Last week, Google began rolling out the third and (presumably) final core algorithm update of the year, following previous ones in January and May. It’s one of the longest gaps Google has taken between core updates, leading many to believe that it’s a major one.
However, as with all core algorithm updates, it’ll take time to understand its full implications. Google has stated in the past that these updates take roughly two weeks to roll out and, at the time of writing, we’re only a week in.
Given how important this time of year is for many businesses – with the holiday season being a key period for driving revenue – it may be tempting to fear the worst when it comes to the update and its implications. However, it’s important to remember that these updates tend to even out in the long run. For the time being, we thought we’d share our understanding of the update so far.
What changes have we seen?
At Noble, we’ve been constantly monitoring how the algorithm update has affected our clients across all industries and sizes. Google have characterised this latest update as a large and broad one which is likely to affect businesses across all sectors.
As reported by Search Engine Land, particular sectors which have felt some volatility following the update include health, real estate, travel, finance, law and government across desktop and health, law, government, jobs, education, pets and real estate across mobile.
As we noted in our post on the May update, this volatility can cut either way. Your business may have either seen a notable drop in traffic, a notable increase, or, perhaps, nothing at all. However your business has been affected by the first week of the roll out, we expect this to even out over the coming week as Google completes the implementation of the update.
What actions should businesses take?
All of our advice for the May update continues to hold true here: avoid any hasty actions and continue to focus on improving your site’s SEO health.
Remember that these algorithm updates are implemented to help Google do a better job of aggregating content – separating the good from the bad. As a result, businesses that are following the guidelines shouldn’t expect any significant negative changes to their rankings.
However, if your website has seen a huge drop in organic traffic following the update – over 50% – then you should seek support. Noble Performs are here to guide you through the process of improving your site’s organic health and rankings. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us with any questions you may have.