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Find Out What’s New with Google
2024 is coming to a close and Google is continuing to make headlines, and some recent developments could have implications for your business. Here’s a deep dive into the top stories you need to know from the past few weeks.
DOJ vs. Google Ongoing Trial
For months, Google has been at battle with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in an antitrust trial. It has been alleged that the company is a monopoly in the search engine marketplace and has maintained that status by engaging in anti-competitive practices. Closing statements were made on November 25, and the conclusion of the trial is fast approaching.
The case has ramped up recently, as the DOJ is now stating that Google will have to sell off both Chrome and Android. Obviously, Google is not pleased with this suggestion, as the legal team for Alphabet, Google’s parent company, quickly hit back, arguing that:
The security and privacy “of millions of Americans” would be put at risk, foreign companies would gain access to trade secrets, and the progress of AI initiatives would be hindered.
They’re clearly taking a strong stance, but we’ll see what the courts decide. When the news breaks, we’ll certainly be writing about it.
November 2024 Core Update
Google’s latest core algorithm update was released on November 11 and concluded on December X. And, as always, the newest update has been shaking up search rankings.
Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable has been closely monitoring fluctuations in SERPs (search engine results pages) and has seen some volatility, with some users reporting site traffic drops of nearly 65%.
While we don’t have much information currently whether any specific industries were hurt more than others, as part of general core update advice we encourage you to keep an eye on your keywords and traffic to ensure you haven’t been hit.
Site Abuse Policy Update and New Penalties
Back in March, Google announced a forthcoming update that would target websites that abuse their authority by hosting content that manipulates search results. The update eventually rolled out in May, but as of a few weeks ago, the policy has once again been updated, and it’s already resulting in huge penalties for some site owners:
The update appears to be focused on rooting out what has been called “parasite SEO.” After months of marketers complaining about major sites such as Forbes dominating results for a variety of topics and people paying to play and get content on the Forbes site, the hammer has finally been brought down. Many, however, seem to think that this is a temporary fix to a bigger issue.
Thankfully, most websites will be safe from this update. Here is what SEO Lily Ray has to say about the update thus far:
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