Google’s Monster Core Update – May 2020

The news is in – on May 4th, 2020 Google began rolling out the “May 2020 core algorithm update”. Here is their announcement:

While it has now been a couple of weeks since Google started rolling out the update, we can see that this update was very big and very broad. In fact, according to several data companies tracking the updates, this update is “one of the largest Google core updates in a long time.”. Plus, Google isn’t even done rolling out the update yet! The update itself is global and not specific to any language, region or industry. However, SEMRush data shows that the industries most impacted so far, include:

• Travel
• Real estate
• Health
• Pets & animals
• People & society

If you’re like us and have been tracking Google’s long list of algorithm updates, then you will note that there was a massive core update that just took place in January this year. While this update certainly shook the industry (again), its SEMRush sensor tracking score signalled an ‘8’, whereas the May 2020 update has signalled a 9.4 – just to give you some indication of the scale of the latest update.

How Do I Know If My Website Has Been Affected?

The best place to start, is to compare your website’s data and rankings with those around May 5th, 2020. If you’ve noticed obvious changes, then it is likely that your website has been affected.

What Do I Do If My Website Has Been Affected?

It’s always advisable to speak to an industry professional, such as an SEO Specialist, and they will have a far clearer indication of what’s happened any why. Although, because this update is so generic, it can often be difficult to pin-point exact areas of a website to address. The best course of action is to ensure you continue to implement SEO best practices and optimise your website primarily for users.

"This update was an “absolute monster" - Mordy Oberstein, RankRanger

If you need some assistance diagnosing your website from this “absolute monster” of an algorithm update (Mordy Oberstein, RankRanger), then contact us and we can provide you with a complete SEO audit of your website. — That’s it! Until the next update, “keep calm and SEO on!” —