Google Algorithm Update September 2021

If you manage a website, there are some Google algorithm updates and new features that you need to implement. September was a quieter month than the summer when Page User experience rolled out, but you should not have stopped working on your site throughout the month.

Google Discover Rollout

Google is rolling out a new feature that allows people to follow your site and get automatic notifications whenever you post a new article. To take advantage of this feature, you need either an RSS or an Atom feed on your website.

Google Warns Against Republishing Content

Google’s John Mueller once again warned webmasters not to republish content found on another site if they want to rank for those keywords. He says you can share content from another site if you are trying to broaden your audience, but you will not rank well for the chosen keywords.

Updates to Google News

Google will no longer require webmasters to enable amp for their news stories to appear in Google News. Furthermore, users will be sent to the publisher’s site to read the store instead of reading it from an RSS feed.

Google Rolls Out New Automotive Features Section

Google users in the United States can now learn more about the vehicle they are considering straight from the Google search engine page. This feature shows possible prices for different trim levels and various options. Google says they license this content, and it does not come from the internet.

Use Product Structured Markup/ Schema

Google’s John Mueller says that you still should use product structured markup/schema even if you do not have product reviews on your website. You either need reviews, the aggregate rating, or offers to use this markup, but you do not need all three.

Google Adds New Features for Travel and Leisure Businesses

Google has added a new ticket button to their listings of attractions. They are also creating new things to do listings that will include images, reviews, pricing and a booking link that will be shown to users that indicate an interest in an attraction or a particular area. They are also offering a new eco-certified badge for hotel listings.

Google Releases New E-commerce SEO Guide

Google has released a new seven-page e-commerce SEO guide designed to help businesses take their business online. Covered topics include:

Understanding where e-commerce content can appear on Google
How to share your product data with Google
The importance of using structured data in e-commerce
How to launch a new e-commerce website
How to design a URL structure for an e-commerce website
Help understanding an e-commerce website’s structure
Learn common UX patterns

Google Search Makes Changes

Google Search has announced that they are rolling out several changes to search result pages. Viewers will now be able to use a “visually browsable” interface. The company has also added more information to their about this result box, including information pulled from a company’s about us page and what others are saying about the company.

Sources:

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-discover-follow-feature/418623/
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-on-syndicate-or-republish-content-32052.html
https://searchengineland.com/google-news-app-will-display-non-amp-content-and-send-readers-to-publisher-pages-374291
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-upsets-auto-retail-industry-32115.html
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-product-rich-results-reviews-32118.html
https://searchengineland.com/google-rolls-out-new-products-for-travel-and-leisure-businesses-thursdays-daily-brief-374662
https://searchengineland.com/ecommerce-seo-guide-new-documentation-from-google-374788
https://searchengineland.com/google-search-gets-larger-images-enhances-about-this-result-gets-more-shoppable-and-more-374748