Google has just confirmed the release of a “Google Core Update” or a broad update today:
A new broad core update (Google Core Updates) will begin rolling out on Wednesday—this one called the June 2021 Core Update, announced Google search liaison Danny Sullivan, adding that we should also expect a July 2021 core update next month.
https://searchengineland.com/google-june-2021-core-update-rolling-out-349121
The “June 2021 Core Update” comes one month before the update already expected for next month. Your site may experience a drop, an increase in ranking, or simply nothing at all. This can happen every day.
But one thing that Google itself mentioned in the notice about this release is what prompted me to write this short post. This is what I want to share here:
How can I make my website proof against Google Core Updates?
Is this possible? Does Google not control its SERP with an iron fist, with ruthless and uncontrollable changes happening all the time? Are Google Core Updates not something we simply have to deal with?
On this page, titled “What webmasters need to know about Google’s core updates,” they provide highly valuable tips on what we should pay attention to when creating content and publishing on our sites.
Shall we take a look at them?
Content and quality questions
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
- Does it include a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does the material present insightful analysis or interesting and original information?
- When the content is based on other sources, do you avoid simply copying or rewriting and instead add value and originality to the material?
- Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive and helpful summary of the content?
- Do you avoid using exaggerated or shocking terms in the headline and/or page title?
- Is this the type of page you would bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend to someone?
- Would you expect to see this content in a magazine, encyclopedia, or printed book?
Expertise questions
- Does the content present information in a trustworthy manner, with clear sourcing, evidence of expertise involved, and data about the author or the publishing site (such as links to an about page)?
- If you were to research the site producing the content, would you come away with the impression that it is trustworthy or widely recognized as an authority on the topic?
- Is the material written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
- Is the content free from easily verified factual errors?
- Would you trust this content for issues related to your finances or your life?
Presentation and production questions
- Are there spelling or stylistic issues?
- Was the content well-produced, or does it appear to have been rushed or sloppily created?
- Is the content mass-produced or outsourced to many creators? Is it spread across a large network of sites? These factors often result in less care being given to the production of specific pages and sites.
- Does the page have an excessive amount of ads that distract the user or interfere with the main content?
- Is the material displayed correctly on mobile devices?
Comparative questions
- Does the content offer significant value when compared to other pages in the search results?
- Does the content serve the interests of the site visitors, or does it seem the material was only created for the purpose of improving the page ranking in search engines?
We, SEO professionals, usually place great importance on a Google core algorithm update, and actions are generally taken after something happens. But is this a good practice?
To help us reflect, I want to cite a few things, such as the questions below, taken from Google’s post:
Does the content show original information, reports, research, or analysis?
Is the content I create on my site 100% original? Of course not; it is influenced, impacted, and utilizes the most diverse sources, but that is not the issue. The point is my commitment to bringing good data, transforming it into relevant information, perhaps based on well-conducted research, and analyzing it all from an original point of view.
This reminds me very much of the work of a researcher or scientist when producing scientific information.
Does the material present relevant analysis or interesting and original information?
Originality and relevance in information once again. Originality can be viewed as the “quality of what is unusual, of what has not yet been imagined, said, done, etc.; innovation, uniqueness” or the “capacity to express oneself in an independent and individual manner.”
You do not always need to create content that has never been done before (and let’s face it, that is increasingly unlikely), but you can express yourself in an independent and individual way, providing your perspective on that theme.
Is that not what Google wants from our content? And do our visitors and readers not want the same?
When the content is based on other sources, do you avoid simply copying or rewriting and add value and originality to the material?
Capacity to express oneself in an independent and individual manner. Originality, remember?
How much content do we find out there that is merely well-written copies of others. Look, I won’t be a hypocrite; many of the things I have posted here came from other texts, of course.
But the ones that turn out best are those that begin as a conversation with one or more texts from other authors, which I then appropriate and provide my own vision on the subject.
Do you avoid using exaggerated or shocking terms in the headline and/or page title?
5 absurdly enlightening themes on how to make SEO a source of infinite wealth! or 4 foolproof tips to create a company now and crush your competitors in one month.
What leaves me intrigued: if Google states that it would like us to avoid this, why does it work? How many professionals who trust 100% in post optimization tools (Yoast, I’m talking about you) use these techniques to get the “green light”?
Would you expect to see this content in a magazine, encyclopedia, or printed book?
Here, my training (in progress) as a Librarian speaks louder: for content to be published, it must meet certain criteria such as experience, authority on the subject, reliability of sources and information, and originality.
Does this remind you of something? Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (the famous EAT), originality, and everything I have discussed here.
It seems to me that the academic background of Google’s founders remains strong in the idea that the search engine must have good content. That is why this release made me think that “core updates” are interesting, but having original content is what makes my site proof against changes.
How Do Google Updates Work?
In the sixth part of the Semantic SEO track, we examined how Google Updates function. Why do Google and other search engines constantly update their algorithms and how does this impact SEO work? Why do content creators need to know how Google updates work, and what is the impact of these updates on their work?
Reference: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2019/08/core-updates