Understanding the Google Freshness Algorithm
Launched in November 2011, the Google Freshness Algorithm aims to prioritize the most recent content for certain queries in search results. Recognizing that not all searches require fresh information, this algorithm enhances the relevance of search outcomes by distinguishing between needs for updated data.
When Freshness Matters
Historical facts, such as details on the sacking of Rome, remain constant over time. However, queries like “who is the mayor of New York?” demand up-to-date information. This distinction is managed by Google’s ‘Query Deserves Freshness’ (QDF) model, which adjusts search results based on the presumed need for fresh content.
Categories Sensitive to Freshness
- Current Events: Immediate news such as natural disasters or political changes.
- Recurring Events: Outcomes of ongoing occurrences like sports results or quarterly business earnings.
- Frequent Updates: Topics that undergo regular changes, such as technological advancements or policy shifts.
Handling of Evergreen Content
Evergreen content, which remains relevant regardless of time, such as a well-ranking article on blogging tips, does not require frequent updates. In fact, updating such high-ranking content might risk its position due to reevaluation by Google’s algorithms.
Types of Content Freshness
Google’s Freshness Algorithm assesses both the freshness of individual pages and the entire website:
- Page Freshness: The update status of specific web pages.
- Sitewide Freshness: How frequently new content is published across the website.
Websites that consistently add new content typically perform better in search rankings compared to those with less frequent updates.
Optimizing for the Google Freshness Algorithm
To align with the Google Freshness Algorithm, it’s beneficial to regularly add new content and update existing pages. Refreshing the timestamps can also reflect recent updates, enhancing the content’s appeal both to the algorithm and potential readers.
For posts that are close to breaking onto page one of search results, optimizing existing content can often yield a higher return on investment than creating new articles from scratch.
Incorporating a ‘Last Modified’ Date
Displaying a ‘last modified’ date on posts can indicate to users and search engines that the content is current. For WordPress users, plugins like ‘WP Last Modified Info’ can automate this process, showing updated dates each time content is revised.
Google Freshness as a Ranking Factor – Two Case Studies
While business-related content might not immediately seem subject to the Google Freshness Algorithm, the following case studies demonstrate that freshness can significantly impact such content.
Case Study #1: Publication Date Experiment
Anthony Nelson from NorthsideSEO, in a study published on Moz, tested the effect of changing the publication date without altering the content itself. Conducted in April 2015, this experiment involved 16 blog posts, all online for at least one year, which had their publication dates updated to April 15 or April 16. Despite no content changes, the traffic to these posts increased by 66% collectively after re-publication, with one post seeing a 663% traffic increase.
This increase was attributed to two factors:
- The blog posts were featured on the homepage again, receiving additional link equity.
- The recent publication date likely improved the click-through rate from the search results.
This raises questions about the Google Freshness Algorithm’s ability to discern genuine content updates from mere date changes.
Case Study #2: Freshness Boost Experiment
Gael Breton of Authority Hacker conducted a similar experiment in early 2019, using a plugin to update the publication dates of blog posts. This simple change led to over a 50% increase in organic traffic to these posts, likely due to the same factors identified in the first case study.
These findings suggest that even in 2019, updating publication dates can still significantly boost traffic, indicating that the Freshness Algorithm remains a potent force in Google’s ranking process.
Optimizing for Google Freshness
Google’s Freshness Algorithm favors recently updated content, especially in sectors like news, technology, and entertainment. To leverage this preference, regularly update your content and adjust the timestamp to reflect these changes.
Implementing schema markup to show the ‘last modified’ date to search engines can further enhance the visibility and relevance of your content in search results, helping you capitalize on the benefits of freshness in SEO.
