New January 2020 Google Core Update

In case you have not heard, last week Google rolled out a new core update – the first for 2020. It was announced on Twitter via the Google Search Liason account. The previous core update was released last September and upon initial feedback this one seems to be quite a bit larger than its predecessor.

Here is Google’s announcement:

Although not much is known about this new update as yet, due to the hazy blog post attached, it appears to be causing quite the stir. Even though Google usually releases little changes every day with the aim to improve our search results, most are not noticeable. However, Google said, “Several times a year, we make significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems. We refer to these as ‘core updates’. They’re designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present relevant and authoritative content to searchers.”

After such an update it is normal for a large number of websites to experience a shift in their search engine ranking. Google describes this shift as a yearly refresh, “One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change.”

It could be weeks until you see any effect on your website, so it is imperative to monitor traffic and ranking analytics. If you do note a drop in your rankings, Google has provided some advice to keep ahead of the competition (and it is heavily focused on content):

• • • Does your content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
    • Does your content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
    • Does your content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
    • If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provides substantial additional value and originality?
    • Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?

As a digital marketing company Manifesto Design specialises in professionally written original content, so if you would like a content overhaul to go with Google’s new algorithm update, get in touch!

– William Lee –