Expert roundups are a good way to get quick tips and insight on SEO.

Below is a collection of the SEO news roundups in December 2021.

1. Google December Product Reviews Update

On December 1, 2021, Google announced on Twitter that a Product Review update would be rolling out that would focus on English language web pages.

The focus of the update was for improving the quality of reviews shown in Google search, specifically targeting review sites.

Google also published a blog post with more guidance on the product review update that introduced two new best practices that Google’s algorithm would be looking for.

The first best practice was a requirement of evidence that a product was actually handled and reviewed.

The second best practice was to provide links to more than one place that a user could purchase the product.

2. Google Confirms Update to Local Search Results

Google confirms an algorithm update began rolling out to local search results at the end of November and concluded on December 8.

This update involved a “rebalancing” of ranking factors Google considers when generating local search results.

3. Google Experiences Internal Issues During Indexing

Google acknowledges an internal issue with indexing that triggered redirect error notices from Search Console.

Google hasn’t said what caused the issue, only that it’s an internal issue.

4. Google Will Deindex Pages If Site Is Down for Several Days

Google will begin to deindex your pages from search results if your website experiences more than a couple of days of downtime.

This is stated by Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller during the Google Search Central SEO office-hours hangout recorded on December 10.

5. Google Search Launches Enhanced Autocomplete with Second Column

Google has officially launched a new enhanced autocomplete search suggestions that may include a second column of predictions, and provide easier access to content related to a search.

The new enhanced autocomplete interface may show additional search predictions including people also ask, people also search for and other content that is related to the query. Here is a screenshot of what this looks like:

6. Google Says No Penalty for Using Affiliate Links Without Markup

Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller says websites will not receive a manual penalty for using affiliate links without the recommended markup.

This is stated during the Google Search Central SEO office-hours hangout recorded on December 10.

7. Google Updates Search Results for News Stories on Desktop

Google changes how search results for news stories are presented on desktop by grouping together multiple results for the same story.

This update is now in effect, which brings news results on desktop in line with how they’re presented in Google Search on mobile devices.

Here’s how it looks:

8. Google News Performance Report Updated for Accuracy, Expect Impression Reductions

Google, on December 9th, has updated the news performance report in Google Search Console “to make it more accurate,” the company said. This update may result in a drop in the number of impressions you’d normally expect to see in this report.

It is important to note that this is just a reporting change and the reduction in impressions that you may see on or after December 9th is likely not related to any change in your site’s positions. Google said these reporting changes “don’t reflect any changes in user behavior on the Google News app or news.google.com.”

9. Google’s Guide to User Generated Content (UGC)

A new guide from Google goes over the acceptable ways to incorporate user generated content (UGC) on your website to ensure you’re following the company’s guidelines.

For detailed guidance on incorporating UGC, refer to Google’s official guide.

10.  Google Reveals Top Searches Of 2021

Google’s yearly report of top trending searches reveals the most popular keywords and topics across different categories.

The top 10 searches are:

1) Australia vs India

2) India vs England

3) IPL

4) NBA

5) Euro 2021

6) Copa América

7) India vs New Zealand

8) T20 World Cup

9) Squid Game

10) DMX

There’s many more to discover in Google’s Year In Search.

11.  Amazon Alexa SEO Tools Is Closing

Alexa.com announced that it will all be going away on May 1, 2022.

Alexa offered a powerful suite of SEO and marketing tools and it’s sad to see them go away.

12.  DuckDuckGo To Release Desktop Version of Mobile App

DuckDuckGo announces plans to release a desktop version of its mobile app for a more private web experience.

I hope you enjoyed my SEO news roundups in December 2021. If you find this post helpful, share it!