You ever wondered how Google displays the most relevant search results at such a lightning speed to you? Well, it’s Google Algorithm. These are complex systems that Google uses to collect/retrieve data from the search index and delivers the most relevant results from its Search Engine Page Results (SERPs) for the keyword you used for the search. According to Google, “Search algorithm consider many factors, including the words of your query, relevance, and usability of pages, the expertise of sources, and your location and settings”. After so many steps, Google delivers the relevant results within a few seconds, isn’t it incredible?
Google’s Algorithm updates almost every day!
Yes, you read it right. In the initial days, Google made very few updates in their algorithm over a year. However, it’s 2020, and the scenario has completely changed. Nowadays, the next morning you turn up to the office, you can expect a minor algorithm update by then. This is a point of concern for about 2 million websites. Want to know why? It’s about their ranking, security, content, mostly all about SEO. Generally, these updates are so minor that they hardly get noticed. However, whenever a major update rolls out, it brings gain deal for some website, and loss for some. The nearly possible way to skip the algorithm’s impact on your website’s ranking is to stay updated and follow Google guidelines. Still, you never know what’s next!
So, which are algorithm updates that rolled out in 2020 so far?
Let’s rewind it to January 2020!
Google Algorithm Updates
January 2020 Core Update
On January 13, Google confirmed about releasing their broad algorithm update ‘January 2020 Core Update’. This update impacted the search results across the globe. Being a broad core update, Google did not mention any specific areas of improvement in websites. It was more of the big update that Google releases twice or more over the year.
Google says “We confirm broad core updates because they typically produce some widely notable effects. Some sites may note drops or gains during them. 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 core updates can be considered as updates done to improvise the ways algorithm presents information to the searcher. It does not fix anyone or two functionalities; it is broad and covers many aspects to enhance the user- experience at Google. It can impact the Domain authority, Page authority, and more. Google intimates about broad updates in advance to make webmasters ready for the coming changes. They also guide to avoid unwanted changes by webmasters.
Featured Snippet Deduplication- January 22, 2020
The next update of 2020 rolled out on January 22. This update was about eliminating the duplication of websites on the first search engine result pages. This change affected 100% of the search results worldwide. In the previous algorithm, the Featured Snippet webpage was ranked on the first page as well. This used to cause duplication of the webpage -on Featured Snippet & top 10 Search Results. Hence, Google brought this essential Featured Snippet Deduplication update.
Now the webpage on featured snippet does not get the first position on the SERPs; instead, it can get the first position on page 2 of the SERPs. Still, there is no guarantee that it will happen in every case. Your website may rank anywhere on the SERPs. This algorithm update brought Google on a right page, giving equal opportunities to rank the webpages.
May 2020 Core Update
On May 04, 2020, Google confirmed releasing another broad algorithm update ‘May 2020 Core Update’. As mentioned earlier, Google says Core Updates are not specific. There are many factors in the update that can result in lowering your rankings or skyrocket it. There were many speculations on Google’s update post Coronavirus. Webmasters were not expecting any major update during May. However, Google being an unstoppable company rolled out another update.
Most importantly, the update from January and the May update was expected to have huge fluctuations in the graphs. The Google officials confirmed that never in the history they’ve witnessed a trend search for such a prolonged duration. The COVID-19 searches are related to total cases, area-specific data, COVID news, precautions, vaccine, and testing statistics. There is a huge change in buying behaviour of people. And, the impact was clearly expected in the update. To our surprise, the social media did not really enjoy the presence on Pinterest, Amazon, Quora on the SERPs. The major problem here is content. Without much relevant content, these websites are ruling the SERPs worldwide.
It looks like the issue is now resolved!
September 2023, Google Helpful Content Update
Google’s September 2023 helpful content update began rolling out on September 14th and finished on September 28th, taking a total of 14 days to fully roll out. The update aimed to downgrade websites containing “search engine-first” or “SEO-focused” content that seems to have been created primarily for search engine ranking rather than helping users. It wanted to reward more authentic, user-focused content. Some saw significant ranking changes while data providers reported low volatility. Google provided questions for sites to self-assess if their content aligns with this update. Changes may take months to fully recover from if content is improved over time. The update targeted reducing low-quality content to make high-quality, helpful information easier for users to find.
November 2023, Google Core Update
Google’s November 2023 core update was fully rolled out in mid-November 2023. Core updates are broad algorithm changes that aim to better understand search queries and surface more helpful results. This particular update began rolling out worldwide on November 8th and was completed by mid-November. Some saw immediate ranking fluctuations while others observed more gradual changes. Core updates do not specifically target any individual topic or type of content. Google does not provide specifics on what signals trigger changes. Sites should ensure their content continues to follow best practices for quality, freshness and being helpful to users. Core updates help Google continue evolving to serve more useful search results.
Well, every new core update brings some new website in the SERP ranker’s lists and creates ranking difficulties for many businesses. Is your website affected by any of these updates and you are trying to gain back the traction? Well, Google updates are, most of the time, unpredictable. Businesses incur huge losses when the coin flips on the other side. We totally understand this. Fortunately, this is where our expertise lies. Aarna Systems is the best SEO company in Pune. Our SEO experts are always ready to rescue your sinking ranking and give it a boost and skyrocket your business. So what are you waiting for?
