Algorithm Updates
2014: The biggest local search algorithm change
Google enhanced ranking signals for search and maps
Improved integration between local ranking signals and updated how it treated consumer driven local directories
Local pack changed from 7-10 well ranking pages to 3
Aimed to give users information with less steps
Pigeon Update
A tracking implementation issue that will result in a skewed bounce rate.
Duplicate pageview firing
Postcards, video calls, and phone calls are all ways to make this happen for a GBP profile.
Verification
Removing unnecessary characters from the source code without altering functionality
Minification
The request contained valid data and was understood by the server, but the server is refusing action. This may be due to the user not having the necessary permissions for a resource or needing an account of some sort, or attempting a prohibited action (e.g. creating a duplicate record where only one is allowed).
403 (Forbidden)
This update impacted the Google infrastructure in order to help improve the quality of search results through:
Changes that were an impact of this algorithm updated included links that were not trustworthy for both inbound and outbound links, causes of excessive reciprocal linking, spammy neighborhood links, and algorithmic detection of paid links.
Big Daddy Update
What could be the reason for Organic Analytics data and GSC data are different?
People dropping off before hitting the page will show in GSC but not in Analytics
What are the top three items all local listings should contain?
Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP)
The practice of presenting different content or URLs to human users and search engines
cloaking, stealthing, masking
The server successfully processed the request, and is not returning any content.
204 (No Content)
2015: Bringing in an era of mobile-first search rankings and results
Mobile friendliness now became a ranking signal
What the update impacts: Only search rankings on mobile devices, Search results in all languages globally, Applies to singular pages and not the whole website
This was a response to culture’s move towards mobile devices
However, site speed and load time still had move influence over mobile friendliness
Overall, it increased user experience and decreased overall SEO issues
Mobilegeddon Update
The number of unduplicated visitors to your website over the course of the specific time period in Google Analytics
Unique visitor
What signals of local search results are normally returned to users
Relevance, Prominence, and Proximity
A server configuration file that can be used to rewrite and redirect URLs
.htaccess file
The server cannot handle the request (because it is overloaded or down for maintenance). Generally, this is a temporary state
504 (Service Unavailable)
2013: targeted spammy sites and queries affecting industries such as super high interest loans and payday loans, casinos, and debt consolidation.
Focused on high search volume and CPC keywords that had a high potential for being spammy, this included link-based keywords.
Only affected about 0.3 of US search (4% of Turkish searches was the highest).
Resulted in a greater emphasis on the Webmaster’s Guidelines and a trend away from gray and black hat tactics
Payday Update
Single-page sessions divided by all sessions or the percentage of all sessions on your site in which users viewed only a single page and triggered only a single request to the Analytics server.
Bounce Rate
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
The recommended number of primary and secondary categories that can be included in a GBP listing. If you can provide the graphic dimension recommended by GBP you get double the points.
1 primary category and 10 secondary categories.
1200 X 628.
A tool used to measure the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns and pinpoint specific sources of traffic to a website.
Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) codes
The requested resource is available only through a proxy, the address for which is provided in the response. For security reasons, many HTTP clients (such as Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer) do not obey this status code.
305 (Use Proxy)
2012: focused on removing spammy or low-quality exact match domains. This is when people would buy domains with exact match keyword phrases and build out a site that had extremely thin content and added no value.
Targeted the following:
Exact match domains
Poor quality sites
Thin content
EMD - Exact Match Domain Update
It defines it as starting whenever the first page is viewed by the user and ending when 30 minutes of inactivity have occurred thereafter on the last page visited. These types of KPIs can last for hours.
How long does a "session" last in Google Analytics
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
The two local SEO Google tools and systems found in the SERPs for branded and non-branded keywords. If you can give a summary of both you get double the points.
Google Local Finder and Google Maps
A series of redirects that go from one URL after another forces users and search engines to wait until there are no more redirects to step through within the htaccess.
Redirect Chain
The server was acting as a gateway or proxy and did not receive a timely response from the upstream server.
504 (Gateway Timeout)