An Algorithm, in simple words, is a set of rules designed to get a solution for the issue in a fixed number of steps, or we can say that it is a set of instructions planned to perform a specific task. In computer programming, algorithms often generate as functions that serve as small programs referenced by the more extensive programs.
Google Algorithm means that a platform uses a highly specific formula to recognize the most relevant result or outcome for the user’s query. If you want to persist top of the SERPs, you need to understand the concept of algorithms and how Google changes overtime. Google typically changes its algorithms 500 to 600 times a year, and SEO experts must track progress and react promptly.
Google’s Core Algorithm updates come when Google makes significant changes and broad changes to its search engine algorithm and system. The motive of these updates is to enhance the search engine experience to users, offering them more relevant, useful, and trustworthy content. Understanding Google’s Core Algorithm is indispensable for various digital marketers. Algorithms like Panda, Penguin, implemented to solve the significant issues of search engines.
Brief History of Google’s Core Algorithms
The roots of Google’s Core Algorithm start way back in the early 2000s, but it made more sense to begin in 2010. Here is the list of a few Google’s Core Algorithms:
2011 – Panda
It was the first significant update in the modern SEO world. It tried to deal with websites purely created to rank in search engines and mostly focus on on-page factors. Panda update mainly focuses on two sites:
- Affiliate sites
- Sites with thin content
In other words, its primary focus is to combat low-quality websites.
2012 – Penguin
Google’s Penguin update primarily focuses on links website got from other sites. Penguin update discourages buying, exchanging, or artificially creating sites. It mainly focuses on rejecting acquiring unnatural Links.
2015 – Mobile Update
In 2015, Google released its mobile update, which shows that mobile rankings will differ based on mobile optimization. This update termed Mobilegeddon, and it offers a ranking advantage in Google’s mobile search results for mobile-friendly websites. This update profoundly penalized unoptimized websites in rankings and cut-off their web traffic.
2015 – RankBrain
RankBrain is the state-of-art Google algorithm or machine learning algorithm that filters search results to provide the best answer for the user’s query. It helps the sites create niche content and focus on keyword intent to better rank on various search engine result pages or SERPs.
2016 – Possum
Possum is a widely documenting algorithm update and targeting the local SEO pack. With this update, Google seems to change the way it filtered duplicate listings. After this Update, Google omitted results as duplicate if they share the same phone number or web address.
It was mainly focused on local business listings. This update was to make sure the businesses have all the correct information the business listing, such as proper categories, descriptions, areas served, etc.
2017 – Fred
Google confirmed a string of updates, and they make three updates per day on average. One of them was Fred, which was wide-reaching and focused on quality across various factors, not just a single procedure. One unique target of Fred sites is using aggressive monetization tactics that provide a lousy user experience. It focused on websites with thin, ad-centered, affiliate-heavy content.
2018 – Medic
The core update Medic is a global rollout and impacts all Google search results, no matter what region or language. Multiple data companies and SEO consultants explained that this core update primarily focuses on medical and health niches, YMYL (Your Money or Your Life sites), and creeping into the entertainment and gaming niches. The advice is to make your site, content, and user’s experience better overall and keeps working at small changes that can significantly impact your ranking.
2019 – BERT
Google released BERT – a deep learning algorithm in October 2019. The update involves a language processing technology BERT, which accesses the way words in a search query related to each other and gives Google a more detailed understanding of the visitor’s intent. This update expects to impact 10% of all searches.
For More information about Google algorithm updates Click here.
Google’s May 2020 Core Update
As we all know, Google updates around 500 to 600 changes to the search engine every year for better results. In the pandemic Covid-19 situation, on May 4, 2020, Google announced that it would release a core quality algorithm update. This update shapes wide-spread effects to the various websites and possibly more impactful than the August 1, 2018 Medic update. This update’s primary emphasis is to help demote sites publishing or release harmful advice for Covid-19.
Google has reviewed whether they can trust different websites; they appear to have done much more with this core update. Here is a list of partial areas affected by this significant update:
- Local Search Businesses
- Rolling Out Worldwide
- Health-Related Sites
- Multiple Languages simultaneously
On May 4, 2020, a brand-new significant Google update called Google’s May 2020 Core update. This core updated intended to attain more relevant and reliable search results in Search Engine Result Pages or SERPs for all countries and all languages. Amid the corona pandemic, Google announces its second Core Update 2020 and alters resulting from this Core Update appear to affect the various industries like prescription, health, finance, etc. Google Liaison Danny Sullivan announces this Update via Twitter that an update will roll out in the evening, and changes will be completed in the algorithm within two weeks.
