Google Begins Launching July Core Update

Google SEO specialists prepare their websites as Google released their broad core algorithm update at the start of July. The search engine company announced the update to SEO specialists last month, pushing everyone to adapt to the new algorithm system for higher search rankings.

This update is the continuance of the core update last month. Google stated that they wanted to add more changes to the core update in June but ran out of time. The features that the search engine company launched yesterday were the rest of the changes that they planned to add to their June update.

Often, a core update takes around one to two weeks before it fully rolls out. Many online businesses and SEOs worried about their search rankings and site traffic, but Google provided them with support in the form of tips and guides. The company also said that recovering from this latest update won't be different from the other core updates it has launched in the past.

Some websites have experienced adverse effects from Google core algorithm updates in the past. On rare occasions, they may have to wait until the next update before seeing any significant signs of recovery. Therefore, some website owners may consider this new update as the recovery that they've been waiting for.

The first half of the core update - the June core update - also hit a few websites, and so SEOs are looking forward to the rest of the July update to recover.

There have been so many updates that Google launched to improve their search this year. Therefore, it can be challenging for some SEOs to diagnose which specific update affected their rankings. Moreover, there could be a combination of updates and other external factors that caused the decline in their site traffic or rankings.

Below is a recap of all the updates that Google has launched since the start of June:

Google Broad Core Algorithm Update

Google launched the first half of their core update on 2 June 2021. It was rare for the search engine company to separate their updates and release them so close together.

The June core update was still incomplete, so Google SEO specialists and webmasters could barely notice any changes to their websites. Nevertheless, some SEOs experienced negative effects from this update, while others observed positive changes. However, Google told them not to panic nor be too quick to celebrate because there is a possibility that the July core update will reverse these changes.

Google Algorithm Slander Update

This update will prevent certain websites from appearing on the search results when a user types in the name of a person who is a victim of slander. Google also came up with the concept of "known victims" to prevent victims from being targeted repeatedly. The problem with slander is that they resurface in search results even after the victims report the content targeting them. With Google's new policy on slander, they can get closer to solving this problem.

Google Page Experience Update

The page experience update involves signals that measure a website's ability to provide users with an excellent browsing experience. Each of these signals assesses the website and declare an overall page experience score. SEO specialists and businesses can view their scores in Google Search Console's new page experience report. This report will give them insights into how they can improve their SEO, depending on how low their page experience scores are.

Some of the signals include mobile usability, HTTPS usage, security issues, Core Web Vitals, and ad experience.

Google Spam Algorithm Update

An algorithm update that aims to prevent spam from showing up on the search results was released on 23 June. This includes shady websites that trick users into installing malware or giving their personal information, phishing sites, and the like.

Legitimate websites that follow Google's webmaster guidelines probably have nothing to worry about with this update, as it has nothing to do with them. However, in the event that a legitimate website is hacked to serve spam to its users, it will likely experience penalties. In such cases, site owners are advised to re-evaluate their site's security measures.

Google July Core Update

Last but not least is the July core update that Google is rolling out now. This makes for a total of five big updates in the span of about a month, with one update rolling out every week.

However, SEOs should remember that not all updates apply to everyone. For instance, the spam and slander updates may have little effect on most websites because they target specific types of content. Therefore, SEOs who do not publish content containing spam or slander generally have nothing to worry about.

On the other hand, the two main core algorithm updates can have the biggest impact on websites since Google is launching them broadly to all search results.

Last month, Google reassured that the SEO community would not even notice the impact of the first half of the core updates. Now that the second half of their core updates are out, online businesses and site owners will have to carefully observe their site traffic and search rankings to see if they need to adjust anything.

It is safe to say that it might take a week or two before Google finishes launching their update.

What Should SEOs Do If They Get Hit?

Google has given advice several times for SEOs who were negatively affected by a core update in the past. However, they did not provide any specific actions that they can take to recover. In fact, experiencing a decline in rankings may not mean that there's anything wrong with one's web pages at all.

Nevertheless, Google offered a list of questions for SEOs to consider in the event that they suffer a drop in rankings. In these situations, one should evaluate their content and ask these questions:

• Does the content contain original information, research, reporting, and analysis?
• Does it have interesting information or insightful analysis that is beyond what is obvious?
• Are readers likely to bookmark, recommend, or share the content with their friends?
• Would other publishers use the content as a reference for their printed books or magazines?

Google also gave the SEO community hope, saying that they can recover after the next core update, but they will have to wait for a long time.

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