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Google kicked off July with a bang. The tech company began rolling out a core update on July 1. They announced this in a tweet posted to the Google SearchLiaison Twitter account:
The July 2021 Core Update, previously announced, is now rolling out:https://t.co/6Xs77WDsur These typically take 1-2 weeks to finish. Our guidance about such updates is here:https://t.co/e5ZQUA3RC6 Here’s more on how we improve search through updates:https://t.co/IBmInwGOiX — Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 1, 2021
SEOs know that Google has plenty of different types of updates – but the core update is significant. When Google launches one, it makes broad changes to its search algorithms that affect what metrics are used to rank pages on SERPs. In other words, SEOs and site owners should pay close attention to their sites’ performance following a core update.
The new core update is the second of its kind to be launched this summer – previously, Google began rolling out a core update on June 2, completing the launch on June 12.
READ MORE: SEOs React to June Core Update
During the June core update’s rollout, Google explained that they had previously planned to launch one core update, but would instead split it into two: one for June and one for July.
In June, Google tweeted that some aspects of the update weren’t ready to launch, but they still wanted to begin the rollout.
Some of our planned improvements for the June 2021 update aren’t quite ready, so we’re moving ahead with the parts that are, then we will follow with the rest with the July 2021 update. Most sites won’t notice either of these updates, as is typical with any core updates…. — Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 2, 2021
The company also explained that the dual nature of the launch could cause chaos.
“Because of the two-part nature of this release, it’s possible a very small slice of content might see changes in June that reverse in July,” the company explained.
Since it takes a while for the effects of a core update to set in, there’s no consensus on how the latest update will shift results. Considering that Google has been on a hot streak with updates – they recently launched two ‘spam updates’ – SEOs might need time to determine what actually caused the changes to their rankings, if any.
How the Update Has Affected the Web So Far
It takes time for the effects of an update to appear more clearly. The coming days will reveal how SEO enthusiasts and site owners respond to the latest update.
Prominent SEO blogger Barry Schwartz notes that the July update seems to have more noticeable results compared to the slow rollout seen with the June update.
The July 2021 Google core update is live and it is starting off in a big way – much faster than the June core update – here is what we are seeing https://t.co/wzr2RXE9vT pic.twitter.com/zlfjeaAcKY — Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) July 2, 2021
Other industry experts, including Glenn Gabe and Lily Ray, have joined the conversation:
Yep, movement has been much quicker with this update versus the June broad core update (which had a weird multi-day lag for some reason). I think over the next 24 hours, the impact will become more apparent. Stay tuned. https://t.co/M889NbsLTE — Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) July 2, 2021
Also seeing some big early movement with some of our clients but it’s too early to report anything yet. Stay tuned. Seeing big changes across health, drugs, product reviews, news & celebrity gossip sites so far. https://t.co/ZbOFRwbQwk — Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) July 2, 2021
Our own VP of Search and Digital, Rob May, shared an analogy that captures the madness that follows Google’s updates:
One of my SEO’s just came up w/ a great analogy of the recent Google core updates & overlapping releases in the past 4-5 weeks! “when you throw frequent updates into the mix (as Google is doing), it’s like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle where the picture keeps changing”. #SEO — Rob May (@robinlmay) June 30, 2021
Here’s what prominent search tracking tools are showing as of 11:00 a.m. on July 2, 2021.
TIMELINE: Google’s Summer of Updates
The last few weeks have been busy for SEOs, as Google has launched plenty of updates. Here’s a recap of what we’ve seen from the tech company:
Page Experience Update (June 15)
Core Update (June 2–June 12)
Algorithm Update (May 22)
Algorithm Update (May 16)
Algorithm Update (May 13)
Algorithm Update (May 7–May 9)
Product Reviews Update (April 8–April 22)
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