It’s still a bit early to tell exactly what the March 2019 core update, which rolled out on March 12th, means for publishers and search marketers, but further insights have been obtained from Google.
Read between the lines: When asked if this new core update reverses the effects of previous core updates, such as the one from August 1st, a Google spokesperson responded, “We’re constantly improving our algorithms and build forward to improve.”
While Google did not outright deny any reversal, the response emphasizes their ongoing efforts to enhance their algorithms. Google releases several core updates annually, each designed to make improvements. It’s likely that the latest update addressed some issues stemming from prior updates.
The data indicates that some sites previously impacted by earlier core updates have seen improvements with the latest one. However, this may not be true for all sites, as many still seem to struggle with their Google rankings.
Penguin related? Google clarified that this update is unrelated to any past Penguin updates, stating, “This wasn’t a Penguin update, because we no longer have those. This was a core update, as we’ve explained.”
Not the biggest update: Google has not disclosed the size of this update but communicated that it was not the largest: “This was a noticeable update that we felt warranted confirming. But it is far from being the biggest update Google has ever done,” implying that other updates have been more substantial.
Google did not provide further details on the scale of this update, saying, “we’re not characterizing it beyond that.”
Neural matching: Google confirmed that all core updates and neural matching updates are unrelated. They verified that no updates to Google’s neural matching coincided with the rollout of any core updates. “Neural matching has been part of our core ranking system for over half-a-year. None of the core updates we have confirmed coincided with some new use of neural matching,” the company stated.
Further data collection and analysis are ongoing to identify patterns and signals that may benefit readers and the SEO community. Preliminary data does reveal some interesting trends.
Moreover, the March 2019 core update will be covered in our SEO Meetup at SMX Advanced on June 3.
