Google Starts Rolling Out ‘May 2020 Core Update’ That Could Affect the Search Results You See

Google has started rolling out a new core search algorithm update that it calls the May 2020 Core Update. The new update comes months after the search giant released the last core algorithm update back in January. The goal behind updates like these are to try and improve the quality of results that users get when they enter a search query into the site. While this is good for an end user, many sites might see their performance fluctuate as a result of the core update. To avoid its results being manipulated, Google doesn't give out the details of its routine updates, merely advising content creators to focus on quality content.

A tweet posted by Google earlier today announced that the May 2020 Core Update has started rolling out for all users. The update would, however, take about one to two weeks to fully roll out.

Broader update to enhance Google search experience
The new update is a broad core algorithm update that would bring a list of changes to Google's search algorithms and systems. This is unlike the regular changes that the company releases incrementally to improve search results.

“Several times a year, we make significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems. We refer to these as ‘core updates.' They're designed to ensure that overall, we're delivering on our mission to present relevant and authoritative content to searchers,” Google noted in a blog post defining the core algorithm updates.

Apart from other changes, core updates are likely to affect Google Discover. Some sites are also expected to note drops or gains during such updates.

“We know those with sites that experience drops will be looking for a fix, and we want to ensure they don't try to fix the wrong things. Moreover, there might not be anything to fix at all,” the search giant said.

Having said that, webmasters and search engine optimisation (SEO) teams are advised to stay focussed on bringing quality content through their sites. The content should provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis along with a comprehensive description of the topic. It is also recommended to have a descriptive but not exaggerating or sensationalist headline. Furthermore, there are a list of content, quality, expertise, and comparative questions that webmasters and SEO folks should ask themselves about their content.

Drops, gains from search algorithm updates are common
It is natural that since Google makes certain changes at the algorithm level, some websites face drops, while the other ones get some gains in their traffic. There isn't any hard and fast rule to fix such impacts post an update starts rolling out. Nevertheless, it's better to consider analytics to understand ranking changes of your website.

The last core algorithm update that Google brought to its search engine took place in January. The company had also introduced a new design for desktop searches around the same time that faced some backlash from users initially.

In 2020, will WhatsApp get the killer feature that every Indian is waiting for? Samsung Galaxy S20 in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.