Quick Rundown on the June 3 Core Algorithm Update
Google’s June 2019 core algorithm update is one for the books in that this was the first time Google announced an update before release. Core algorithm updates can be difficult to decipher because they are broad and encompass a number of different changes. Algorithm updates that focus on one specific item, such as page speed or link building quality, are easier to analyze and improve upon, as search engine optimizers can recognize the changes needed to reverse a traffic or ranking loss.
With that said, we are sharing our thoughts, insights, and tips on how to best adapt to the June 2019 Google core algorithm update.
What Was the Core Algorithm Update’s Focal Point?
From the information given, we can deduce that this algorithm update was related to a number of items that focus on a webpage’s relevance to searchers as well as user expectations and experience. This means that high-quality website content is key.
The 2011 Panda update helped establish the importance of curating sophisticated content. In 2016, Google announced that Panda was officially part of the Google core ranking algorithm, and since then, the criteria for quality content has only increased.
Google’s John Mueller urges webmasters to get back to the basics by revisiting a Google blog which lists a number of the questions one should ask themselves about the quality of their site. Some of these questions to ask yourself include:
- Would you trust the information presented on the website?
- Are there spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
- Are you comfortable giving personal information, such as credit card numbers, to this site?
- Is the content original?
- Would you want to bookmark this page?
- Does the content on the site seem redundant?
Who Was Affected by the Core Algorithm Update?
Two months after the update, it is still not clear that there was one particular industry affected, but some sites have experienced anywhere from a 20% to a 90% drop in traffic. Ranking fluctuations from substantial algorithm updates can often take weeks to stabilize, and often times, there are smaller updates to correct or adjust the larger core algorithm updates. For example, many SEO experts believe there was an adjustment to the June 3rd update on either July 11th or 12th, but Google has not confirmed this theory. The SEO community has nicknamed this alleged update the “Maverick Update” because it was stealthy and precise.
Additional Updates from Google in June
While everyone was focused on the core algorithm update in June, Google also released very targeted updates, such as the following:
- Google is no longer supporting social profile markup for knowledge panels
- Google changed how it processes noindex and other directives in the robots.txt.file
- Google is sending out top query changes alerts via Google Search Console. It added copy and search code to those tools and expanded the overview reports to 90 days.
Over the last year, we have seen an increase in specific and core algorithm updates. We will keep our eyes out for the next big update from Google, but in the meantime, focus on the basics of providing high quality technical coding for the bot and sophisticated content that adheres to Google’s guidelines.