Everything You Need to Know About
Google Passage Ranking
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In 2021, Google announced a new algorithm called
“passage ranking” via a tweet. This statement
caused quite a stir
in the world of digital
marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).
Even the slightest change can affect how a
website ranks on Google. But how will the Google
Passage Ranking affect SEO? What is Passage
Indexing? What exactly does it do, and what do
these changes mean for your website?
Google Passage Ranking is often used and
interchanged with passage indexing, although
Google’s Martin Splitt insists that the correct term
is Google Passage Ranking. But, regardless of the
semantics, digital marketers and SEO analysts are
more concerned about the changes this new
algorithm can bring.
As SEO becomes more complex, Google aims to
simplify the process of searching content for
casual users, and passage
indexing was
developed for that purpose. Google updates
Google search from time to time, providing a
rundown of
additional
algorithms.
These
developments aim to help users have a smooth
search engine experience with accurate search
results.
In
their announcement, Google’s algorithm
updates involved an artificial intelligence (AI)
system called BERT language systems that
updates Google search to bring more relevant
results to their search engine. The algorithm
updates include helping the search engine
understand misspelled words and Google
passage indexing.
Google Passage Ranking and SEO
Understanding algorithm updates like passage
ranking can be overwhelmingly complex. But
passage
indexing and ranking are more
straightforward concepts compared to other
algorithm updates. Passage indexing works as
an automated feature that will show users
different sections from pages into a single
search result. Even though the topic is slightly
different from the main topic that the user inputs
into the search engine, passage indexing will still
include that topic.
What Is a Passage?
Experts define passages as excerpts that provide
direct answers to a user’s query. Take, for
example, a user searching for content regarding
digital marketing. Google will automatically give
all results that use “digital marketing” as their
primary keyword. With the addition of passage
indexing, Google can rank long-form content
that use synonymous keywords or passages
independently.
In much simpler terms, passage indexing allows
Google to rank the different content sections
independently according to the keywords used in
those particular sections. Passage examples
include searching for data and information on a
specific topic, and Google will come up with a
direct answer using different formats.
Users can now get a general idea of the content
as a whole, through this additional feature. Even
though the changes do not have a significant
effect on a website’s traffic and overall ranking,
the Google passage index is still a factor for
consideration when creating content that will
undergo search engine optimization.
How Will the Passage Ranking Affect My Site?
You are probably thinking: “how will passage
ranking affect my site?” Digital marketing experts
and SEO analysts say that there is no need to
panic and that the addition of these new features
will not, in any way, affect website traffic for now.
What’s the Difference Between Passage Rankings
vs. Featured Snippets?
If you are an online content creator, you might
have encountered the term “featured snippets.”
For starters, featured snippets are Google’s way of
giving an instant answer to specific questions.
Adding featured snippets is the tech giant’s way
of
refining search
results displays.
It
is
understandable to mistake passage rankings for
featured snippets. However, the passage index is
an entirely different feature. Google passages
deal with the entire page’s content while featured
snippets provide quick, straightforward answers.
Featured snippets are helpful for search
engine optimization because it helps a
website appear at the topmost part of the
search results even if the website itself does
not have a high ranking score. This means
that if a featured snippet appears on the
search results, it will provide a higher chance
of people clicking that particular website.
Different Formats of Featured Snippets
As a web developer, you have to consider
grabbing the opportunity of featured snippets.
Even without a high ranking on search engines,
your website can still harvest organic traffic and
rank scores when you have featured snippets. The
secret to creating a successful snippet is well-
written content that answers most of
the
questions people usually search online. Luckily,
there are online applications that can help
formulate popular questions that can aid content
creators in making featured snippets.
Web developers should also consider the format
of the snippet to be able to be featured on Google
passages. Here are the seven formats or types of
snippets often used in the search engine:
Paragraph or Definition Box
This is probably the most popular and most
commonly used type of
featured snippet.
Paragraph-formatted snippets are also called
definition box because it provides a concise and
direct answer to the query. Snippets in paragraph
format encompass 50% of search results and
often answers the question “what is” and contain
an average of 40 to 60 words. The most common
passage examples appear in paragraph format.
List
The list format is the most common snippet used
if
the query
is process-driven or requires
enumeration. You can use lists to organize things,
identify products, and show the steps involved in
a process.
List-formatted snippets often come in numbered
or bulleted forms and are arranged according to
the process’s order of importance. Bulleted lists
are usually available for both ranked and non-
ranked items, features, and “best of” lists.
Table Format
This snippet allows users to visualize data for
different types and comparisons. Tables make up
a large portion of Google’s Featured Snippets.
Featured snippets that use table formatting
usually answer queries looking for data. For
instance,
questions
about
statistics
or
comparisons are answered in table form. Unlike
the paragraph format or the list format, the table
format
is specific only for these kinds of
information.
Video
Nowadays, instructions and tutorials often come
with video. You can rank on a featured snippet
with a video if it answers a query in the best way.
Videos as featured snippets are useful for
answering “how to” questions. Since people prefer
to see the process of a task immediately without
reading a whole article first, websites often add a
video to aid their written content. Instructional
videos are popular for people who need visual
aids in doing a specific task. This featured snippet
contains one or two videos embedded in the
content.
Interactive Tool
This specific featured snippet is perfect when you
need an immediate answer on calculation,
conversion, and translation. When people want to
translate foreign words, the search engine will
appear with a box where users can type the word
they want to be translated, and Google will
automatically provide the translation.
Meanwhile, if people search for measurement
conversions, the search result will also include an
interactive box where the initial answer to the
question will be displayed.
How to Optimize Your Website for Passage
Indexing and Google Ranking Changes
How will the Google passage ranking affect SEO of
a website? Although it is still too early to see
whether or not passage ranking will have a
considerable effect on your website’s search
engine optimization and overall ranking, digital
marketing strategies nowadays are considering
passage indexing.
