Broad Core Update Released by Google for May 2022

Google released its last core update about seven months ago. On May 25th, Google released their first broad core update this year which they named the “May 2022 core update”. Even though, in the past seven months, there have been a few Spam updates and several unconfirmed algorithm updates released. The new “May 2022 Core Update” has taken about 1-2 weeks to fully roll out and should be officially launched this June.

What is in the May 2022 Core Update?

Google calls this update a “substantial improvement” to its overall ranking process. Their reason for releasing this update is to improve search results for everyone, which will have some important effects on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page). SERPs are Google’s response to a user’s search inquiry, when you search something on Google, the SERP is what you get back. These determine how your site appears on Google’s first page which is an important aspect of SEO, making it a beneficial update for businesses. Google has not confirmed anything specific about this new core update outside of pointing to a previous guide released in 2019 about what website owners should be aware of.

If you notice a drop in rankings, site traffic, or SERP positioning, keep in mind that the algorithm is not specifically targeting your site. It merely means that the Google algorithm reevaluated that page against other web content published after the last update. Therefore, if you have done SEO work and made a diligent effort to improve it over the last seven months, you will likely begin to see some improvements and higher search volumes as this new core update progresses. However, if your site has sat stagnant, your rankings will likely decrease.

The most recent Core updates were released in November 2021, and following that were twin updates that had been announced last summer. Two separate updates were launched in June 2021 and July 2021. Prior to these updates was one in December 2020. All of these updates impacted the SERPs and caused substantial changes, but the June 2021 and December 2020 updates were the most impactful.

How should I Prepare my Site for Core Updates?

In reviewing the 2019 guide that Google released, they continuously discuss the importance of good content. This is the best and most recommended way to prepare for the effects that the new core update will have. One of the key headers within the 2019 guide is “Focus on Content”. This is because the new algorithm looks to reward and promote good content that is written with proficiency and authority, and provide users with the most accurate search results based on keywords. Site owners must consider how information is presented on their site, and that it includes evidence of your credibility and expert background knowledge. The algorithm is continuously trying to ensure that the SERPs and referenced pages give users what they are looking for.

Site owners should also take E-A-T into larger consideration for their websites. E-A-T is a page quality ranking that stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness within the realm of search engine optimization. E-A-T is specifically listed in Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG), which assesses the quality of search results and whether website pages pass inspection to be displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs). Even though Google typically reviews at a page level and ranks sites per page, the overall authority of the entire site can help individual pages to rank higher.

What is a Google Core Algorithm Update?

Core updates take place when Google makes changes that help to improve overall search for users, despite things constantly changing over time. Typically, these updates create evident changes to how all websites perform in the SERPs, not just a specific site. Knowing this, it is beneficial to constantly be aware of how core updates may impact your website by understanding what the updates consist of and the effects they have.

With the majority of Core updates, expect to see some increases or decreases in your site’s SERP positioning. For the drops your site experiences, take particular note of the type of drop that is occurring and which pages are receiving traffic or losing it. Within the pages that are experiencing an increase in traffic, consider what is different about this page and try to implement it in other areas of your site. When you notice drops in the SERPs for certain pages, remember to wait a few days and check back, as the drop could be due to fluctuations as the core update rolls out. If a page is continuously experiencing less traffic over a month’s time, it was most likely directly impacted by the changes within the new core update and should be modified to help increase its ranking.

WebSuited will continue to monitor our own data and information from other SEO sources to evaluate how the new algorithm update is affecting SERPs.