May 2022 Google Core Update

Google has released a core update for this year, which is also referred to as the May 2022 core update. It has been rolled out on May 25, 2022, and it took 15 days for it to finish. The rollout finished on June 9, 2022. So, what do you need to know about the latest broad core algorithm update and its impact on Google search?

May 2022 Core Algorithm Update

The Google core update in May 2022 was a major one. There were already early impressions of the core update on the first few days of its rollout. The core update showed impacts on all Google search results and content types, languages, and regions all over the world.

Furthermore, search results data providers for the May 2022 broad core algorithm update have also released data.

Semrush showed that the broad core algorithm update this year has hit search results pretty quickly following Google’s announcement. You can check out the volatility tracker here recorded by the platform.

Based on Semrush, the latest 2022 broad core algorithm update seems to be a new pattern and is more volatile than the November 2021 update.

RankRanger also analysed Google search results following the latest Google broad core algorithm update and noted that it’s significant impact on search results. It showed that this year’s core update’s average position changes were higher than the November 2021 broad core algorithm update. Additionally, it showed that the retail industry has been the most hit by the latest core update.

Aside from the data providers, the SEO community also made its observations and came to a conclusion (so far) that the May 2022 core update was more significant than last year. There are also a growing number of people on Twitter who shares charts from their clients following the core update.

On the other hand, the search community is filled with comments from SEO experts and site owners. Between the core update rollout, there is a mix between a significant decrease and an increase in traffic and fluctuation across the search results industry wide.

Some site owners experience a significant increase in traffic and conversions during the rollout, while others notice a significant decrease in traffic in search results. Reactions due to the broad core update are also mixed because of the inconsistency of the result that a lot are seeing following the broad core update.

One said, “Saturday was right at the bottom end of a weekend average at 56.7% and after 14 hours of my G Sunday so far it is abnormally low plus looking at it on a weekly basis I am down 30%. I need to check again however it would appear the reduction is in my most popular keyword products having been demoted in the US SERPs.”

Another one said, “My website traffic is rollercoasting since the update, but is down overall -20%. All featured snippets are gone for entire site. The website is still ranking at #1 spot for most of those queries.

As mentioned, there are others that noticed a spike in Google search results traffic in different countries following the broad core update, such as Canada and the US.

How Does a Broad Core Algorithm Update Differ from Other Core Updates?

There are Google core updates and Google Algorithm updates. But, what is the difference between a core update and an algorithm update?

The Google algorithm is a system that pulls from its index of Google search results data and delivers relevant search results for a search query. There are countless data being indexed by Google every day. Therefore, tweaks are crucial to ensure that the Google algorithm will always deliver the best search results.

These tweaks are also known as Google algorithm updates and can happen several times a day. They are frequent changes to search results that are usually small that you can barely feel them. Google will usually not announce when an algorithm update will occur, which is why nobody really knows what goes into these updates.

However, these Google search updates are not insignificant in search results. Without them, Google won’t be able to deliver the most relevant updates to users.

Now, a Google core update is a big deal, which is why Google announces it each time a new core update is released. The core update includes several changes to the algorithm that can impact SEO ranking factors, site traffic, and how search results are delivered. It also has an impact on how data is processed and understood by Google search.

It’s best to err on the side of caution and pay close attention to any of these core updates when Google announces them. This only means that they are significant and there’s a possibility that your website and search results will be hit by core update changes.

How Many Times Does Google Update Its Search Algorithms?

When it comes to the update frequency of Google algorithm updates, it is estimated to be 500 to 600 times every year. If you think about it, that’s actually once or twice every day a core algorithm update is implemented. Most changes don’t have a significant impact on SEO, but there are some that may change the way SEO works.

How Often do Google Core Updates Happen?

Google core updates occur every two to three months on average. These core updates help improve the quality and relevance of Google search results. Some of the most notable core updates are:

–       Panda

–       Penguin

–       BERT

–       Fred

–       Hummingbird

–       Pigeon

–       Rankbrain

–       Possum

–       Medic

–       Mobilegeddon

–       Freshness

A core update can affect five per cent to ten per cent of all searches. Core updates can have a drastic effect on SEO and website owners’ search results. Therefore, the energy and time invested in SEO can change in an instant when there’s a new core update. The effects of core updates can either be positive or negative on individual website search results and rankings.

Another thing to remember about core updates is that they can impose penalties to jeopardise your search rankings. There are also some core updates that restructure the SERPs. That’s why you need to be extra mindful when these core updates are being rolled out, even if you think you can’t keep up. There are many websites as well as an SEO community where you can stay up-to-date with the latest core updates that can help your SEO.

How to Know If It’s a Core Update?

It’s easy to know if it’s a core update. As mentioned, core updates are announced by Google before they roll them out. There are also announcements of upcoming core updates on Google’s Webmaster Central Blog post.

You can also follow Google’s Twitter account to keep up-to-date with the latest core updates.

Why is Your Google Ranking Dropping on Google Search?

As mentioned, Google core updates can affect up to ten per cent of web searches, plus, it takes a couple of weeks for a core update to fully roll out. Since a Google core update takes the mess out of web pages in Google search, the reason behind the Google rank drops only means that some things on your website are no longer valuable. This is why it’s crucial to know how these pages are and identify the errors.

How to Recover from a Google Core Update?

Google has given mixed messages about the possibility of recovering from a broad core update. For a long time, their support page explicitly said that, “pages that drop after a core update don’t have anything wrong to fix.”

However, that changed recently with their new advice, “We know those sites that experience drops will be looking for a fix, and we want to ensure they don’t try to fix the wrong things.” This led many to think that there are fixes that can be made.

Moreover, this isn’t the first time the company subtly indicated that it is possible to make changes to the website following a broad core algorithm update. Even Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, John Mueller has said that a few times in his Google Search Central video hangouts.

He has said that after a Google broad core algorithm update, users can make incremental improvements to recover from a drop in search results and rankings in Google search.

Here are a few things you can do to recover from a broad core algorithm update:

Rely on Data

It is recommended that you rely on data every time a new broad core algorithm update rollout is completed. This will help you see which content has been impacted.

Fortunately, there are tools you can use to make this easier, such as Ahrefs or Semrush. You can also use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to help identify pages that have been affected by the Google broad core algorithm update.

Give It Time

Core updates always bring changes, but it’s also about reassessing web content. What does that mean? If you notice a drop in rankings in Google search, it means that there’s something wrong with your pages or you have violated some webmaster guidelines. There are times when you have to wait before you make any changes to your content because the Google search rankings may recover as the dust settles and everything is completely rolled out.

See What Your Competitors are Doing

If you noticed one of your pages goes down in search rankings and you see your competitors go up, that means your competitor is doing something better than you. Doing so can help you recreate the content from a relevant point of view and build authority by reaching out to the right people. Remember, when a broad core algorithm update has been rolled out, not all websites will have a drop in rankings; there are some that will notice a spike in their traffic. This is why it’s important to pay attention to your competitors after a Google core update.

This may take some time, but trust that it will be worth your while.

Final Thoughts

The May 2022 Google core update is finished, but its full effects haven’t come full circle yet. With little information coming from Google about how the broad core algorithm update will affect its websites, all we need to do is wait it out a little and rely on data to compare the changes and identify areas where we can improve to align our web pages to the latest Google core update.

We will keep you posted as we update this post regularly for the latest changes from the May 2022 Google broad core algorithm update. Additionally, you can check out an SEO community to keep up with the latest changes.

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