In 2021, SEOs navigated a barrage of Google updates, including the much-discussed Page Experience update, new search results page features like continuous scrolling, and numerous other changes that could impact their brand visibility—all while managing the challenges presented during the second year of the COVID pandemic.
From core updates and title change controversies to enhanced shopping options and new data tracking methods, the year was packed with surprising developments. Here’s a reflection on the most significant SEO news, strategies, and tools of 2021.
### Google Algorithm Updates
#### Core Updates
Google released three major core updates: one in June, another in July, and the last in November. The June update caused significant search volatility. The July update extended this volatility until mid-July. The November update, announced on November 17, was particularly surprising as it came just before the busy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday period, leading many SEOs to question Google’s timing due to its rapid rollout and widespread ranking shifts.
#### Page Title Rewrites
One of the most controversial updates of the year was the alteration of Google’s page title rewrites in the search engine results pages (SERPs), which became noticeable around mid-August. Following substantial feedback regarding quality decreases, Google dialed back some of these changes in September, but the impact lingered for many sites.
#### Spam Updates
Google launched several major spam updates throughout the year. The first set occurred on June 23 and June 28, followed by another on July 28 that targeted link spam by ignoring bad links rather than penalizing them. The final spam update rolled out in November, causing significant search volatility.
#### Product Reviews Updates
To address spam and thin product reviews, Google released updates in April and December, focusing on prioritizing reviews crafted by experts or enthusiasts deeply knowledgeable about the topic.
#### Passage Indexing
In February, Google introduced passage indexing, an algorithm tweak that ranks specific segments of content on a page, displaying these passages as featured snippets and linking users directly to that part of the page.
### The Year in SEO News
#### The SERP
Google added an “about this result” box in February and expanded it in July. In October, Google introduced continuous scroll on mobile search, aimed at encouraging more clicks beyond the first page. Microsoft Bing added Page Insights in November, featuring a lightbulb icon for more details about each search result.
#### COVID-related Updates
The pandemic sustained interest in SEO as businesses sought new ways to connect with customers, resulting in increased searches for local businesses and COVID-focused topics. In April, Google began showing additional COVID-related travel advisory information. In December, Google rolled out a feature indicating whether a doctor or healthcare facility accepts certain insurance.
### SEO Documentation
Google frequently updated its SEO documentation, including new manual actions targeting News and Discover penalties and an SEO guide addressing HTTP status codes, network issues, and DNS errors. In November, Microsoft published a list of Bingbot IP addresses to better notify users when Bing was crawling their sites.
### Diversity and Inclusion
In response to rising hateful rhetoric and attacks against minorities, the industry saw increased pushes for diversity and inclusion. Google changed its policies around diversity research following controversy involving AI ethicist Timnit Gebru. Yelp introduced Asian-owned and LGBTQ-owned business profile attributes. Third Door Media recognized efforts in advancing diversity and inclusion in search marketing.
### Reporting, Analytics, and Tools
Google Search Console introduced a pilot tool for reporting indexing issues and added features like practice problem rich results data. In December, Google updated the Review Snippets rich results report.
Google Analytics 4 saw updates including Search Console integration, new machine learning models, and data-driven attribution, hinting at a possible future phase-out of Universal Analytics.
Bing Webmaster Tools expanded its content submission API, allowing users to submit content, images, and HTML to the index.
### Retail and E-Commerce
Google enforced policies requiring merchants to display actual prices throughout the checkout phase and partnered with WooCommerce to help retailers show listings across Google. A “Deals” feed in Google Shopping was introduced to highlight promotional offers, and new tools were provided for better understanding visibility metrics on Google Merchant Center.
### Local SEO
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) received enhancements for review management and features for messaging directly from Google Search. The local search landscape saw an update termed the “Vicinity Update,” significantly impacting local rankings.
### Looking Forward to 2022
With numerous algorithms and platform updates from 2021, SEOs should keep clients informed about changes. Emphasizing accessibility, privacy, and providing convenience by answering pressing user queries will be crucial. Demonstrating brand values and supporting diverse, inclusive experiences remains paramount.
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Moving forward, the focus should be on continuing to adapt to algorithm changes, ensuring accessibility and compliance with privacy regulations, and meeting the evolving needs of your audience in a post-pandemic world.
