Round-Up: SEO (May 2023)
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As any SEO will know, this industry is evolving rather too quickly. Keeping on top of Google’s continuous changes and staying ahead of the curve (marketing lingo, ick!), is super important for success.
To lighten your load, we’ve compiled the latest updates, noteworthy news stories, and anything else worth sharing this month. Consider this round-up series your quick fix, saving you from endlessly scouring Google for the latest scoop.
Right, let’s get to it.
Breaking SEO News: May’s Must-Know Updates and Rankings
- Google has published a paper (the AI Policy Agenda) which outlines its views on the responsible implementation of AI across the internet, making suggestions for governed regulations in the field – with a distinct focus on security and innovation. Essentially, the agenda serves as a roadmap for shaping policies that address the risks and benefits associated with AI while creating a supportive atmosphere for technological advancement.
- Google’s Senior Search Analyst, John Mueller, recently stated that having an SSL certificate does not directly improve a website’s SEO. This was in response to a Mastodon user who claimed that ‘SSL certificates enhance a site’s reputation and SEO’. Mueller has made it clear that HTTPS isn’t the be-all and end-all for indexing pages. While HTTPS is helpful for users and can contribute to SEO, it should not be relied upon as the sole factor for a boost in SEO.
- Google launched the Search Generative Experience (SGE) at the recent Google I/O event. It incorporates generative AI into search and is still in its experimental phase. A mini-study revealed mixed accuracy and completeness in SGE’s responses, indicating both correct answers and errors or missing information. While SGE shows promise, challenges remain in the realm of generative AI.
- According to Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind (now part of Google), Google is set to look very different by 2033, shifting away from traditional search boxes to conversational interfaces. This aligns with Google’s recent developments, such as ChatGPT and the Search Generative Experience. Suleyman has expressed his belief that the current search experience provided by Google is outdated and that there is a need for more fluent and natural language conversations.
- And we’re not quite done with Google stories just yet. Starting in December 2023, they’ll be getting rid of inactive accounts that have been sitting idle for two long years. So, if you use a personal Google account for your business and rely on it to connect with other tools, ensure you remain active by sending emails or signing into Google Drive.
- Bing has added a new feature to their chat function that improves the display of responses. Rather than just showing citations in the footer, Bing Chat now generates anchor text hyperlinks as part of the responses. It’s a significant improvement as Bing Chat dynamically generates the actual HTML hyperlink while constructing the answer. This enhancement adds a level of interactivity and convenience to the user experience.
Phew. That just about sums things up. Whilst AI remains a hot topic, we’ve not yet experienced any website-crashing updates, so we’ll consider this a fairly good month in the search world! For more information or assistance from our experts, contact us at 0161 327 2635, email [email protected] or hit the contact button below!
