Adapting to new changes among the various Google algorithms is vital for the success of the business in the world of internet marketing. The year 2019 has been very impactful for Google as it brought out the major changes that are significant for the  SEO experts. This 2019 Google algorithm updates guide is a detailed analysis of the major changes that Google rolled out, including their details and an overview of their effects for websites seeking to optimize their performance and rank higher in the search results.
March 2019 Google Algorithm Update Core Update
The third one is that the March 2019 Core Update was one of the biggest updates to the Google search algorithm. This update was mainly concerned with the quality and usefulness of the returned search results and making sure that the best and most authoritative sources were included. Specific websites that showed significant variations received an increase or a decrease in their ranks based on the relevance and quality of the content they provided.
Algo Changes of the March 2019 Core Update
- E-A-T Focus (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google also stressed on high-quality and relevant content that can prove the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of the site. Those websites that demonstrated credibility and knowledge of the topic experienced better rankings.
- Content Depth and Relevance: Google started to favor content that offered extensive coverage of the subject and essentially answered questions that users might have. Sites that posted content that was thin or articles that offered little value also took the least experience gains.
June 2019 Core Update
The Core Update took place in June 2019 and, like earlier updates, developed Google’s capacity to assess the quality of web pages. This update was especially concentrated on how Google interprets page content and relevance, especially on YMYL pages containing information regarding health, finance, and legal matters.
Uncover the impact of the 2018 Google algorithm update  and its influence on search rankings. Learn more in this detailed analysis
In the June 2019 core update, the following key features can be distinguished:
- Impact on YMYL Pages: Web pages related to the topics within YMYL saw shifts in their ranks and positions. According to Google, the motivation was to make these pages deliver accurate information to the public to prevent the spread of fake news.
- BERT Algorithm Integration: Google also introduced the use of BERT (bidirectional encoder representations from transformers) as part of the search update at the same time. This addition allowed Google to comprehend the context of the words within a sentence, thus providing the most relevant results to the users.
September 2019 Core Update
Later, the September 2019 Core Update added even more changes to Google’s ranking factors that centered around understanding user intent better and making sure the content meets certain search needs. This update was followed by a much broader one, which reached different fields, especially those sectors that were closely connected to the issues of local search.
Understanding Features of the Core update that happened in September 2019
- Local Search Optimization: The data show that the respondents observed a positive shift in the rankings of their sites involving local SEO. This update was all about enhancing local search results and making sure the users searching for local businesses get the right, updated information.
- Continued Focus on User Intent: Search algorithms also started improving over at Google, which enabled the search engine to give users what they wanted in a more efficient manner.
How Do These Updates Impact SEO?
In each of the core updates in 2019, Google has done a numerous and massive shift on how websites are punished. Therefore, SEO efforts have to be adjusted to be in line with these changes. In the sections below, the primary areas through which SEO specialists should work to prepare for these changes are examined more closely.
In the case of these two aspects, which are content quality and user intent, it refers to the following:
Another glaring direction detailed in the 2019 updates is the emphasis on high-quality, user-oriented content. Google’s algorithms have improved in understanding search queries and providing results that are most relevant and accurate. Websites should focus on:
- Answering user questions thoroughly: Information should be relevant to the needs and issues of the target group of consumers.
- Providing well-researched, accurate information: Especially for YMYL topics, content should be sourced, and the author should be an expert in the respective field.
- Improving content readability and structure: Web content that can be easily scanned, with good use of headings and subheadings, usually ranks higher in search results.
Mobile-First Indexing
At the end of 2019, Google also maintained the move towards the mobile-first index—that means Google mainly indexes the mobile version of a website’s content to pages. Non-mobile responsive sites suffered a decline in their rankings, while mobile responsive sites received an improved position. To maintain a strong SEO presence, websites must:
- Ensure mobile optimization: A mobile-friendly website is very important in ranking in 2019 and beyond.
- Test site speed on mobile: There is one condition when mobile pages are not allowed to be slow—page load times on mobile devices.
- Responsive design: The website should follow the design that will properly work on all types of devices in order to provide a better user experience.
Link building is one of the most vital SEO techniques in the digital world.
Even in 2019, the most significant changes were observed in terms of content quality and mobile optimization; link building still plays a special role in  SEO. Google considers the quality and relevancy of the backlinks in order to assess the credibility of such a website. To capitalize on this, websites should:
- Build high-quality backlinks: In this case, it is advisable to redirect efforts on attaining the backlinks from other reputable sites within the same industry as the website in consideration.
- Diversify anchor text: When linking internally, always ensure that your anchor text is not overly optimized by using different, natural, and quality descriptors.
- Disavow toxic links: It is also important to monitor a large number of low-quality backlinks and reject those that can negatively affect the ranking of a website.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
1. What is the March 2019 Core Update about?
The most recent core update was released in March 2019 and aims to refine the SEO algorithm to provide better and more relevant search outcomes. It also valued content that conveyed expertise, authority, and trustworthiness more than links and social signals, which encouraged high-quality, thorough content.
2. This paper further seeks to establish how YMYL pages were affected by the June 2019 Core Update.
The June 2019 Core Update was most dedicated to ‘Your Money or Your Life’ (YMYL) pages. These pages that include information regarding health, money, and laws underwent regular changes in their rankings. Google wanted to give preference to such content as authoritative and credible ones related to the selected topics.
3. What is BERT, and how did it impact search ranking?
BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) is one of the algorithms intended to improve the understanding of the context of words in search queries. As a result, this update let Google.com provide the users with more accurate and focused results, particularly if it comes to the broad and conversational keywords.
4. What is the effect of mobile first indexing on SEO?
Mobile first indexing is a new algorithm by Google that ranks websites based on the mobile versions of the site. Some websites might experience a drop in their ranking, while those with well-designed, fully functional, and fast-loading mobile versions of the site will be more visible on search results.
5. What should SEO professionals do with the new updates in 2019?
After the year 2019, various SEO specialists are recommended to focus on high-quality content, meeting the user’s needs, a mobile-first approach, and wise link building. Therefore, the question of how to maintain high rankings is the key one within the context of contemporary algorithm updates, which require constant updates of the website content with regard to its relevance and quality.
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