News

New Google Update Will Prioritize Quality Websites In Results

The update is billed to be useful for users seeking educational materials, arts and entertainment, plus tech-focused content and shopping results.

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2022

Nour Nasir

Google

A new Google update has just been announced and the company is promising a raft of updates to its search algorithm that will prioritize “quality websites” in the search results, with a view to helping its users uncover more reliable or accurate source material.

Google’s long-term focus has always centered on promoting quality content in search results, and this update seeks to address concerns from some users that the company’s results haven’t been optimal of late.

“We definitely want to speed up the experience for people and make them feel like they’re getting what they’re looking for. We’re trying to show people more helpful and authentic content. […] content made by and for humans, which is a lot of what people seem to be seeking,” says Danny Sullivan, Google Search Spokesperson.

The update, known internally as the “helpful content update“, began a global rollout for English-speaking searches this week, focusing on targeting SEO-first content designed for the sole purpose of ranking on page one.

There’s no news yet as to whether we might be looking at a rerun of 2012’s infamous “Penguin” update, which saw thousands of SEO-focused affiliate sites wiped from search results, destroying the income streams of many internet entrepreneurs.

Google says its product testing indicates that the algorithm update will prove especially helpful for results relating to shopping, arts and entertainment, tech-related content, and online learning. The search giant will simultaneously tweak its existing product review results by adding more firsthand and in-depth experiences to reviews.

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Instead of sending users to a page that aggregates and rounds up other review sites, or to suggestions from people who have never used a product, Google’s spokesperson Danny Sullivan says the company is working to unearth more experienced product reviews and opinions.

So the big question is, should website owners be worried? Google maintains that the update will not impact results if a site isn’t primarily spammy or SEO-driven, but instead focused on genuinely helpful content. Let’s wait and see how things progress over the coming months!

News

YouTube Rolls Out Supervised Children’s Accounts Across MENA

An industry-first feed timer lets parents cap Shorts scrolling. Access can also be switched off entirely ahead of exam season.

Published

12 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Dana Saadeh

YouTube

YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, giving parents a way to hand their children the main YouTube app without handing over all of it. Announced in Dubai on July 2, the accounts are built directly into the platform rather than the standalone YouTube Kids app, and are aimed at families who feel a child has outgrown the curated library but isn’t ready for the open feed.

Parents can choose from three content settings, each broadly aligned with international content ratings. Explore covers educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance. Explore More adds gaming and live streams. Most of YouTube opens up almost everything except videos rated 18+ or deemed inappropriate for supervised accounts.

The standout tool is an industry-first Shorts feed timer, which lets parents set daily limits on short-form scrolling. Set it to zero and Shorts disappears altogether – a lever YouTube suggests parents might pull ahead of exam season. Other protections are on by default for all users under 18: “Take a Break” and “Bedtime” reminders, no personalized ad targeting, autoplay switched off, and no ability to upload videos or write comments. The accounts are optional, and parents can end supervision at any time.

The kid accounts join supervised teen accounts already available across the region, which notify parents by email when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream.

“YouTube has been a huge part of families’ lives across this region for over 20 years,” said Javid Aslanov, head of YouTube Middle East and North Africa, citing Kantar research showing 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE agree YouTube has top content in education and learning.

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“It’s essential that we protect young people in – not from – the digital world,” added Garth Graham, YouTube’s head of health.

The new settings are rolling out gradually across the MENA, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq. The latest features can be set up through Family Center in the YouTube app or via Google Family Link.