This year, Google added a “broad core update” to its algorithm on May 25, 2022. This update was announced by Danny Sullivan, a Public Liaison for Google Search.
It usually takes a while, maybe a couple of weeks before the update starts to take effect because Google releases its major updates slowly.
Google’s algorithm update on May 25, 2022, is its first broad core update since November 2021.
An algorithm update is of significant importance. It means Google is improving how its search engine interprets web pages, which affects your website’s rankings, traffic and ultimately, revenue.
It’s hard to analyze not to talk of preparing for a broad core update. Google doesn’t stipulate what the update is nor how it will impact your website metrics because broad core updates have a wide range.
With this recent update, what’s going to happen? How will this Google algorithm update optimize your website’s performance? How will your website content affect your website performance? And lastly, how does this algorithm update affect your business?
This article will cover everything you need to know about Google’s May 2022 algorithm update. Read on.
What Is a Broad Core Update?
A broad core update doesn’t mean an overall change on the whole algorithm, it just means a few adjustments here and there.
Think about it this way; when you tune up your car engine, it affects the overall performance of the car but it isn’t a particular solution meant to fix a particular problem.
Google’s broad core updates affect search engine ranking factors generally without focusing on one section specifically. That’s why it’s being referred to as “broad.”
In previous times, updates like Panda and Penguin were specifically designed, considering the quality of backlinks and content. Some other updates are also specifically designed too. Like Google Search; it was designed to check how product reviews and spam impact relevant rankings in the last two months of the previous year.
But broad core updates change how they appreciate a webpage holistically. So, what are you supposed to do whenever there is a broad core update?
You just need to make sure you’re following all of Google’s guidelines. Also, ensure your website is SEO optimized and your users are having a great website experience. You should also be mindful of the speed of your website and the backlinks you add to your website too.
What Happened in Previous Broad Core Updates?
Before the May 25, 2022, broad core update, the previous one was in November 2021. But the June/July 2021 update is what has the most impact and significance on websites.
The reason for that is that the update was a large one and Google had to divide it into two. The first half was launched in June and the second half was launched in July.
Data analysts observed a lot of positive changes for websites across many businesses as Google launched the June/July 2021 broad core update.
It was described by a particular analyst as “one of the largest core updates we’ve seen from Google yet.”
Will the 2022 May update have as much impact? How will it affect your company’s website? More importantly, what effect will it have on your business generally and what is required of you? Read on to find out!
What Is Unique About This New Broad Core-Algorithm Update?
To be exact, there’s nothing unique about it. Or at least, there’s no uniqueness in the broad core algorithm update that the public can pinpoint.
At the same time, when it comes to broad core updates, Google never gives any specific updates. All there is to know is that these updates have the potential to significantly impact rankings on Google Search.
The SEO community had already predicted an upcoming core update a week before when it was launched. It so happened that different data changes occurred at that time and people guessed they were casualties.
But according to John Mueller, a Google analyst, he said that “when we announce core updates, we start the rollout at that point, not beforehand”.
All broad core updates are usually rolled out over time. So any change in website traffic from last May to mid-June can be safely said to have been influenced by the new update.
Takeaways From Google’s May 2022 Core Update
Let’s start by researching some of the data related to this broad core algorithm update and what we can glean for brands and content marketers.
What Google Did Advice With the Update Announcement
It is common for Google to not give any specific feedback or information on how content marketers and website owners can prepare themselves for a broad core update.
As is typical, Google doesn’t provide any specific feedback, preemptive or otherwise, about how content marketers and website managers can prepare for or adjust to a broad core update.
In all of this, there must be some takeaway and actionable advice from Google’s May 2022 core update.
Anytime Google announces a broad core update, they usually offer general advice to all content marketers and SEO specialists. They refer them back to the documentation of old search-ranking best practices that’s been in existence since 2019.
Here, Google makes it known that the best thing for content marketers and SEO experts to do in preparation for the new update is to focus their energy on providing the best content for their users.
This means providing:
Unique information, reporting and research.
A complete, in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the topic; and
Informative analysis and interesting content that’s beyond obvious.
As a general principle, if your site enjoys a high ranking, then you’re probably in tune with the rules and practices. Conversely, if you’re dropping from the top of search engine result pages, then you may need to start engaging in SEO practices.
Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trust)
This is not referring to food!
E-A-T is an acronym that Google uses to represent best practices for optimizing content to increase its ranking on its search engine.
E-A-T means Expertise, Authority and Trust. This implies that for your content to adjust with the new broad core update, it must first display expertise, come from a credible and authorised source and build trust in your readers.
As a website marketer, whose main goal is to achieve online leads, traffic and sales, you should be able to tick the E-A-T box completely.
Truthfully, there’s no specific ranking factor in Google’s algorithm that represents E-A-T precisely. But Google confirmed in 2019 that for content to rank, it must incorporate the principles of E-A-T.
And Google also specifically advises content marketers to focus on E-A-T as it plays a huge role in adjusting to the new core algorithm update.
It is to say then that there’s a relationship between websites dropping their ranks from the May 2022 broad core update and their inability to incorporate E-A-T in their content.
So how can you prevent future failures of your website and optimize your website for E-A-T?
It’s quite simple; just follow the Google E-A-T checklist and make sure that your content is in-depth, comprehensive and authoritative and your content is good to go.
Volatility in Website Rankings Is Common After Broad Core Updates
If your website has been changing ranking since the May 2022 Google broad core update, you’re not the only one going through such.
It is common for websites to experience volatile rankings after a broad core update because Google doesn’t roll out all its algorithms all at once.
That’s why these updates usually take some weeks to settle and that explains the volatility for some days after both the June/ July and the November 2021 update.
But the recent May 2022 update had the shortest and most intense volatile period.
So, how can content marketers and website owners leverage the new update to their advantage?
All businesses need content and Google ranks all content according to how best they follow the principles. Sometimes, the implementation of the rules, the use and the scenario in which it is used may differ but the principles remain the same.
What these explanations imply is that content with quality checks, including E-A-T is the only way to avoid being affected by the new broad core update.
On a final note;
The most valuable lesson to learn from Google’s May 2022 broad core update is that the time to increase the quality and standards of your website content is now! Content, as they say, is king and even without any algorithm update, your website will suffer low ranking with low-quality content.
Google has always been open to the guideline to follow to experience the best result even with new update rollout The guideline includes following E-A-T best practices, avoiding ranking volatility and impacted snippets, and then you must be ready to incorporate SEO rules and practices into your content. Your content must be top-notch for your website to move from the lowest to the highest ranking.
Investing in SEO practices can help you rid yourself of the fear of any broad core update anxiety.
