Google announced it is rolling out a new core update, the May 2020 core update, Monday. This is the second core update of the 2020 year; the first one was the January 2020 core update.
Historically, Google has released a core algorithm update every few months or so. It was just a bit over 3 months ago since the January core update.
The announcement. Google said, “Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the May 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before.”
Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the May 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog post for more about that.
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 4, 2020
Now rolling out. At 3:50 pm ET, about an hour after posting this story, Google said the rollout has begun. It can take “about one to two weeks to fully roll out,” according to Google.
Previous updates. The most recent previous core update was the January 2020 core update, which had some analysis. The one prior to that was the September 2019 core update, which many SEOs and webmasters felt had a weaker impact compared to previous updates. Google also released an update in November, but that one was specific to local rankings.
What to do if you are hit. Google has previously provided advice on what to consider if you are negatively impacted by a core update. There aren’t specific actions to take to recover, and a negative rankings impact may not signal anything is wrong with your pages. However, Google has offered a list of questions to consider if your site is hit by a core update.
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Why we care. Whenever Google updates its search ranking algorithms, it means that your site can do better or worse in the search results. Knowing when Google makes these updates gives us something to point to in order to understand if it was something you changed on your website or something Google changed with its ranking algorithm. Today, we know Google will be releasing a core ranking update, so keep an eye on your analytics and rankings.
Data on this update. On May 7th, we wrote a story named Google’s May 2020 core update was big and broad, search data tools show. Check it out to learn more about this update.
