Google “Phantom” Update Rolling Out Targeting Informational, ‘How-To’ Content

NBC reports that an undisclosed, “phantom” algorithm update is rolling out in Google search right now which is primarily impacting publishers of “how-to” style content.

HubPages, a collection of more than 870,000 miniblogs containing informational content about wide varieties of topics, saw its Google search traffic drop 22 percent from one week to another on May 3.

Websites like eHow, WikiHow, and Answers.com are other sites that have seen significant drops in traffic over the past couple of weeks.

Glenn Gabe, of New Jersey-based G-Squared Interactive, is the one to coin the phrase “Phantom” update because this update came without warning, and Google has yet to acknowledge its existence.

Through analyzing the data, Gabe has determined that this udpdate is not related to Panda or Penguin. However, similar types of “thin” content targeted by Panda are also being targeted by this update.

Gabe points out that clickbait articles, sites with an abundance supplementary information, pages of stacked videos, and pages difficult to navigate have all lost visibility in recent weeks.

This update is said to be “ruthless” in its approach — apparently having no problem punishing entire domains for a few instances of thin content.

“When you have a domain-level algorithm update or ranking change, it can impact the whole site… Pages that should be drawing well could also be pulled down in the results.”

Google has not formally commented on this update, although at SMX Sydney this week Gary Illyes, from Google’s Webmaster Trends team, alluded to there being a recent change that’s part of a core algorithm update.

With Google’s Knowledge Graph being notorious for detracting traffic from sites for “how to” searches, coupled with this “Phantom” update, being a content publisher is more challenging than ever. Even Gabe, who analyzes search data for a living, admits to not being able to predict what business will look like tomorrow, next week, next month, etc.

Have you noticed a significant change in your traffic since the beginning of May? If so, what types of content do you believe was targeted? Details are scarce at this point, so any information we can get is valued.

Source: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-phantom-update-rolling-out-targeting-informational-how-to-content/132812/

Bing to Roll Out Its Own Mobile-Friendly Algorithm Update

Today, Bing published details about a future update that promises to improve how it delivers mobile-friendly search results to mobile searchers. Bing’s approach is not unlike Google’s, although there are some subtle differences.

The key difference here is that Google gave a firm date as to when its mobile-friendly update would be rolled out, while Bing has opted to be a bit more vague. Bing has not given an exact date, other than to say it will be launched in the next few months.

Another difference is how Bing promises to maintain a balance between mobile-friendliness and relevance. Google’s mobile search results now exclude any page that’s not mobile-friendly, which may not necessarily be the case with Bing’s new algorithm.

Bing says that non-mobile-friendly web pages may still be included in mobile search results if the content contained within is determined to be the most relevant to the user’s query.

“While the changes will improve ranking for mobile-friendly pages, webpages that are highly relevant to the given query that are not yet mobile-friendly will not get penalized. This is a fine balance and getting it right took a few iterations, but we believe we are now close.”

This is intriguing, and I look forward to seeing in practice how well this works out from a user’s standpoint. Will users care how relevant a page is to their query if it’s not formatted to fit nicely on their screen? I suppose we’ll learn more when this eventually rolls out.

Bing’s Criteria For Determining Mobile-Friendliness

Bing detailed its criteria for ranking mobile friendly web pages. In addition, the company will soon be releasing a tool for testing whether or not your site meets Bing’s criteria.

• Navigation – The menus, buttons and links on the page should be large enough and spaced well apart to aid touch-based navigation.
• Readability – The text on the page should be readable without requiring zooming and lateral scrolling to access specific content.
• Scrolling – The content of the web-page should fit within the device width, without the need for horizontal scrolling.
• Compatibility – The content needs to be compatible with the device. For example, if the page contains a video it must be viewable on mobile devices.

All of the above factors will need to be in place in order for Bing to consider a website truly mobile-friendly.

This update will be rolled out “in the coming months”, and Bing says you can expect more details to be revealed leading up to the launch.

Source: http://goo.gl/obhhfp

Survey: Consumers Prefer Mobile Browser To Apps For Local Information

Data reflect competitive disadvantage for SMBs who don't optimize for mobile.

In the larger context of Google and now Bing’s Mobile Friendly algorithm updates comes a new consumer survey from SEO firm BrightLocal. The data show overall that consumer expectations of mobile sites, even for local business owners, have grown significantly since 2013.

While local businesses have alternative ways to be found in local search apps and vertical or specialized directory apps, the survey data here argue that consumers want to access local business websites on mobile.

While all survey data should be taken as merely directional information the following findings from BrightLocal are pretty clear: local businesses with mobile-optimized sites (that include the right information) will have a significant advantage over those that are not optimized.

Perhaps the most interesting finding in the survey of 900 US consumers is the idea that more people are using a mobile browser than apps or maps to find local business information. Accordingly these respondents expressed a greater inclination to contact local businesses with optimized sites — as one might expect.

The list of most important or desired local business information mirrors findings from earlier surveys by Google and others. Consumers want phone numbers, physical address and hours information to contact or visit these storefronts and locations.

By the same token, bad local site experiences or missing local business information will turn users away, according to these data.

Multiple surveys reflect a kind of consensus about the contact and other business information (NAP + hours) consumers are seeking via mobile search. I’m less persuaded by the idea that consumers always want a local business website when they search. Indeed much of the data they’re seeking is available in structured results at the top of Google.

Generally speaking mobile apps provide a much better experience and environment for local-business information than a browser (e.g., travel or restaurant lookups). I suspect, had the survey questions been more specific and investigated particular use cases, this would have come out. Nonetheless the browser preference is a striking finding and worth investigating with other surveys to see if it holds up.

Finally, it almost goes without saying that “browser” in this context is a stand-in for “Google.”

Source: http://selnd.com/1cDFxvb