The May Core update affected several industries - what we know about it so far
How and when?
Search results will remain volatile for more than three days after Google announced the update on May 4, 2020. Google has warned that the stabilization phase could take several weeks. Therefore, there is no need to jump to conclusions.
Most updates deal relatively quickly with small changes. This update is different. It is becoming increasingly clear that this update is really big.
List of areas concerned:
Local search businesses
Health related sites
Global rollout around the world
Multiple languages at once
These changes have been felt by a wide audience and their results vary from hour to hour and from day to day.
Why the update causes ranking volatility
One reason for the volatility of search results is that it can take some time for changes to be implemented globally in all data centers. When your browser requests a data center, it can get old as well as new data.
Another reason to explain the constant changes is the fact that there are several factors that are changing.
What commonly happens is that the update comes followed by a period of relative peace, which is then interrupted by other changes, which are a correction of deficiencies caused by the original update.
This effect is known as the negation of search results inconsistencies. This is the case when updates inadvertently hit relevant sites as well. After the update, Google engineers will review the feedback, review the search results, and tweak it to address this inconsistency.
First impressions
Many of the people I spoke to described this update in words as "apocalypse" and mentioned how inappropriate it was to make an update in corona time.
Search marketer Tony Wright (@tonynwright) and his first impressions:
"This seems to be one of the most significant updates in recent times. It's too early for anything other than analysis, but I've seen it as an update of hite pages in multiple verticals.
It is not clear who will benefit from the update ... "
Many people shared the information that, although it was still early, they saw changes in many sectors, especially in health-related topics.
Who is affected by the Google Core Update?
Fluctuations of local search results
There are many reports that mention fluctuations in local search results. This is also pointed out by the graphic artist Darren Shaw, who shows how the local search has been going on since the end of April 2020:
Covid-19 - Does it affect the search algorithm?
Covid-19 - Does it affect the search algorithm?
It is possible that Google has added a change that makes the algorithm more sensitive to these changes. This has not yet been confirmed by Google.
At the same time, it is speculated that some long-term strong brandies that have been on the market for a long time thanks to the update have gained, while "less branded" sites have lost.
Worldwide Update Rollout
Google's update appears to be affecting SERPs worldwide. WebmasterWorld reports indicate instability between the United States, Europe and Australia at the same time.
Japanese search engine marketing expert Kenichi Suzuki (@suzukik) said the update was very popular in Japan.
"We are seeing big fluctuations. ... May's Core Update 2020 appears to be a typical Core Update. "
Is it also losing a poor content?
Another point is that there are more reports of loss of low-quality content positions. It was not clear whether they were losing position due to poor content or for other reasons.
What do the updates target?
It's important to understand that Google's extensive core updates are generally not industry-specific.
A change in the algorithm could have a significant impact on the industry, but that does not mean that the industry has been deliberately hit.
SGoogle has introduced regular core updates that affect factors such as understanding users' search intent and understanding what the website is about and how relevant the site is to search queries.
For example, a change in search intent can affect the ranking of pages related to medical needs.
If Google finds that search engines are requesting scientific answers to health questions, this will negatively impact sites with so-called "Home medicine".
Therefore, if the medicine pages seem to be unduly affected, look for the impact of the core update in order to better understand Google over what customers are really looking for.
Linking factors have also been included in recent core update updates, such as when Google chose to selectively use some links that have a no-follow parameter for classification purposes.
Who benefits from the update?
Google doesn't really market for poor quality sites. He claims that the decisive factor is whether the customer received a satisfactory answer to his search query on the given website.
Google does not fund the site because of a quality site, but because it is relevant.
Takeaways
You must wait for the search results to stabilize before making any changes.
Watch the sites that win and try to understand why these sites were successful.
It is best to track changes through the lens as successful sites try to cover the searach intent of their customers.