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Episode 516: 2021 Google Algorithm Updates #516
Google rolled out nine algorithm updates in 2021 by August, targeting passage ranking, product review quality, page experience speed, spam, and link schemes, all driven by improving search intent accuracy.
Key takeaways
- In 2021 Google released nine notable algorithm updates by August, compared to four in all of 2020.
- The product reviews update rewards in-depth original research and penalizes thin content that copies manufacturer descriptions.
- The page experience update is primarily a speed update, making Core Web Vitals in Search Console essential to monitor.
- Two spam updates in June targeted link schemes, and sites relying heavily on low-quality link building saw ranking drops.
- Providing quality content that matches user search intent is the most durable defense against any algorithm change.
As long as you're keeping in mind the Google user and providing value to the Google user, Google is going to look favorably upon you and therefore increase your rank.
About this episode
2021 Google Algorithm UpdatesLearn about the most important Google search algorithm launches, updates, and refreshes of 2021.
Questions this episode answers
What were the major Google algorithm updates in 2021?
By August 2021 there were nine updates including passage ranking in February, a product reviews update in April, a page experience update on June 15th, two spam updates in late June, and a broad core update in July. Each targeted a different aspect of quality, speed, or link integrity.
How does the 2021 page experience update affect websites?
The page experience update, which began rolling out June 15th, is primarily a speed update tied to Core Web Vitals. Google confirmed gradual rollout to avoid sudden ranking drops. Site owners should check Search Console, reduce JavaScript, limit heavy plugins, and consider server-side caching.
What should product review pages do to rank well after the April 2021 update?
Google designed the product reviews update to reward in-depth research over thin content. Reviews should show physical use of the product, provide quantitative measurements, compare competitors, discuss benefits and drawbacks, describe product evolution, and go beyond what the manufacturer says.
How is Google's spam update affecting link building strategies?
The June 2021 spam updates targeted link schemes and low-quality links. Google is algorithmically de-indexing low-quality pages, which removes associated link juice. Sites relying heavily on mass link building saw ranking changes, with sponsored, guest, and affiliate content most likely to be impacted.
In their words
Google has said that some sites may lose positions, not because they did something bad, but because the algorithm's judgment of what is relevant has changed.
Host
Google warned that any sites taking part in link spam tactics could see rankings change with sponsored guest and affiliate content most likely to be impacted.
Host
Terms defined in this episode
- Passage Ranking
- Launched February 10th 2021, this allows Google to consider individual passages from a page as an additional ranking factor while still indexing and evaluating the full page.
- EAT
- Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. Google uses these signals to evaluate content quality, with particular weight on verifiable author credentials and trustworthy linking patterns.
- Core Web Vitals
- A set of speed and user experience metrics Google uses as ranking signals, monitored inside Search Console, central to the June 2021 page experience update.
- Search Intent
- The underlying purpose behind a user's search query. Google's 2021 updates increasingly refined how the algorithm interprets intent, shifting rankings based on what users actually seek rather than just keyword matching.
Full transcript is being added.
This episode answers
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint
Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.
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