May the fourth be with you as Google confirmed last night that they are rolling out a core algorithm update. It’s officially known as the “May 2020 Core Update”, pre-empting the marketing industry from naming it after something Star Wars related we’re sure.
The May 2020 core algorithm update is the second official update released this year, after January’s core update. It had been speculated whether Google would refrain from releasing an update during the pandemic, but we can confirm that certainly isn’t the case.
What is the Purpose of Google’s Core Algorithm Updates?
Google’s algorithm updates are essential for making sure Google, as a search engine, is running to the best of its ability. Algorithm updates, in particular, help improve the way Google understands each search query and their relevance in conjunction with its web pages. When Google first started, it only made a handful of updates to its algorithms, however, since then Google now makes thousands of changes to its system every year in order to provide its users with the best results.
Put simply, rankings will shift around a bit but with the coronavirus pandemic, it could potentially cause huge changes.
Covid-19
Covid-19 has changed everything about our lives, including the way we search online. Google has even confirmed that there has been so many searches for a single topic as there has been for Covid-19.
With people wanting to find out more about the pandemic, looking for remote services or even buying essentials online. Not all results are currently relevant to users and certain searches aren’t being entered as much. Searches related to entertainment, travel and tourism are seeing declining search volumes.
The May 2020 update must understand what users are searching for right now during such a turbulent time.
Google Advice for Core Algorithm Updates
Google’s official guidance for core updates is to do nothing, however, there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you are abiding by Google’s rules.
Here are some things to consider:
- Google Updates can take a week to ten days to bounce around before any visible changes occur therefore it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your stats to see if it has made any changes to your own site.
- Often, Google’s broad core updates are usually all about relevance, so you need to make sure that any content on your site is relevant, factual and of good quality.
- If you notice any ranking changes since the update, try to ask yourself why your site may not be considered relevant to Google. Alternatively, take a look at our guide on how to fix google ranking drops.
- Sometimes, it’s useful to consider what your competitor is doing with their content in comparison to yours. Take a look at which sites are ranking at the top of the SERPs and apply what they’re doing to your own content so that you can benefit from the update and match the competition.
You can find out more in Google’s Advice for Surviving Algorithm Updates.
Ricemedia will monitor the changes to rankings from the update, not only from an industry perspective but also as part of our role of managing clients as an SEO agency.
If you need guidance on how to survive core algorithm updates, get in touch with our team today.
