Google is an unbeatable search engine that regularly improves its ranking algorithm. The big changes, called “Core Updates” can be quite unpredictable and sometimes lead to dramatic shifts in rankings for certain terms or websites across the web.
Google Core Updates have been shaking up the SEO world since 2015. Many website owners are still trying to figure out what these updates mean for their websites.
Latest Core Updates In 2022
May 2022 Core Update
Today, we’re releasing a broad core update, as we do several times per year. This update is called the May 2022 core update. Learn more: https://t.co/7kFklwdkAb
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) May 25, 2022
This year, Google released a broad core algorithm update that took two weeks to fully roll out. This major change targeted all types of content and rewarded great web pages with high-quality information rather than just being focused on clicks as before the update.
The global update impacted all regions and languages, including Google Discover, feature snippets, and more.
March 2022 Product Algorithm Update
Google is making it easier than ever for customers to find the best products and services. They have announced an update on the Search Central Blog that will help provide high-quality reviews of all those available, regardless if they’re bought online or in person.
February 2022 Page Experience Update
Google announced earlier in February that the page experience update is slowly rolling out for desktop search, and is expected to be completed in March 2022. Google offers developers more information about this change on their Search Central website and through Twitter updates.
Why Is It Important
Each core update is a major change to the algorithm that affects the scores of websites. On average, these updates happen about once every two or three months with significant shifts occurring more often than not. Core Algorithm Updates are designed specifically so Google can improve quality and relevance in their search results by shuffling around what appears at top positions on webpage SERPs (search engine result pages).
There are many factors that go into ranking web pages, and each update from Google tweaks the formulas by which they rank. This can lead to some pages ranking low or high depending on what keywords were targeted beforehand; however, it also means an opportunity for those who didn’t do so well with their targeting.
That is why if you don’t stay up-to-date with these changes, you could end up losing traffic and ranking opportunities.
What You Can Do As A Website Owner
There is no need to panic when a Core Update happens. Google has confirmed that broad core updates will produce widely noticeable effects. Some sites may note drops or gains during them but it’s likely nothing needs fixing at all yet.
To make sure your website is in compliance with Google’s guidelines, you need to stay up-to-date with the latest Core Updates. You can do this by subscribing to Google Search Central Blog. This blog will provide you with information on all of the latest updates and changes.
You should also keep an eye on your website’s analytics. This will help you see how these updates are affecting your website’s traffic. If you see a decline in traffic, you may need to make some changes to your website.
Websites are ranked by Google algorithms to reward the best quality content available. To make your content more engaging, Google laid out some advice with a fresh set of questions to ask yourself about your content:
Content and quality questions
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
- Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
- Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
- Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking in nature?
- 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 by a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
Expertise questions
- Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site’s About page?
- If you researched the site producing the content, would you come away with an impression that it is well-trusted or widely recognized as an authority on its topic?
- Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
- Does the content have any easily-verified factual errors?
- Would you feel comfortable trusting this content for issues relating to your money or your life?
Presentation and production questions
- Does the content have any spelling or stylistic issues?
- Was the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
- Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
- 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?
Comparative questions
- Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
- Does the content seem to be serving the genuine interests of visitors to the site or does it seem to exist solely by someone attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
Core updates are a necessary part of keeping your website up-to-date. When you know about an upcoming core update, take time to read through the details so that any changes can be made in advance and will not disrupt anything on-site when it happens!