[UPDATE] Ten New Changes to Google's Algorithm Announced

[RevSEO]

Google just announced the changes they have made since
November 14, 2011

Related query results refinements: Sometimes we fetch
results for queries that are similar to the actual search you type.
This change makes it less likely that these results will rank highly
if the original query had a rare word that was dropped in the
alternate query. For example, if you are searching for
[rare red widgets], you might not be as interested in a page that
only mentions “red widgets.”

More comprehensive indexing: This change makes more
long-tail documents available in our index, so they are more
likely to rank for relevant queries.

New “parked domain” classifier: This is a new algorithm
for automatically detecting parked domains. Parked domains are
placeholder sites that are seldom useful and often filled with ads.
They typically don’t have valuable content for our users, so in
most cases we prefer not to show them.

More autocomplete predictions: With autocomplete, we
try to strike a balance between coming up with flexible predictions
and remaining true to your intentions. This change makes our
prediction algorithm a little more flexible for certain queries,
without losing your original intention.

Fresher and more complete blog search results: We
made a change to our blog search index to get coverage that is
both fresher and more comprehensive.

Original content: We added new signals to help us make
better predictions about which of two similar web pages is the
original one.

Image result freshness: We made a change to how we
determine image freshness for news queries. This will help us
find the freshest images more often.

I've removed those that really weren't that important for the SEO
crowds. Having said that there are a few updates that are pretty
interesting and I'm curious if any of you have noticed this in the
SERPs.

• New “parked domain” classifier,
• More comprehensive indexing (AKA long-tail more likely to rank)
• Original content update.

Anyone notice any differences that were heavy owners of parked
domains? Or what about long-tail keywords, anyone notice a change
there as well?

[Welsh Warrior]

The first one also looks useful for those chasing long tail keywords - you will now be up against the actual specific competition, not just some random, unrelated Amazon page because google decided to discard an important word it decided it didnt like.

Might make things a bit easier for those chasing specifics.

[RevSEO]

Originally Posted by Welsh Warrior

The first one also looks useful for those chasing long tail keywords - you will now be up against the actual specific competition, not just some random, unrelated Amazon page because google decided to discard an important word it decided it didnt like.

Might make things a bit easier for those chasing specifics.

That's what I'm thinking, anyone see any proof of this in their long-tail
queries?

[lovboa]

I did notice a sudden increase in movement after the fresh content update for one of the keywords I'm targeting.

[Welsh Warrior]

Originally Posted by RevSEO

That's what I'm thinking, anyone see any proof of this in their long-tail
queries?

a few micro niche sites rose a few places, none went down, which is a good sign that it is somewhat helpful at least

[sgoerger]

Originally Posted by Welsh Warrior

a few micro niche sites rose a few places, none went down, which is a good sign that it is somewhat helpful at least

Agree with this assessment on the long-tail end of things. I've had a few go up slightly (5-10 spots) over the last couple weeks, but nothing moving downward lately...

I find the 'original' content changes the most intriguing, especially as it relates to PLR content. I suppose this could be construed as a hit against PLR and duplicate content, eh? I guess just another reason to make sure that PLR gets well-edited to make it completely unique (if using for a website).

Thanks for posting, RevSEO!

[BigNorm]

Originally Posted by RevSEO

Related query results refinements: Sometimes we fetch
results for queries that are similar to the actual search you type.
This change makes it less likely that these results will rank highly
if the original query had a rare word that was dropped in the
alternate query. For example, if you are searching for
[rare red widgets], you might not be as interested in a page that
only mentions “red widgets.”

For those who keep asking if Micro Niche sites are dead, this should nail that question once and for all. Looks like long tail keywords are going to have more importance than ever meaning ranking for them will be a lot easier as opposed to trying to out rank a website which has a related interest.

[moveres]

Now we will get more relevant items when you search, also smaller sites have a higher chance to get a better ranking

[nblake]

Original content: We added new signals to help us make
better predictions about which of two similar web pages is the
original one.

Google still have to make this signal more accurate. because there are still problems of thefting of content. and Google did not understand which one is genuine and which is same copy.