January 2012 Google Search Updates

Although the January 2012 Google updates are less noteworthy than the initial introduction of Panda, they provide evidence that the search engine giant continues to focus on providing results that are faster, more timely and more accurate.

Finding Only the Freshest Results

Minor improvements were made to the freshness update that Google implemented in November. "Freshness" refers to search results with an element of timeliness, such as hot topics or recent events. The latest change in this area involves an improvement in Google's date detection method, which determines the age of a document on the Web. To take advantage of this focus on timeliness, an effective website strategy should include information that will be posted and updated frequently, such as blogs and news items.

Google Panda and the Evolution of Indexing

Google also announced that they have improved the way Panda interacts with its indexing and ranking systems, which will integrate Panda more effectively into Google's pipelines. This closer connection between Panda and ranking is good news for sites with a website strategy that weathered earlier Panda-related updates in good shape. For those sites that have been impacted negatively by Panda, it may provide additional motivation to make changes and serve as a wake up call to upload fresh, innovative content to the Web.

Date Detection, Auto Complete and Spell Check

Google provides auto complete as a way of speeding up searches. As of January, the search engine notifies users whenever a search result reflects a corrected spelling for a query (auto correct, with less of the 'auto'). This change may prove beneficial to sites with search terms that are often misspelled, as Google will now convert them to the correct spelling during the search process.

While these recent Google updates may not have a direct impact on Internet marketing or website design services, they point to trends for consideration when planning content and presentation. This will continue to evolve because, well, Google is Google after all; but putting out groundbreaking and fresh content on the Web will not only help with your Search Engine Optimization campaigns, it will also show your target market that you are a leader and really do know what you're doing and talking about.