Long-Form Content
Given that the Google passage indexing will rank
different keywords from across content sections,
having long articles will help your website have a
high ranking on search engine results pages
(SERPs). The longer the written content, the more
keywords you will have to use, and this means
Google will
rank
these different keywords
separately.
You might be thinking: how long is a passage
before Google considers it for indexing? The
answer to this question depends not precisely on
the length but on how organized the content is
with the information and the keywords it uses. It
can be a bit of a trial-and-error because there
are cases where content
is too long and
overshadows actual relevant information.
The most important aspect to remember is to
strategize and make good, authoritative content,
and only then will Google passage ranking
consider your blog.
Passage Length
If you want Google to consider your content for
passage optimization,
your
search engine
optimization expert and content creators must be
aware of the overall length of the passage or
content. For instance, a 3000-word article should
segregate 1-2% of its passages. Your website’s
Google ranking change with passages, and will
depend on its length.
Passage Word Count
The average word count for Google passage
indexing is 40 to 60 words. Content creators
should be mindful of making the passage
understandable because it can be an advantage
when Google starts ranking the page.
Use More Images and Videos
SEO experts recommend putting at least one
image below the passage that you plan to
optimize. Adding images or videos increases the
chance of Google indexing your website. Adding
images or videos has been the norm for modern-
day blogging, especially when the website offers
tutorials or reviews. This year, Google will have to
include images and videos in its indexing and
ranking.
Target Questions
In creating content for SEO, using target questions
are highly encouraged. Target questions are the
most basic questions – the specific topic’s who,
what, when, where, and why. Nowadays, there are
online applications that one can consult to create
target pages or understand how to generate one.
Maximize H Tags
Heading tags, most commonly known in the world
of web development as “H tags,” are helpful in
optimizing a website for passage ranking. H tags
are responsible for getting the attention of search
engines. Heading tags are important, especially if
your content has a higher search engine rank.
It comes as basic knowledge now, but it is worth
remembering that “Heading 1” needs to be given
the utmost
importance.
“Heading 1” should
contain the main keyword and be used once per
page. “Heading 2” is another element you should
be careful with if you want to have your content
considered for passage indexing.
When using H2 for a passage, ensure that it
contains latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords.
Adding LSI keywords will help Google understand
the context of your content thoroughly.
Create Good Content
There is one acronym you should remember when
creating content:
EAT. Creating
top-notch,
optimized content is an essential SEO rule –
passage indexing included. After all, it is the
content that Google ranks for its search results.
EAT stands
for
“expert, authoritative, and
trustworthy.” Your content should
first be
informative and answer all the basic questions
people may ask. All content should be factual,
and you, as a content producer, should be well-
versed and concise with the information you are
sharing with people.
Google cannot rank a website full of confusing
and disorganized content. Before you create your
content, make sure to do an outline and conduct
intensive research regarding your topic. It would
be best if you always thought that your website
should be considered the authority
for a
particular
topic. The more organized and
informative your content, the more you’ll see a
positive Google ranking change.
Create a content strategy complete with target
questions and the proper use of keywords and H-
tags. This will heighten the possibility of Google
giving your blog a high passage ranking.
The secret to creating good content for SEO is
doing adequate research. Research should not be
limited to the topic at hand. Your team should
also search for common strategies that can help
boost website traffic for a particular post. Observe
the older posts that have high stats in terms of
website traffic. Find out the tone that was used or
the approach to the topic. This will give you an
idea of what your demographic likes.
Other Forms of Google SEO Changes that You
Should Watch Out For
Focusing on Google passages and Google
passage ranking is not the only thing search
engine optimization experts should do. Google
aims
to provide
the best search engine
experience to users. They provide a subtle Google
SEO change that everyone should consider the
next time they create a content calendar.
Image and Videos for Optimization
A significant Google SEO change that everyone
should be mindful of is optimizing images and
videos. Now, this is not new information. Images
and videos have long been used to add traction
and website traffic. Starting this year, ensure
optimizing your images and videos to prepare for
any Google SEO change that may affect your
website ranking.
Voice Search and Inquiry
More tech companies employ voice recognition
on smartphones or tablets, and Google considers
this change when developing new updates for
their search engine. For this feature, a more direct
query is needed.
Points for Reiteration
Passage indexing or passage ranking will not
make major changes in terms of the traffic on
your website. However, the team that handles
your search engine optimization strategies should
be mindful of the tweaks and adjustments that
Google needs to feature your content and in case
of a Google ranking change.
It is still quite early to tell if a significant effect is
brought by adding the passage indexing feature.
On the other hand, Google is quite confident that
this will make searching for specific topics more
accessible.
Passage indexing can also help people who are
not particularly well-versed with search engine
optimization. There are cases where blog posts
with too many words do not rank high because it
overshadows the relevant content. The addition of
this feature gives a general idea of how to design
or structure the content.
Consult experts if you are still unsure how search
engine optimization and passage indexing work.
Professionals in digital marketing and search
engine optimization strategies always consider
these minor changes in the feature of every
search engine.
It will be wise to hire a search engine optimization
expert to make sure that your website will rank
high on search engines and become the authority
in your specific field.
Search engine optimization is an essential tool for
digital marketing as businesses aim to improve
their user experience and market visibility.
Creating an SEO-friendly website with top-
ranking content can be overwhelming and
intimidating, which is why it is best if you have
professional help in launching your brand or
business online.
If you are looking for SEO Services in Denver,
Advanced Digital Media Services can help you.
ADMS can provide professional help in web
development, Google passage ranking, content
creation, and ensuring that your website is
positioned for a good search ranking.
Call us now to get the full details of our services.
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