Algorithms
2nd/3rd February looks like an algorithm update rolled out. Not confirmed by Google.
7th/8th February had a big algorithm update which lasted for 5 days. This affected a lot of sites.
14th February we saw a smaller algorithm update focusing on local search results.
Is Length important?
When it comes to URL length no it isn’t. Google have confirmed that the length of a URL is not a ranking factor.
Indexing
An interesting quote from Google this month “Google index lots of pages that do not appear in search results”.
So, don’t think that if your page is indexed, it will be seen by anyone. Always monitor and make your content better than your competition.
NoFollow
As per my monthly SEO post covering September 2019, Google announced that they will be using nofollow links differently as of 1st March 2020.
So what will change?
Google says, nothing, in fact you will probably not see anything at all in terms of ranking changes.
We will see!
Mobile Indexing
For regular readers of my blog posts you will know all about mobile indexing, if you are new to SEO or this blog I recommend quickly reading up on my monthly SEO posts on this as this subject is getting more serious.
By the end of the year, Google wants all websites to be using mobile first indexing.
I recommend logging into your Google Search Console and fix any mobile problems as quick as possible.
Image Licensing
There is now a new Schema mark up for image licensing, if you create images and use licences I recommend you to add the markup to your images.
Featured Snippets
The right-hand side featured snippets/knowledge panels in Google search results are being removed BUT not moving to the left-hand side (main listings). This is seeing a 60% decrease in traffic for this search result posts.
More information on this I think will be coming in the near future.
Becareful!
The coronavirus is already affecting many people and businesses, please be careful out there!