The good, the bad, the ugly about Google’s latest core algorithm update.
On June 2nd, Google’s public liaison of search, Danny Sullivan, tweeted that users could expect a broad core algorithm update that would be rolling out to various data centers in the coming days. The “June 2019 Core Update” was announced as set to start on June 3rd.
Tomorrow, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the June 2019 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this tweet for more about that:https://t.co/tmfQkhdjPL
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 2, 2019
Why A Pre-Announcement?
Google has acknowledged the SEO community has been asking Google to be more proactive about changes like these. Danny Sullivan, Google Search Liaison, stated there’s nothing “big” about this update in comparison to past updates and that Google wants to inform “rather than [have] people scratching their heads after-the-fact.”
What is a Core Update?
Core Updates are Google Updates that don’t specifically target search queries or website characteristics. While major updates like Panda and Penguin specifically target content quality and links, Core Updates tend to impact websites in a variety of areas.
Initial Impact
The June 2019 Core Update finished rolling out June 8th and news websites appear to be impacted the most thus far, suggesting that Google may be raising the bar for news quality.
The update seems to be targeting sites that Google sees as offering low quality news content, as publications like the Daily Mail lost 50% of daily traffic and CCN announced they’re shutting down after losing 71% of mobile traffic.
Impact Seen by Overdrive
Core Updates can take days or weeks before any noticeable results appear in reporting. Furthermore, Google will sometimes make adjustments or reversals, so jumping to conclusions or making drastic changes is not recommended.
The good news is Overdrive has not seen any significant changes to search rankings or organic traffic that would suggest the June 2019 Core Update has devalued any websites we’re tracking.
Next Steps
As with any algorithm update, some sites may see drops or gains. There’s nothing wrong with pages that may not perform as well because of an update. Instead, it’s that changes to Google’s systems are benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded.
There’s not necessarily a fix for pages that may not perform well, but Google recommends we build great content and follow their Search Quality Rater Guidelines. In the long run, your content may rise in value relative to other pages.
Overdrive will continue to take an integrated approach to SEO, providing actionable recommendations to drive growth and improve search engine presence.
