Google’s Getting Fresh with You

On November 3, Google announced an algorithm update that will force more recent (“fresher”) content toward the top of search result lists. According to Google, this change will alter 6 to 10 percent of searches to the extent that an average use will notice the difference. For trending topics, content you see “might only be minutes old.” For recurring events, such as annual conferences, the results for the current or upcoming occurrence of the event should appear at the top of search results. When comparison shopping using Google, you should see results for the latest product models at the top of the list. Possible drawbacks include pushing highly valuable but less frequently updated content downward in the search results list. For example, government, educational and nonprofit websites updated weekly might lose real estate to commercial websites updated much more frequently. However, Google maintains, "This change better determines the level of freshness needed for each query and promotes fresher results accordingly." For more discussion, check the Google Blog or Government Computer News.