SEO

A look at Google’s new Core Algorithm update

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Google May 2022 Core Algorithm Update 

On 25th May, Google announced the beginning of the rollout of their latest core algorithm update, aptly titled the “May 2022 core update”, which should last a couple of weeks.

Similarly to Google’s previous core updates, Google are somewhat coy on exactly what the algorithm update is changing, and say that it is in place to “improve Search overall and keep pace with the changing nature of the web”. 

The official Google blog post here provides links to previous articles written around best practice guidelines and what users should expect to see from the core updates, with the key takeaway being the algorithm is designed to reward sites that create high quality content for users.


So how do you create high quality content?

When creating content for your website, you should be looking to create something that provides real use for the reader, from original research and analysis, to comprehensive and insightful information. Content should ultimately be designed to engage the end user and provide benefit. When content is thin or spammed with keywords, it can appear to be designed purely to rank for SEO purposes and therefore may be deemed as low quality by Google, which in turn will be affected by these core algorithm updates.

Google’s official blog post states that the E-A-T model should be taken into consideration too, looking at the expertise, authority and trustworthiness of content created. The continual creation of high quality content will build each of these three over time, which the website should then see performance benefits from.

So what should I do now?

Alongside following Google’s webmaster guidelines and ensuring content is created with quality and the user in mind, the next step is to monitor your site’s performance a little closer over the next few weeks, to a month.

Google Analytics should provide a clear view on overall performance, with Google Search Console allowing you to dig a little deeper into individual keywords if you spot any particular pages suffering. Tools such as GetStat and SEMRush are also great at tracking keyword performance, allowing you a more granular view of what exactly is happening within the SERPs.

What should I do if I see performance fluctuations?

Of course with any Google update, performance dips or fluctuations may cause panic, however seeing movement is somewhat normal and should even itself out post-rollout, therefore it shouldn’t cause too much concern.

Monitoring and tracking performance will allow you to spot any patterns in problem pages or areas of the website, meaning you can review particular parts of onsite content and see if there are improvements to be made to existing content.

Post-rollout, some websites may still see lower search performance even if they are following Google guidelines. In this instance VERB recommends reviewing what competitors are doing and the content they are creating to see if there are any learnings that can be taken into account. A key factor to note is that the continuous creation of quality content should help long-term search performance of your website.


When will the next Google algorithm update be?

No one can be sure of when the next Google algorithm is scheduled for release, however this is the latest in a string of Google core updates, providing us with clarity on the importance of creating quality content for your overall search performance and setting you up for future success.

If you have any questions, our team would love to hear from you.