Google’s algorithm core update
Google’s algorithms are a complex system used to retrieve data from its search index and instantly deliver the best possible results for a query. The search engine uses a combination of algorithms and numerous ranking signals to deliver webpages ranked by relevance on its search engine results pages (SERPs).
2020 Core Update
Google announced it is rolling out a new core update, the May 2020 core update, Monday. This is the second core update of the 2020 year, the first one was the January 2020 core update.
Historically, Google has released a core Google algorithm update every few months or so. It was just a bit over 3-months ago since the January core update.
The announcement. Google said “Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the May 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before.”
Previous updates. The most recent previous core update was the January 2020 core update. The one prior to that was the September 2019 core update. That update felt weaker to many SEOs and webmasters, as many said it didn’t have as big of an impact as previous core updates. Google also released an update in November, but that one was specific to local rankings.
While January’s core update only led to average volatility of 8 points, on May 6, almost every category showed peaking volatility rates — from 9 to 9.4 points. So, the May core update appears to be much stronger and influencing more SERPs and positions.
It is inevitable to spot some ranking drops and gains once a core update gets fully rolled out. Certainly, during the pandemic, we expect to see user queries related to travel, tourism, live events, etc., to be significantly down. So, many of the categories’ volatility would come as no surprise.
However, the highest impact from this algo update, at this point, occurs across several industries, including some of those already impacted by the pandemic.
Build a powerful backlink profile
Links are one of the most powerful ranking factors when it comes to Google.
That’s why it’s worth looking at your backlink profile, or the number of websites linking to your site. When a website links to yours, they’re doing it for a reason — like to share top-notch content.
Assessing and updating your content can lead to more links to your site, and high-quality ones too.
For Google, links serve as a vote of confidence.
Another website is endorsing yours, which tells Google (and its audience) that you have relevant and trustworthy content. This effect gets amplified when a high-quality and reputable site, like a well-known news site, industry-leading blog, or government website, links to yours.
With these four initial steps, you can begin recovering from a broad Google Search update.
