Google Now Supports The AVIF File Format Making It The Best Format For SEO

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This week Google announced that it now supports the AVIF file format, making the format eligible to be shown in Google Search and Google Images. Now that the search engine can index and display the popular file format, it will likely become the standard for lightweight high-quality images online quickly. 

What Is The AVIF File Format?

AVIF (AVI Image File Format) is a relatively new open-source file format used for images, that can deliver the same quality images as JPEGs or PNGs in remarkably smaller file formats (up to 50% smaller than a comparable JPEG). 

Notably, the format seems to combine all the most notable features of other popular image formats. AVIF supports the use of transparency like PNG and even has a higher dynamic range level, allowing for deeper blacks in images. Like GIFs, also allows for the creation of animated images.

What About WebP?

Another newly popular image file format, WebP, might seem like a competitor to AVIF but both formats offer their unique benefits which make them suited for specific needs. 

WebP is an ideal format for lossless images – typically used when an image must be of the absolute highest quality possible. On the other hand, WebP is not nearly as small as AVIF, so it is not ideal for those focused on maintaining fast loading speeds. 

Why The AVIF File Format May Help SEO

Over the last few years, Google has increasingly emphasized website speed as a major factor it considers when ranking websites.

The search engine has begun using a selection of metrics that measure different aspects of site speed, known as Core Web Vitals. 

Because the AVIF file format allows for smaller image sizes, it can help reduce loading speeds on web pages and potentially improve your online rankings. 

In an environment where any edge against the competition can be the difference to help you get the top spot, sites will quickly be moving to adopt the format now that Google supports it.

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Google’s New Core Update Targets Content Quality

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Google’s August 2024 core update started rolling out yesterday and is poised to turn up the heat on sites providing flimsy, irrelevant, or unuseful content.

Google Search Advocate John Mueller confirmed the update and said that the update is aimed at improving content quality delivered by the search engine based on feedback Google received since launching the September 2023 helpful content update.

In the announcement, Mueller wrote:

“Today, we launched our August 2024 core update to Google Search. This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.”

In particular, the search engine is trying to improve on the September update by reducing the negative impact it had on small and independent publishers.

As Mueller explained:

“This latest update takes into account the feedback we’ve heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high quality sites, including ‘small’ or ‘independent’ sites that are creating useful, original content on relevant searches. This is an area we’ll continue to address in future updates.”

What To Expect

As usual, Google isn’t sharing too much about the specifics of the update, however, the search engine has updated its help page for core updates to include specific guidance for those impacted by the update.

For now, Google says the update is expected to take around a month to fully roll out. This means search results are likely to be volatile until then, with some gaining and losing ground temporarily. 

Until then, it is best to monitor your website’s performance for signs of big changes. If you are impacted, it is likely time that you should evaluate the type of content you are delivering and find ways to improve its value for your site’s audience.

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Instagram Introduces New ‘Sends Per Reach’ Ranking Signal

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Instagram has significantly shifted how it ranks content across the platform. Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri recently revealed that the platform has created a new ranking signal that measures the sends per reach content receives.

Sends per reach measures the number of times people share posts with friends through direct messages compared to the total number of viewers that content sees. The more people who share, the more likely the content is to be shown to other users. 

With this in mind, Mosseri encourages profiles to create content that people want to share with friends and family to improve their overall reach.

Here’s Mosseri’s full statement from a recent Instagram reel:

“Some advice: One of the most important signals we use in ranking is sends per reach. So out of all the people who saw your video or photo, how many of them sent it to a friend in a DM? At Instagram we’re trying to be a place where people can be creative, but in a way that brings people together.

We want to not only be a place where you passively consume content, but where you discover things you want to tell your friends about.

A reel that made you laugh so hard you want to send it to your brother or sister. Or a soccer highlight that blew your mind and you want to send it to another fan. That kind of thing.

So, don’t force it as a creator. But if you can, think about making content that people would want to send to a friend, or to someone they care about.”

Overall, this shouldn’t be a major shakeup for content creators. The path to the largest reach on social media has always been through creating and post shareable content that draws engagement. 

That said, this is something to keep in mind – especially if your Instagram reach has been declining lately. 

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