May 2022 Google Broad Core Update Rolling Out

Google has confirmed that a new broad core update is rolling out on the 26^th May 2022 called the “May 2022 Core Update”.

As is tradition with Google Core Update news and developments, the announcement came through the Google Search Liaison Twitter Account earlier today.

Update: the May 2022 Core Update finished concluded on the 9th June.

The May 2022 Google Core Update has been a long time coming with 189 days passing since the last Core update back on the 18^th November 2021. In the time that has passed since the November core update, we have had more than half a dozen notable updates that have sent twitter into overdrive with SEO speculation.

What Does the May 2022 Core Update Mean for My Site?

Google’s broad core updates are just that – broad. The bi-yearly updates are designed to improve the quality organic search results across both informational and transactional searches. If your website has been negatively impacted by the May 2022 Broad Core Update, you may need to reassess your current organic strategy.

Google Core Updates work to filter out low-quality sites and low-quality content from the first page of search results in an effort to improve the overall user experience. If your website has been negatively impacted by a broad core update, it does not necessarily mean that you have done anything wrong, it may just be that there are other webpages that the Search Engine giant believes to be providing more value.

The May 2022 Broad Core Update is expected to roll out over 1-2 weeks. If your website’s traffic and rankings have dropped considerably over this time, we recommend assessing your current content strategy and engaging with an SEO specialist to see where improvements can be made.

Help! My Rankings Are Down! What Should I Do?

With each broad core update, Google continues to point to the same advice that was published in 2019. If you have noticed a considerable change due to the May 2022 Broad Core Update, you should refer to the following advice:

• Create valuable, relevant content.
• Cover a topic in depth – avoid thin content
• Ensure correct spelling, grammar, and overall readability.
• Address the specific topic explicitly to meet user expectations.
• Do not over optimise page titles or headings
• Earn high quality backlinks
• Above all, remember that Google is a business that aims to provide the best experience to its users.
• Their entire business model depends on delivering the best possible search engine results. Broad core updates are designed to increase and maintain search result quality, ensuring that users continue to rely on Google as their primary choice of search engine.

Things to Remember About Google Core Algorithm Updates

• Ranking changes are experienced by all websites across all industries. Unlike some updates which target specific areas of the search results – such as the recent Product Review Update, broad core updates are likely to cause widespread changes across all niches.
• Broad core updates are designed to improve the overall quality of results that appear in Google’s search results. As we reported recently, there has been discussion of low-quality websites using spam tactics that have been rising to the top of the search results over the last few months. Broad core updates are designed to rectify result quality issues and ensure that the quality of search results stays ahead of other search engine rivals.
• Websites that focus on a white hat, content-centric SEO strategy should (in theory) see the biggest improvements during a broad core update.
• A loss in rankings or traffic does not mean that you have been impacted by a manual action or Google Penalty. In most cases it means that Google has reassessed your website based on content quality factors.
• As always, we recommend keeping an eye on websites that perform well through core updates. Irrespective of industry, it is likely that website owners will notice new or unknown websites that perform well during this update. Their content quality and style may serve as inspiration or your site.
• As John Mueller confirmed back in November, Google core updates will typically roll out over a period of 1-2 weeks. While the greatest impacts are usually experienced in the first 24-72 hours, it is a good idea to see where the ball lands before making any large changes to your website.

What Now?

As with any Google Core Update, do not panic. We recommend waiting out the 1-2 week roll out period before making any drastic changes to your content strategy, off-site strategy, or your overall search engine optimisation strategy.

We recommend sitting tight for the next two weeks to see where the ball lands before reassessing (where necessary) your SEO approach. If you experience a drastic loss of traffic, it may be time to consult with an SEO Agency who can help you to understand what has happened and help put together a recovery plan.