Search Engine Recap - Week 42 (2024)

This week, we cover an explanation of CLS, a warning from Google, and the announcement of a new leader for Google Search. Here is an overview.

Google Elaborates on the Importance of "Good" CLS

Google's Web Performance Advocate, Barry Pollard, explained how Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), a key component of Core Web Vitals, is measured - a crucial metric for anyone aiming for top rankings.

Unlike other metrics, CLS is unitless and quantifies the movement of elements on a webpage by calculating impact and distance fractions.

CLS measures shifts over a 5-second period, and the "good" threshold of 0.1 corresponds to roughly 10% of the viewport moving.

This measurement helps developers optimize the stability of their domain, improving both user experience and SEO performance.

Google Warns Against Blind Reliance on Third-Party Tools

Google has once again cautioned against over-reliance on metrics from third-party SEO tools, emphasizing that these tools don’t have direct access to Google’s data.

Google pointed out that metrics like Domain Authority and spam scores don’t necessarily reflect how search engines evaluate websites.

Instead of focusing solely on tool-based metrics, Google’s John Mueller encouraged marketers to prioritize creating unique, high-quality content that provides real value to users.

He also stressed that long-term SEO success requires consistent effort, not quick fixes, and that metrics should be interpreted with the help of experienced SEO professionals who understand how to read and apply the data.

Google Appoints New Head of Search

Lastly, we close with some news from Google’s leadership team. Prabhakar Raghavan, Google’s head of search, is stepping down from his role and will transition to a newly created position as Chief Technologist, where he will focus on providing technical direction for the company.

Nick Fox, a long-time Google executive, will take over responsibility for Google’s Search, Ads, Geo, and Commerce divisions.

This leadership change comes after criticism of Google’s search quality and ad priorities under Raghavan’s leadership. Fox is expected to focus on improving search quality and accelerating AI-driven innovations - something we’re keen to follow closely.

Takeaways and Recommendations

This past week brought guidance from Google and a new leader for Google Search.

Google’s focus on CLS highlights the importance of a strong user experience, and as an SEO specialist, you need to be on top of this metric to achieve top rankings.

Additionally, Google’s reminder about the careful use of SEO tools is worth noting. We often see businesses without SEO expertise relying too heavily on metrics that don’t provide the full picture.

Businesses should always pair data with experience and context - something you typically get from dedicated SEO agencies.

Lastly, it will be interesting to see what direction Google Search takes with Nick Fox at the helm. It’s likely that he will follow Google’s broader strategy, with a strong focus on improving search technology and AI advancements.

Wondering how these developments will affect your business on Google? Reach out to Bonzer. As a specialized SEO agency, we’re dedicated to helping businesses achieve top rankings in search results.