Google Updates Algorithm

Yesterday, Google updated its search algorithm again in a first major follow-up to the Panda/Farmer update from early this year.  As Netizens increasingly use  Twitter and Facebook as sources of breaking news, the new update is designed to give searchers more current results on trending topics. Google reports that around 35 percent of searches will change because of this update.  Google is attempting to deliver the most recent information that is also the most relevant to the search terms, so results should now include pages that have been updated as recently as a few minutes ago.

Amit Singhal said on the Google search blog that “Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today’s world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old.”

The goal of these new changes is mostly to help searchers find what they are actually searching for instead of just references to the exact words they have typed in. “For recent events or hot topics that begin trending on the web, you want to find the latest information immediately. Now when you search for current events, you’ll see more high-quality pages that might only be minutes old,” Singhal added.

Preference in top search results for reviews will be given to the latest information, and will hopefully provide users with what they most want to know in a more timely manner, with less filtering and sifting through results that are often out of date.

The effect this will have on the projected 35% of searches is yet to be seen. It could be a matter of days before web site owners feel the full impact of the changes, but many blogs and websites that have typically resided well below the radar might potentially enjoy more exposure.