How to Leverage 2024's May & June SEO Updates

We're just over halfway through 2024, and this has been a busy year for change in the SEO camp! If you haven't been keeping up (it's okay, that's our job), there have been many updates, shifts, and new considerations popping up all year that have directly impacted a business' ability to rank and be found as they were before.

One thing we've noticed - Google's frequent algorithm updates and tweaks to their ranking system can serve as moments to grant savvy businesses an open advantage instead of the confusion surrounded by these changes for many others.

It's been a minute since our last SEO roundup, so here's what's been going on and some of the ways BFO can help!

Google June Spam Update: Enhancing Quality, Penalizing Spam

Google's June 20, 2024 Spam update did not come with much information when announced. What we know is Google said the spam update would take a week to roll out and that this was ordinary spam update (not like the previous March 2024 Spam update which was much more drastic).

After the roll out of the spam update completed, we did see SERP volatility spike on June 28th when reviewing the Semrush Sensor.

Spam updates typically target websites that employ manipulative and spammy tactics to their boost rankings. This crackdown, highlighted by Elizabeth Tucker at Google, emphasizes another attempt for Google to improve their search result reliability.

So what does that mean for your business and site owners? Adhering to high-quality content standards and aligning with Google's guidelines and ranking factors are more important than ever in maintaining visibility and credibility for your brand. 

Want to ensure that your online content meets Google's quality criteria, protecting the rankings and reputation you worked so hard to build? We'd love to help, just sayin'. 

Instagram Integration in SERPs: Amplifying Social Engagement

The integration of Instagram posts directly into Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) is a new and significant opportunity for businesses to expand their reach beyond conventional SEO strategies.

As reported by Search Engine Roundtable, this new integration enriches search results with dynamic, real-time content from Instagram. For brands, optimizing Instagram presence now extends visibility across both social media and search platforms, maximizing audience engagement.

As SEO weaves itself deeper into social media content, it's going to be exciting to see how brands leverage Instagram's visibility boost in the SERPs to their fullest potential. If you want some ideas, let's chat!

Google Search Document Leak: Transparency and Insight

May 2024's leak of internal Google documents rekindled discussions about search algorithm transparency. Covered extensively by Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal, the incident directed attention to Google's algorithmic decisions and their impact on search results fairness. Understanding these insights serves as a look under the hood that many digital marketers hadn't seen before.

We don't expect you to have read through the entire leak (again, that's our job), but the result of it has helped gain insights into Google’s algorithm updates, enabling new strategy opportunities to maintain or improve search rankings.

Google AI Overviews Rollout: Streamlining User Experience

Google’s rollout of AI-powered overviews aims to transform how users interact with search results depending on the search queries, offering concise summaries of complex topics. We say aims to because, as the memes have proved, there are still some bugs to be worked out.

These overviews streamline answering the user's search, potentially reshaping user engagement patterns. We've covered zero-click searches before, and it feels as thought Google is trying to swing things in that direction. In the example below we can see AI Overview feature at the top of the SEPRs.

Clicking "Show more" reveals the websites Google is using for content in the AI Overview feature. This happens after clicking the drop-down menu.

As Google plays with a world where a user won't have to click a link to your web page to get the info they need, ensuring your SEO and paid search are working together is one of the best ways to stay ahead with these changes.

More Changes to Come!

Navigating changes in the SEO landscape is not just about foresight and keeping up with the news - it's about implementing the strategy and adaptations needed to keep swimming at the top of the SERPs. It's an exciting time to be doing what we do at BFO, but we understand it can be exhausting to keep up with, despite the important visibility it provides to your business.

If you're looking to overcome any of the obstacles or changes you saw here today, our digital marketing experts are happy to talk about how our SEO solutions can preserve and grow online presence. Let us keep up with the changes so you can focus on the business.