One of the constants in the SEO world is that Google will continuously release updates to their search engine, which will directly impact how sites are ranked, specifically within the organic rankings (the ones that SEO is directly linked to). However, we never know what these updates will be and only have a rough idea when they are coming, although some will be random and never announced.
So, what is a Google update?
As stated, it’s literally just that, Google will release sporadic updates through the year, which in their words “Will improve the digital landscape”. Basically, there will be volatility within the search results around these & sometimes we will never know what it entails, but more than likely will have a direct impact on current rankings for your online business/website.
They usually have two ‘Core’ updates a year, around May & September time, which they typically release details in advance about what it will entail and what the focus will be. In the past they have been focussed around the likes of:
- Quality of content
- Backlinks pointing into the site
- Page speed
- Technical soundness of the site
What happens if you’re affected?
It’s times like these that is one big reason why working with an experienced digital marketing or SEO agency is key, as they will have the best grasp of how to handle any confirmed or unconfirmed updates (much like us here at Lemontop Digital), and how to reverse any changes if needed. The most important thing is to not to panic! In some cases drops are reversed after a few days, or it may be a case that changes are needed on-site to combat the drops.
So, what updates have been released in 2022?
February
Mobile Experience update
This just adapted previous initiations of the mobile first roll-out update in previous years, to keep on top of how a site performs on mobile.
March
Product Reviews update
Looking at product reviews on a whole (not likely to affect every industry) and also the Page User Experience on desktop specifically.
May
The first of the yearly Core Updates, was unnamed and was purely to settle the search results to kick out any spammy indexed materials & further focus on the quality of on-page content.
July
Update on the March Product Review roll-out
August
Google rolled out their “Helpful Content” update, which you guessed it… focussed around how helpful content was on a site. Largely impacting informational based sites or websites which had large amounts of evergreen content which was aimed at helping a certain demographic.
September
This month provided two updates, which isn’t that unheard of in the SEO world…
The first was the second Core update of the year.
Then we had yet another iteration of the Product Reviews update, being the third of the year.
October
The most recent of the year has been at the end of October, which was looking at how Google further handled spam within the search results.
If you feel like you have been impacted by any of Google’s updates throughout the year or could use some help with getting your website seen, get in touch or book a call and one of our experts will be happy to help and we can help out get things back on track and beyond for you!
