Passage ranking launches

What changed

Google confirmed that passage ranking had launched for English-language queries in the United States, roughly four months after being announced. It said the system would surface a relevant section from a page even when the page as a whole was not strongly focused on the query. Google reiterated that publishers should not attempt to restructure content specifically for it. Wider language and market rollout followed later in 2021.

Timing

Rollout began 10 February 2021. No completion date was announced. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.

What it affected