If you haven't heard, it was recently announced that Google will be removing some author photos from search. At first many web developers may not think much of this, but it's going to have some pretty serious implications. Part of the reason Google originally introduced author photos was to create authority for certain links.
There are many possibilities surrounding this move by Google including the question as to whether it is a UX decision or a decision related to the AdWords ads that now occupy the top spots in Googles search. The reality is that Google is a company like any other, and the primary interest is the bottom line. The reality is that we might never know exactly what Google was thinking, leaving us only with the question as to where to go from here. For many sites recouping the traffic lost through this seemingly minor move will be a long process and require a lot of revenue and time.
Without these pics, marketers and developers may quickly find their hit counts going down. For people who rely on Adsense or other sorts of monetization, this could be devastating. So what do you do if you've lost your author pic in Google searches and know that it's adversely affecting you? You're going to have find other ways to focus your SEO efforts.
Studies have shown that users are drawn to pictures and search results that contain pictures find that their CTR increases at an astounding rate. In some cases the change is over 150%, and even in the lowest range a change of 30% is very impressive. This means that ads, even if they occupy the top three search spots, would be far less valuable.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the change, the fact remains that one well kept SEO secret is now a thing of the past forcing marketers to find traffic elsewhere.
The official reason given me the internet giant was that the change was simply due to their new policy dubbed 'Mobile First'. The vision behind this new thought process comes from the belief that mobile users will surpass desktop users this year, and the companies aim is to create one unified site that caters to all platforms. That, coupled with a recent study that showed users preferred no images in their searches was the stated reason.
There are many possibilities surrounding this move by Google including the question as to whether it is a UX decision or a decision related to the AdWords ads that now occupy the top spots in Googles search. The reality is that Google is a company like any other, and the primary interest is the bottom line. The reality is that we might never know exactly what Google was thinking, leaving us only with the question as to where to go from here. For many sites recouping the traffic lost through this seemingly minor move will be a long process and require a lot of revenue and time.
Without these pics, marketers and developers may quickly find their hit counts going down. For people who rely on Adsense or other sorts of monetization, this could be devastating. So what do you do if you've lost your author pic in Google searches and know that it's adversely affecting you? You're going to have find other ways to focus your SEO efforts.
Studies have shown that users are drawn to pictures and search results that contain pictures find that their CTR increases at an astounding rate. In some cases the change is over 150%, and even in the lowest range a change of 30% is very impressive. This means that ads, even if they occupy the top three search spots, would be far less valuable.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the change, the fact remains that one well kept SEO secret is now a thing of the past forcing marketers to find traffic elsewhere.
The official reason given me the internet giant was that the change was simply due to their new policy dubbed 'Mobile First'. The vision behind this new thought process comes from the belief that mobile users will surpass desktop users this year, and the companies aim is to create one unified site that caters to all platforms. That, coupled with a recent study that showed users preferred no images in their searches was the stated reason.
About the Author:
Keyword Advantage is a social media site aimed at uncovering the advantages & disadvantages by providing an insightful Keyword Advantage Review.
No comments:
Post a Comment