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Google Owl Update - Everything you need to know!



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Google Owl Update - Everything you need to know!

Last week on the 25th of April Google announced a very important search update called Google Owl. You can find the official announcement here: https://blog.google/products/search/our-latest-quality-improvements-search/

Google Owl Update - Everything you need to know!

So what exactly is the Google Owl Update?

The Project Owl update is a Google response in combating fake news and offensive content.
Personally, I think it was about time that Google started to do something about fake news and low-quality content. Although the low-quality content has been demoted for years now in Google search I still believe that a lot of crazy and wild accusations somehow still manage to get authority as well as a good ranking position that leads to a lot of organic traffic on a garbage piece of content.
The real problem will be in how Google actually manages to pull this off.

How is Google going to combat fake news?

- Simply by pumping up results and content that it's coming from sources of high authority. This means newspapers and publications with high authority like most of the traditional media. I don't really agree with this actions because there is a very thin line in discrediting independent news agencies and fully trusting traditional media, which is not always right and non-political, in fact, most of the traditional media out there has a political agenda which will distort the truth.

- Will keep updating their quality raters guidelines and also make sure the new algorithm changes are implementing correct results.

- By giving users the option to leave feedback on autocomplete searches, you can comment or make a suggesting if you don't agree with an autocomplete Google is showing you. Google will actually ask you "Which predictions were inappropriate" and also provide you with a list of possible responses like: Hateful; Sexually explicit; Violent or includes dangerous and harmful activity, or Other (you can write your own).

- By giving users the option to also leave feedback and comments on featured snippets. You will have the possibility to submit edits to the feature snippet but also leave a feedback on what exactly do you think with some possible responses like This is helpful; Something is missing; Something is wrong and This isn't useful.
I personally tested this myself for a local brand I'm doing SEO for. The feature snippet featured a certain fruit that had a similar name with the brand I was doing SEO for, but the snippet was in English and I wanted Google to show my brand's Google Business Card instead of the feature snippet thingy. So I asked all of my co-workers to leave a "This isn't useful" feedback and eventually, the snippet disappeared through my Google My Business Card still didn't show up.

In conclusion: I believe Google is making some good steps against fake news and low-quality content but I also believe this new update will make life a living hell for new websites that target content in the political and social spectrum, they'll be discredited from the search results from the very start even if they are the only ones reporting on a certain subject, just because the big news agencies and websites haven't reported on it yet. At least this is what I think will happen after Google Owl algorithm update takes full effect.

We'll just need to wait and see the full effects of this update. I'm very curious how all these "feedback" features can and will be abused by black hat SEOs and what Google is going to do next once this happens.

What do you think about the Google Owl Update? Do you think we have a global problem with fake news that needs to be fixed?
What about the new feedback feature, how abused do you think this feature will be?

Comments

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Everett
A lot of social media and big companies are trying to combat click-bait news stories, or content. There is a 'war on fake news', I believe Trump has pushed this agenda in the media, he's always talking about 'fake news'. The thing is, is that fake news websites generate a lot of advertising revenue, they will be hit very hard. I think this is the main goal, to basically push these websites off the rankings, so they don't have much funds to operate and will eventually close down. Advertisers are now pulling their adverts from these websites too.

Now, my issue is this; a lot of alternative news is slowly being pushed down in the rankings as well. For instance, independent news reporters who venture out on their own are not getting the recognition they deserve. Major news outlets only want to create stories on certain subjects, but the independent reporters cover all things the big media is not willing to talk about. Some may also come to the conclusion that it is a violation of free speech, for instance this is what Exopolitic sites are saying. Is it true, maybe?

The future is looking very odd. I think Google should crack down on click-bait titles such as 'Look at how she looks, you wont believe it!' Those titles are pretty annoying to me.



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wellfun
Im not seo guy. but i use google search everyday. books.google.com & website auto generate content is dominant in search result .

It was since fred update. some people called its time to build AGC website. google love with new content & exact url.

Google also index on their result "A description for this result is not available because of this site's robots.txt" as long as Keyword on domain. i think its better to focus build KOD website combine with AGC instead building backlink.



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ballyhara
Didn't know about Google Owl until now, but it looks like is going to give a lot to talk about. On one hand, it will increase the content with right information base, websites with misleading content will be banned, and will keep high ranking content on top. But, it will also increase the unjustified report of sites, which are not actually low in quality or information, but in ranking. So, that looks like quite unfair. We will have to wait and see, but for sure they're going to have a lot of feedback at Google.



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augusta
Really?? this is a good one by Google, aright step in the right direction because there's a lot of fake news online especially by entertainment bloggers who help to tarnish people's reputation and causing problems in families because of untrue tales.

I hope they win this fight because a lot of people rely so much on information they get from the internet.



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Corzhens
I like this issue about fake news because it is now getting prevalent not only in social media but also in blogs. It is hard to believe that one blogger who is fond of publishing fake news was even appointed by our president in the press corps of the government. Isn’t it foolish? But that’s the way things are going now with fake news that the authorities are not taking it seriously. I hope Google will be serious so that others will follow with the act against fake news.



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