A 2nd update in 2020
The May Core Update is the 2nd major update to Google’s algorithm in 2020, the previous one dating back to January. Google generally publishes little information about the changes made in these updates, but for the one we’re interested in here, one aspect is important to consider.
It’s the first major update since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The pandemic has affected the economy and the online consumer habits of virtually the entire planet. It has also had an impact on searches performed on Google, a large share of which are now related to the new coronavirus.
Google has also made smaller updates since the start of the pandemic, notably to help verified, quality content rank better in search results, particularly local news.
May Core Update: which industries are most affected?
It’s important to note that you generally have to wait several days to observe the changes that occur after a major update like the May Core Update.
In the weeks following the update, some industries saw the volatility of their rankings affected, meaning the largest variations in search results were observed for keywords related to those industries. In the case we’re interested in here, the streaming, travel, real estate, health and pet products industries seem to be the most affected…
What should I do if I notice a drop in traffic to my site?
Before you give in to panic, keep in mind that Google’s algorithm is constantly evolving to adapt to its users’ search habits, but also because of the thousands of new search results created every day (new websites, articles, videos, etc.).
SEO is a complex area of web marketing; dozens of variables must be taken into account to explain one business’s good rankings and another’s poorer ones… That’s why we recommend entrusting your website to our experts. They can accurately assess all the variables and metrics related to your website’s SEO to better explain your rankings for important keywords and your site’s web traffic.
As for the May Core Update, our team did extensive research and closely monitored the rankings and traffic of all our clients. No significant drop was recorded for them, as was the case with the August 2018 update. Our SEO experts continue to monitor developments very closely.
If you’ve lost a few spots in Google’s search results because of the latest update, your website traffic may be directly affected. For any questions or concerns about your Google rankings or web traffic, our team is here to shed some light.
