Google launches passage ranking for U.S. English users. Here is what it means for marketers.
Google’s passage ranking (formerly known as passage indexing) is now live in the U.S. English search results. The update, first announced on February 10, 2021, will help users get more meaningful results for specific search queries.
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The company had announced earlier that they had made “a breakthrough in ranking and are now able to not just index pages, but individual passages from pages.†This means that Google will not just be able to rank specific pages but also specific sections from those pages that best match the users’ intent and provide the closest answer to their question.
The algorithm understands the relevancy of specific passages and not just the overall page, allowing the search giant to find the proverbial needle in the haystack of information. The company claims that this will improve 7% of search queries across all languages once rolled out globally.
Passage Indexing: Why Should Marketers Care?
Google’s crawlers are getting better at deciphering user intent within content pages, which means they can rank standalone passages instead of pages. However, before rushing to “optimize†new pages for passage ranking, marketers must note that Google mentions only 7% of search results will be impacted in U.S. English results, so the change or impact should be minimal for pages that already rank.
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This update is more about how Google understands the content. Over the past few years, we have seen how Google’s recent updates prioritize user intent and the search experience. To rank better and gain a competitive advantage, marketers must keep in mind that search is getting more sophisticated. So, focusing on delivering value to users should be the top concern.
As a marketer, the first thing to keep in mind is to make an effort to answer specific questions through content. Understand what long-tail queries users are asking and create informative content that covers it. Matching intent and helping users find answers to their queries is what will help marketers improve rankings in 2021. However, most marketers already do that.
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Ultimately, creating content that moves people will help users determine if they want to further engage with your site/content.
Happy marketing!