Impact of Google May 2020 Core Update on SEO Strategy
As we all aware of the element that the Google May 2020 Core Update brings tremendous changes in various sites’ functionality. The update was the result by considering the pandemic COVID-19 situations all over the world to enhance the ranking of the multiple industries.
Let’s have a glance over the impacts of this core Google Algorithm update on various global sectors.
The following are the significant impacts of this update:
- Google May 2020 Core Update has a meaningful impact on the SEO strategies of various digital companies. On May 4, 2020, Google started a roll out a core update to its algorithm as it brings massive changes in many sites. While January’s core update led to average volatility of 8 points, on May 6, almost every category showed a peak in its visibility from 9 to 9.4 points. Hence, it is the most powerful and influential for the Search Engine Result Pages and positions.
- With this update, there is a need for SEO companies to update their content frequently. As the Google Liaison Danny Sullivan gave a hint in his tweet regarding the update is to alter the range regularly to have a high-rank or top-position on the Search Engine Result Pages. The update of the content will perform in the following ways:
- If the content is no longer relevant to the reader, either delete the page or redirect 301 to its most relevant URL or update it to make it pertinent.
- Make your content evergreen by avoiding the time range or specified dates in the content.
- If you translate the content, make sure the media shall relate to the heading of the content.
- Frequently check the broken links of the site and fix them.
- Do not create duplicate content or articles as it adversely affects the ranking of the website.
- If it is essential to add infographics, or other media in the content, do it, as it helps enhance the ranking of the site.
Google’s May 2020 Core Update fixes
Google May 2020 Core Update focuses on the thin content. If your website has a narrow or less range, it means you will face negative or low ranking for your website in the future. You must keep in mind the crawlers’ requirements in your mind while preparing content for the website. The user should get the full information about his/her search while searching on a single page rather than searching for different pages at a time. Thin content will adversely affect your ranking. This update helps in fixing the narrow content with the help of the following keys:
Need to add words
While fixing the thin content at your website, you must consider that is there any need to add info on the website? If your website got remarks as images or comments in a few hundred words, there is no need to improve any additional content. As we know, users will like to get their queries replied within few seconds rather than a long time wait.
Comparison with competitors
You must look at the similar pages ranking on page 1 of SERPs to check the word count on their webpage. It is an ideal alternative for you to get an idea of whether you need to expand your page if your competitors have at least a few thousand words on their pages.
Relevancy to the text
If you are expanding or increasing content or info for your web page, make sure that it is relevant to your website. Only the relevancy of the data will enhance the ranking of your website on various search engines.
Another exciting finding we noticed with the Google May 2020 Core Update is that it helps digital companies fix their SEO errors. When we dig through our searches with a new core update, we notice that the sites with SEO errors were impacted adversely in its ranking on Search Engine Result Pages. The websites with duplicate meta tags and meta descriptions face several problems while enhancing their rankings on various search engines.
It will result in lowering the web traffic and order of the website. If you find such kinds of errors like duplicate descriptions and meta tags, click on the figures, and it will take you to the page to break down these same data on the website. If you are troubling with these kinds of issues and know that fixing these errors helps enhance the user experience, it must be your goal to improve the site’s rank on different Search Engine Result Pages.
What categories impacted with Google’s May 2020 Core Update
Google May 2020 Core Update is a vast-reaching update with significant movements across all content verticals. Following is the list of some categories with organic and high-experienced visibility:
- During the pandemic COVID-19 situation, the Google May 2020 Core Update has a significant positive impact on the NEWS sector.
- The business and communities in the health or news sector also have positive results on their rankings with this Core Update.
- In COVID-19 pandemic situations, online communications gain ranking with the help of this update.
- Arts and entertainment are also positively impacted.
- The health sector also gains popularity and more web traffic with this Core Update.
- The big brands like Amazon are the winners with this update.
- The Google trends show that Esty received an uptick in searches.
But with Google May 2020 Core Update, some of the industries like Travel, Real Estate, Pets, and Animals, People, and Society, are adversely affected.
Conclusion
The announcement of Google May 2020 Core Update is for Google’s attempt to prevent digital businesses from enhancing their ranking in the pandemic Covid-19 situations. Taking inspiration from the current problems, the webmasters and SEOs create the following innovative names for this update:
- Corona Update or Pandemic Update
- Force Update
To be competent with this Core Update, various SEO agencies must create authoritative content, help users, fix and avoid thin content and SEO errors. Google stated about its Core Google Updates. This is designed to ensure that overall, the content offering on our goal represent authoritative and relevant content to the searchers or users.
JevinTech
JevinTech is the top-notch and high-quality digital services provider firm operates in the USA, Australia, and Canada. Our professional experts help you to earn significant revenue from your business. We worked with several small, medium and large companies in enhancing their profits with the latest SEO strategies.