Google’s latest update, “May 2020 Core Update”, has started to roll out across the world. The May 2020 Core Update is the second major update to the search engines algorithm in 2020, with the first one launching in January of 2020.
Any update to Google’s algorithm is designed to produce widely noticeable effects across search results in all countries and languages. Most sites will see drops or gains in search rankings when a core update rolls out. Changes in search rankings are generally a reflection of content relevancy. If content has gained relevance since the last update, it might be moved higher in the rankings, however, if content has lost relevance, its ranking might drop.
As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, it has also caused a significant shift in our search behavior. Google even announced there have never been so many searches for a single topic as there have been for COVID-19.
Thanks to COVID-19, the way we have used Google and its search results have completely changed. People are looking for information about the virus, open businesses, and where to buy certain products like never before. There are many searches gaining relevancy that weren’t as relevant to searchers before the pandemic.
What type of site is the May 2020 Core Update impacting?
As search results continue to fluctuate, Google warned it may take weeks for the update to settle. Usually, Google’s broad core updates settle fairly quickly with minor updates along the way, hinting this update may be bigger and more impactful than the January 2020 update.
Early analysis and research from Search Engine Journal have seen impacts on local search businesses and health-related sites.
What do I do to fix my site if I see drops in organic traffic and rankings?
Stay calm and focus on producing great content. Google has been known for saying there is nothing to “fix” when it comes to an algorithm update. Focus on creating and repurposing or modifying your existing content to match a searcher’s intent.
As this update continues to roll out around the world, we will see major gains and losses in search rankings over the next few weeks. Keep an eye on your analytics to monitor your organic traffic and rankings to see how you were impacted by the latest Google update.