, current reviews and news items are all set to do well, as will information that changes often.
Searching for a well-known name – for example, The Best Estate Agents in the World Inc – may no longer be enough if no one in your office has updated the listings in some way over the last few days or added a news bulletin.
Google says: “This change better determines the level of freshness needed for each query and promotes fresher results accordingly. We’re continuously working to improve our search algorithm so that we provide users with the most relevant answers to their queries.”
Comments
Hi Industry SEO Insder, the new changes WILL effect brand names because of social results being included... so if someone gets a real bee in their bonnet about a particular agent and the story gathers a lot of online momentum (and/or goes viral)... that story/ies is likely to appear at the top of search results... although it will still be possible to find the originally intended brand site it may appear lower in the list in these circumstances. I agree I'm not expecting a massive change but did want to point that out...
This forum is not about light bulbs. Please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum.
FBA- you have too much time on your hands.
How many forum members does it takes to change a light bulb?
1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed
14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently
7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs
1 to move it to the Lighting section
2 to argue then move it to the Electricals section
7 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs
5 to flame the spell checkers
3 to correct spelling/grammar flames
6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid
2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp"
15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct
19 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum
11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum
36 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty
7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs
4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's
3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group
13 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too"
5 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy
4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"
13 to say "do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs"
1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again.
Many thanks EW, checking me settings!
@ Shame - its still there somewhere - his hasn't just disappeared - but not all devices support flash ;)
Shame EW, some of Britney’s earlier stuff, especially THAT video was far better than current. Never mind
I think that this is a tad confusing. When searching for a specific brand, then there will be little effect if the name is searched accurately.
Many buyers seek 'flats for sale in XX99' and this content remains constantly updated so will not fall foul of new algorithms. What Google want to do is ensure current content moves to the top of the search results.
For example, I recently searched for some information regarding Stamp Duty revenue and had to trawl through a myriad of results from 2007 & 2008 as they had propagated more effectively than newer articles.
It is worth using the immediacy of social media / marketing to keep content fresh and current and to keep a news blog up to date with important issues of the day to maintain current content and pertinent keyword presence.
The main effect will be on fixed sites where content never changes and where there are fixed information pages. Even then, users will find you if the search for you, but may not should they rely on generic keywords.
As Industry SEO Insider said, searches for Britney Spears will not provide pages of what she did in the distant past - rather what she did yesterday.
Sorry but you've misinterpreted their update. It will effect upto 35% of the VOLUME of searches, not of search queries. It's mainly for searches like 'justin bieber' and 'britney spears' - Google are showing the most recently made articles as these are often what users want to see.
Searches for Brand names will never be affected, NEVER. 99% of property search terms won't be affected either - this algo update is likely to pass the property industry by.
EAToday might be affected though as it's a news site - searches for the EAToday brand will never be affected, but non-branded search queries will likely be affected by the update.
hope this clarifies a few things.