The majority of people who are looking for information online will perform searches through Google. Any changes that Google makes to the way it returns search results can have a huge impact on a site’s ability to be found in online searches. This illustrates the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), since websites that follow the correct practices are much more likely to show up in search results and be found by people who are searching for information online. Website owners will want to be aware of the following changes that Google has made that may affect them throughout 2022 and beyond:
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Page Experience Update - One of the most significant updates Google made over the past year involved a focus on the experience that users have when they access a website. Google searches will now consider factors known as “core web vitals” that measure how quickly a page loads, the speed at which a site responds when people click a link or perform other interactions, and whether the visual elements of a site are stable or shift unexpectedly while someone is viewing a page. Google will also look at whether a site is easy to use on mobile devices, whether there are any intrusive ads or pop-ups that affect users’ experience, and whether a site is secure.
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Multitask Unified Model (MUM) - Google has worked to incorporate artificial intelligence into its search algorithms in order to better understand what people are searching for. According to Google, MUM is 1,000 times more powerful than its previous AI techniques, which were known as BERT. These changes will help refine topics people are searching for and suggest subtopics that can provide relevant information. MUM will also help incorporate visual searches, return translated search results from content in multiple languages, and understand misspelled words in search queries.