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Six months after the last core update, Google is rolling out a new one and, as usual, it will take 1-2 weeks for it to fully roll out. So, take out your glasses, roll up your sleeves and get to monitoring because the next two weeks are critical! (Too soon??)
Core updates are changes Google makes in order to improve Search and keep in touch with the ever-so-changing web. They’re supposed to make search results more useful and relevant to users overall.
Google released this update on May 25, 2022, at about 11:30 AM ET, and will notify us when it’s done rolling out.
Keep in mind that broad core updates are often very volatile and produce significant changes. However, don’t rush into fixing things immediately if you were to notice a negative impact of the update. Instead, wait for it to fully roll out.
Some sites may note drops or gains during them (the updates). We know those with sites that experience drops will be looking for a fix, and we want to ensure they don’t try to fix the wrong things. Moreover, there might not be anything to fix at all. – stands in the announcement.
Yep, definitely seeing a lot of movement today in Google’s search results after the May 2022 Core Update announcement yesterday. Anyone else seeing similar? — Brodie Clark (@brodieseo) May 26, 2022
What To Do If You Notice Negative Changes?
You might experience negative effects during the rollout of this update. But, that doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with your site.
(..) there’s nothing in a core update that targets specific pages or sites. Instead, the changes are about improving how our systems assess content overall. These changes may cause some pages that were previously under-rewarded to do better. – said Danny Sullivan in the announcement.
Anyone want to share some charts from this morning post Google core update announcement? drops increases in the past 12 hours or so? — Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) May 26, 2022
Google did give some advice on how to handle a negative impact of the update. True, they’ve never been particular about it or specified the exact actions we can take to recover. But, Google has given a list of questions to consider if your site is hit by a core update:
Is the content trustworthy and clear? Does it provide original information?
Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content? Is it clickbait?
Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
Would you expect to see this content in or referenced in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
Is the content free from easily-verified factual errors?
Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
Was the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
Does the content have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
Does content display well for mobile devices when viewed on them?
Here we go! I had a feeling this was coming soon. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the volatility we saw recently reverse course. Some total spam started ranking highly with the 5/18 volatility. 🙂 https://t.co/v6hWqGp2rV — Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 25, 2022
Ask yourself these questions and think about how you can improve your content in the future. Because, every time Google releases a new search ranking algorithm, your site gets vulnerable.
Knowing when Google makes these updates and when they’re finished rolling out, as well as monitoring your analytics is crucial for your website to succeed. But remember – patience is key! Especially when it comes to core updates.
Update: On June 9th, the update finished rolling out. Take a look at its impact here.
