Hi readers, welcome to Weekly SEO news once again. I have some pretty exciting news for this week, so let’s dive into it. 

• Google Search local pack ranking shakeup 
• Google rolls out September 2022 broad core update 
• Google’s new HTTPS report in the search console 

12/9 – Google Search Local Pack Ranking Shakeup 

It seems that Google has recently rolled out a local ranking update. This update has affected mostly Service Area Businesses (SABs) ranking on Google Search local pack. 

A local pack usually appears at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs) when a user makes a search query with local intent. It can also sometimes be known as the Local 3 Pack, the Google 3 pack, the Google Map Pack, or Snack Pack. 

SABs find their businesses completely disappear from Google’s local pack. This has caused concern for many local SEOs and business owners, who are getting less business, fewer calls, and, most evidently, less website traffic. 

Google Rolls Out September 2022 Broad Core Update

Just a few days after the conclusion of Google’s helpful content update, Google has started rolling out its September 2022 Broad Core Update. 

The has started rolling out on the 12th of September, which would take approximately two weeks. According to John Mueller, the update’s impact would be worldwide and encompass all languages. 

However, questions remain on the timing of the update. It would always be best to have an adequate break between updates. This is to let the dust settle and give webmasters the chance to assess the potential impact that the update has brought to their website. 

14/9 – Google’s New HTTPS Report In The Search Console 

Google has introduced a new HTTPS reporting feature in Search Console. This new reporting would show webmasters which pages are being served under HTTPS and why the pages not being served under HTTPS are having issues.

According to Google’s documents, “one of the common requests we heard from you was to provide more information regarding the HTTPS status of the site and make it easier to understand which pages are not served over HTTPS, and why not.” 

The End!

That concludes SEO news for this week. What do you think? Has your website been affected by Google’s September 2022 Broad Core Update? Does an HTTPS status affect your trust in a website? Let me know in the comments below. 

Updated: 22 November 2024