SEO Insights – November 2024

SEO Insights – November 2024

Our SEO expert Sophia Choudhury shares the latest news and updates across SEO:


Google rolls out November Core Update

On 11th November, Google started rolling out its latest Core Update, which involves algorithmic changes aimed at enhancing the overall search experience. These updates re-evaluate how content is assessed and ranked, which can lead to volatility in search rankings. Early reports indicate less volatility than the August 2024 Core Update, as well as varying levels of impact across industries and between the US and UK search engine results pages (SERPs). For example, the e-commerce sector has experienced a 22% decline in top citations, and while educational content appears to be quite stable, product-focused content is seeing greater fluctuations.


Why we care: Initial data analysis suggests that Google may be aligning AI Overview (AIO) citations with the pages ranking in the top positions within organic search results. However, this alignment does not appear consistent for shopping queries, potentially due to the presence of additional SERP features supporting results in the AIO.

The roll out is still in progress, however actions to take into account to tackle any negative effects of the update are as follows:

  • Wait for the Update to Complete: Full analysis and strategy planning should only begin once the update rollout concludes.

  • Analyse Performance: Use Google Search Console to compare pre- and post-update data, and focus on pages that have experienced substantial ranking drops (greater than 20 positions).

  • Align Content with Guidelines: Ensure all site content aligns with Google’s guidelines.

  • Develop Long-Term Strategies: Emphasise sustainable, user-centred content improvements rather than quick fixes.

  • Prioritise User Value: Shift the focus from keyword optimisation to creating content that genuinely benefits users.

It is important to note that recovery from such updates can be gradual, requiring patience and consistent effort to align with Google’s evolving expectations.

 

Research into CTR during Q3 shows a shift in user behaviour

A new report on Google Search click-through rate (CTR) data for Q3 compared to Q2 highlights notable shifts in user behaviour with Science and Shopping categories experiencing significant CTR gains, while Arts & Entertainment saw a decline. In the Shopping category, top-ranking results recorded a 2.30 percentage point increase in CTR on desktop and a 1.94 percentage point rise on mobile, correlating with a 21% surge in demand as the peak shopping season approaches.


Other significant trends in user behaviour Include:
Mobile Searches now favour Informational Content:
  • Informational queries containing terms like “what”, “when”, and “how” saw a 1.63 percentage point increase in CTR for sites ranking in position 1 on mobile devices.

  • Conversely, second-ranked desktop sites experienced a 1.10 percentage point drop.

  • Commercial queries (e.g., “buy”, “price”) recorded CTR declines across devices, with mobile dropping by 3.51 percentage points.

Branded Search Performance:
  • Branded searches on mobile saw a 1.07 percentage point increase for top-ranked sites, while non-branded queries remained relatively stable.

Why we care: These findings highlight several strategic priorities for SEO and website optimisation:

  • Balance Content Types: It is increasingly important to create valuable informational content alongside clear, conversion-focused sales pages to meet the full range of user needs and search intent.

  • Invest in Brand Building: As branded searches perform well on mobile, a holistic strategy that incorporates brand development is essential.

  • Track and Adapt: Regularly monitor CTR metrics against industry benchmarks to identify trends and refine strategies accordingly.

By addressing these evolving trends, businesses can better align their digital strategies with user preferences and market demands.

 

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Search

Following announcements of the launch over recent months, OpenAI has now launched ChatGPT Search. Initially, access is restricted to ChatGPT Plus and Team users or those on the waiting list for SearchGPT, however, OpenAI plans to roll out the feature to free users over the coming months, broadening its accessibility.

The service is designed to provide up-to-date information and includes unique visual designs in Weather, Stocks, Sport, News, and Maps categories. ChatGPT Search integrates information from third-party search providers like Bing alongside content from OpenAI’s partners, in part aiming to reduce ‘hallucinations’.


Why we care: Despite being in its early stages, ChatGPT Search is already outperforming other AI-powered engines like Perplexity and Claude in driving referral traffic to brands. Additionally, users can set ChatGPT as their default search engine on Chrome by downloading an extension, which may lead to rapid growth in its user base. OpenAI also plans to enhance the search experience for shopping and travel queries, signalling potential impacts on these industries in the near future.

As ChatGPT Search gains traction, it is poised to become a significant player in the evolving search landscape, presenting new opportunities and challenges for businesses and industries alike.


New Google Lens functionality in Chrome

Since a recent Chrome update, users are now able to search for anything on their browser screen using Google Lens. This includes text as well as images and videos, or even a slide in a livestream. The answers appear within the same tab in a pop-out side panel and it is possible to edit and refine the generated search query within the panel’s search bar.

Depending on the extent of adoption, this functionality may revolutionise the awareness and discovery phase of a customer journey, particularly for e-commerce businesses. For example, if a user were to see an image in an online newspaper article of a celebrity wearing a pair of shoes, or a character in a film using a coffee cup, and they want to find out more about the products, it is now much easier to search directly from the image or video.


Why we care: This highlights the importance of incorporating good quality images and videos into websites, including various angles of the product. Implementing valid structured data for these content types is also important in order to flag to Google’s crawlers what the content type is which will be used to generate the results in the pop-out side panel.

As this is a new feature, it is not yet clear how it will affect traffic metrics such as clicks, impressions and visibility. Therefore it is important to monitor these closely over the coming weeks to identify any changes.


Author: Sophia Choudhury

Published: November, 2024

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