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Over a month now, Google launched the December 2022 Helpful Content update. It is also approaching a month since the Link Spam update was launched on the 14th of December. Users must starting to wonder what’s taking so long because these two updates are still rolling out.
Status of Helpful Content Update
In the past, Helpful Content updates have taken maybe 2 weeks to roll out, but no not this time.
Its possible that this extended rollout has something to do with the scale that the helpful content update is on. A global scale that is. Back in 2022, Search Engine Land reported some research on how the update would impact content in different countries.
From Mexico to Germany and everywhere in between, it seems like this update’s reach is globally taking a while. Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable also noted the extended rollout. He says that the helpful content update should have concluded around three weeks ago by now. But, here we are.
As for further noted, impacts, there hasn’t been all that much more noticed aside from Search Engine Land‘s statement on the algorithm rollout.
Here’s what they had to say:
“For top publishers in most countries, the first Helpful Content Update in August seems to have had a more significant impact on their visibility than the second one in September. It cannot be clearly said that publishers’ visibility was only negatively impacted by the updates, since some clearly benefitted from them.”
Link Spam Update Progress
In terms of the Link Spam update, we’re seeing the same kind of progress as we are with the helpful content update. Danny Sullivan from Google did give up a tip off of when we can expect to see things wrapping up. Maybe.
Last Friday he tweet that both updates might take another two weeks to rollout.
Here the tweet explaining things:
Likely within two weeks, maybe only one, but that’s not a guarantee. Timings might change. — Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 6, 2023
Another reason for the extended rollout might have to do with the holiday season. Not to mention, Google also indicated that another reason for the delay had to do with security concerns over the holidays. Either way, we now know that these updates are going to take longer to rollout. Kinda like watching grass grow.
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