Google algorithm update for February 2022

While Google has become better about announcing their algorithm updates, there were no announced updates in February, which did not mean that changes did not occur. If you rely on these updates to keep you abreast of the news, here is what you missed.

User Page Experience Update

Google started updating their User Page Experience for desktops in February, but the update will not be complete until the end of March. This is the same update that Google rolled out for mobile users last summer. Therefore, if you prepared for that update, this one should require no action on your part.

Brand Mentions

Since at least 2012, when Google published their paper called Ranking Search Results, it has been debated if mentioning a brand without linking to it could help your search engine results. According to Google’s John Mueller, that is not the case. He says that you may still benefit from mentioning brand names through people looking for more information about a particular company.

Shopping Experience Card

Google rolled out a new Shopping Experience Card designed to help shoppers find the best merchants to meet their product needs. Stores can apply to get a Trusted Merchant badge for their site. While Google says that you will not be penalized for not participating, they would like you to provide information on your shipping and return policies.

Core Web Vitals Not Linked to Indexation

John Mueller says that having high Core Web Vitals does not mean that your site will be indexed better or faster. To offer a better user experience, you need a good host and offer content directly aimed at the user’s intent.

Pages Can Be Un-indexed Forever

In a recent conversation, John Mueller also said that pages could be un-indexed forever. Pages and websites that lack quality may never be crawled and indexed again. Mueller says that this is a reminder that you should create quality pages that meet user needs each time you create a new page.

While the month was relatively quiet, you still need to be working on your website. If we can help, please reach out.