As if May, 2022 wasn’t already a heated month of Google algorithm updates, Google has announced a broad core update.
On May 25, 2022, Google said they have released a brand-new core update.
These are usually the only algorithm updates that Google announces, unless it’s something specific, such as the Mobile-First indexing or Page Experience update.
This is what Google said about the core update release:
Several times per year, we make substantial improvements to our overall ranking processes, which we refer to as core updates. Core updates are designed to increase the overall relevancy of our search results and make them more helpful and useful for everyone. Today, we’re releasing our May 2022 core update. It will take about 1-2 weeks to fully roll out.
Core updates are changes we make to improve Search overall and keep pace with the changing nature of the web. While nothing in a core update is specific to any particular site, these updates may produce some noticeable changes to how sites perform, which we’ve noted in previous guidance on what site owners should know about core updates:
There’s nothing wrong with pages that may perform less well in a core update. They haven’t violated our webmaster guidelines nor been subjected to a manual or algorithmic action, as can happen to pages that do violate those guidelines. In fact, 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.
How do You Recover From a Core Update?
It can be challenging to recover from a core update. Because Google doesn’t offer anything really site-specific (or too specific) about such matters.
SEO Professional Kristine Schachinger, however, has provided a step-by-step guide to recovering from a core update, which is well worth the read.
She outlines the process. The following is just a short excerpt, but we really suggest that you go read the article in full if you want to learn ways to recover your site from a core update.
Assessing your Site.
Step 1. Which Queries (and Pages) Lost Placement and Traffic?
The first thing you want to do is go to Google Search Console (do not use third-party tools here) and research where you lost the most traffic and impressions.
Step 2. Run the Collected Pages Through an Audit Tool to Identify Technical Issues.
Always start here because if Google cannot properly crawl and index your site, nothing else matters.
Technical Issues are Often the Single Component Responsible for a Core Update Drop
These technical audits should include a review of items such as
- lack of site architecture
- poor navigational patterning
- internal linking structure issues
- canonicals
- crawl leaks (where the crawl creates pages dynamically)
- redirect loops (Google hates these)
- OR anything that causes your pages not to be crawled or indexed easily or properly.
Step 3. Content Quality.
As much as is written about content quality, I have rarely had to have a client touch their content to get a full Core Update recovery. Now that being said, that could be because I work with large sites that put a lot of effort into their content writing. So good content is essential, but good content is essential in all things SEO, isn’t it? This is something that should always be done well from the start.
Step 4. Links.
You will notice I did not mention inbound links and citations. This is because Google has separate algorithms to assess links and citations that are more likely affected by those algorithms and not the Core Update.
How Are Others Fairing With This Update?
Here are some forum comments from those who have been keeping an eye on things, at least as far as their websites are concerned:
The really interesting thing for me with a real world global business is that not only are views of much more expensive widgets being viewed, enquiries for these widgets are arriving plus we have already taken confirmed orders for these widgets and all from new customers.
I was already ranking #1-3 for these widgets therefore it’s not a SERPs improvement driving these orders.
At the moment I’m going with specifiers / buyers simply trying alternative sources they already knew about however never asked.
Looking at all these sites backlink profiles you would think penguin never happened, I guess its back to building backlinks like its 1999 again! Its mainly expired domain names with backlinks redirected to the new kid on the block, come on google hire me and Ill write a 3 line IF, Else statement that can clean up your results in a moment!
Not to mention I’m seeing a lot of non mobile non SSL sites ranking #1 on loads of local searches I do, like 1999! Build them backlinks baby, buy expired domains and have at it!
- India +88%
- Spain +324%
- Egypt 0%
- Hungary +182%
- Latvia 0%
- Nepal +182%
- Iran +182%
Also, a return to Google’s insane devotion to returning only informational pages across the board for many searches…first four ads, and then two pages of ‘How To’ and ‘Top Ten’ articles over and over to the point of the ridiculous. It’s completely intentional…make any site with commercial intent vanish, that way they’ll be forced to pay us.
All is normal here so far…… SERPs seem stable in our space…
However Google says it will take 2 weeks to roll out.
Makes no sense at all.
