Unless you’re living under a rock, you have probably heard that Google announced a new Core Algorithm Update by now, which was released on September 12, 2022. As Google confirmed, it will take up to two weeks to finish.
This core update is the second main update in the space of a year (the previous one was Google May core update). Algorithm updates are taking place constantly over the year; however, changes this broad are rarer and more noticeable.
What is the purpose of this Core Update?
Google September core update follows Google’s Helpful Content update. It will affect how ranking signals are processed and will change how SERPs are generated. As with all core updates, the purpose is to improve the experience for searchers on Google.
It’s still too early to know how all these changes will affect individual websites, however, we can expect a few things:
- An increase in ranking for helpful content.
- Fluctuation in visibility and rankings in the following weeks.
Tips to cope with the Google September Core Update
These core updates take weeks to finish, and fluctuations might take longer than you expect to settle. So don’t be reactive. Wait for the SERPs to be stabilise. There are a few great tools to monitor these changes in each country, such as SEMRush Sensor or Algoroo to get a day by day review.
The best thing to do is to review your website traffic and rankings closely in the months leading to the update and the weeks following the update.
Regardless of the update, the content on your website ought to be of good quality, original and regularly updated. But because this update closely follows the Google’s Helpful Content update, make sure your web content is high quality and helpful to users. Do you answer questions in your market? Is the information on your website detailed and does it add value to the user? If you wish to know more, we wrote a great article on this Google’s helpful content update.
Also, make sure your website is accessible and easy to navigate. These factors are getting more and more relevant for Google. Having an accessible website might be important for this core update but it will surely be even more relevant in the following updates.
One of the most important tips for surviving this core update is to earn relevant backlinks from high quality websites that are in the same industry as you.
As you might have noticed, this requires constant work, and you should have been working to meet all these criteria regardless of the core update as a means of minimizing visibility turbulence.
If you need help, our international team can help you develop your marketing strategies and mitigate any issues around Google updates that might impact your website. Contact us to find out more about our marketing services including SEO consulting, copywriting and PPC.
