Google has introduced subtle but meaningful changes to its documentation, providing actionable insights for improving search-optimised content. These updates serve as a reminder of how minor adjustments, when thoughtfully applied, can significantly enhance clarity, relevance, and user engagement. For content creators and SEO professionals, such improvements highlight the importance of fine-tuning even the smallest details to maintain competitiveness in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

One significant update can be seen in Google’s Estimated Salary (Occupation) Structured Data page. The changes have been designed to make the information more accessible and user-friendly, improving overall comprehension. This revision illustrates Google’s commitment to ensuring its guidelines and tools are as clear and effective as possible for users who rely on them for creating high-quality, structured content.

By addressing potential gaps or weaknesses in the previous version of the documentation, Google demonstrates a proactive approach to refining its resources. These updates emphasise the importance of continuously analysing content to identify areas for improvement. For those in the SEO field, it serves as a valuable lesson in content optimisation: small but precise changes can lead to significant enhancements in usability and search performance.

 

Subtle Word Shifts Make A Difference

The art of writing has become increasingly crucial for SEO, especially in today’s landscape. Although it has always played an important role, I believe its significance has never been greater than it is now. This is largely due to the growing precision of natural language queries and the impact of AI overviews and assistants on how content is understood.

When it comes to content, there are three key takeaways to keep in mind. First, the words used on a page can subtly influence both the reader’s and a machine’s understanding of the content. Second, relevance, traditionally understood as whether a web page matches a user’s search query and intent, is, in my opinion, an outdated way of thinking. In fact, a query is simply a question, and the answer to that question is rarely a whole webpage—more often than not, it’s a passage within that page.

A recent update by Google to their “Estimated Salary (Occupation) Structured Data” page provides a perfect example of how Google is refining its approach. This update, while seemingly minimal, demonstrates how a page can be made more precise. Although the changes were small enough to avoid mention in their documentation changelog, they have a noticeable impact on the page’s overall accuracy on the subject matter.

 

First Change: Focus Of Content

Google refers to “enriched search results” as different types of search experiences, including recipe searches, event searches, and job-related searches. These enriched results aim to offer users more detailed and relevant information in response to their queries.

The original version of the “Estimated Salary (Occupation) Structured Data” documentation placed a focus on the Job Experience search results. However, the updated version has significantly refined this focus. It completely removed any mention of Job Experience and now centres on the “estimated salary rich result,” a term that is more precise than the previously used “Job Experience.”

The original documentation stated:
“Estimated salaries can appear in the job experience on Google Search and as a salary estimate rich result for a given occupation.”

In contrast, the updated version reads:
“Adding Occupation structured data makes your content eligible to appear in the estimated salary rich result in Google Search results.”

 

Second Change: Refreshed Image And Simplified

The second change made to Google’s documentation involved refreshing an example image, with three notable qualities:

  1. It precisely models a search result.
  2. It aligns with the removal of the “job experience” terminology.
  3. It simplifies the message.

The original image featured a screenshot of a laptop with a search result, with a close-up overlaying the result itself. While it was an attractive visual, it appeared more suited to a product page rather than an informational one. The image, despite its polished design, was overly complex and missed a key principle of content creation: the message needs to be communicated quickly and clearly.

In contrast, the new image is much simpler. Instead of showcasing a stylised visual, it now displays an example of the actual rich result. While not flashy, it’s far more effective because its purpose is to communicate the core idea, not to distract or overcomplicate the message.

Additionally, this update removes the “job experience” term, replacing it with a more precise explanation. The new wording reads:
“Adding Occupation structured data makes your content eligible to appear in the estimated salary rich result in Google Search results.” This aligns the page more closely with the focus on Occupation structured data rather than the broader and less specific job experience category.

 

Third change: Replace Confusing Sentence

The third change made to Google’s documentation was the correction of a grammatically incorrect and confusing sentence.

The original version read:
“You must include the required properties for your content to be eligible for display the job experience on Google and rich results.”

This sentence had both grammatical errors and lacked clarity, particularly in its reference to “job experience,” which didn’t align with the intended focus on salary-related results.

In the updated version, Google made several improvements: they corrected the grammar, made the sentence more specific to the ‘estimated salary’ rich result, and removed the reference to “Job Experience.” The revised sentence is now clearer and more aligned with the content’s purpose, which is focused on the ‘estimated salary’ rich results.

The updated version now reads:
“You must include the required properties for your content to be eligible for display in the estimated salary rich result.”

 

Three Examples For Updating Web Pages

On one level, the changes were essentially about shifting the focus from one topic to another, while reinforcing a slightly different angle. However, on a deeper level, it’s a clear example of how to improve user experience by communicating more precisely. Writing for humans is not just a creative art, it’s also a technical one. All writers, even novelists, understand that the craft of writing involves technical skills, as the key objective is always to communicate ideas clearly. Other factors like being comprehensive or fancy become secondary to the core need for effective communication.

In my view, the revisions made by Google align with their philosophy of creating content that is designed for humans, not search engines. By focusing on clarity and precision, Google’s updates reflect a deeper understanding of how content should serve its audience.

 

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