How We’re Responding to Google’s May Core Update

As business owners and marketing team members are likely aware, Google published its second Core Update of 2020 back in May. This update, like most Core Updates, had a significant impact on numerous websites and SEO elements – we noticed our clients with great content were rewarded by this update.

"For many business that have been following the Google Quality Rater Guidelines for E-A-T (Expertise - Authority - Trust), the May 2020 Core Update from Google has been positive in many cases, they have seen improvement in the search results since the update finished rolling out, and will continue to do so through future algorithm updates. For sites that have been focusing on building those signals, the May update has helped them get their business in front of more people online, which during the COVID19 outbreak has never been more important."

-- Brian Julkunen Director of SEO at SEO Werkz.

Numerous businesses have been counting on SEO Werkz to assist them with these kinds of industry developments for years, and we’re doing the same for all our affected clients as the results of the May rollout become clearer. Speak to our SEO professionals today to learn about our clear and concise approaches in this area, a few of which we’ll lay out here.

Importance of E-A-T

Another area many longtime marketing pros or business owners will be well aware of within their SEO efforts is the Google Quality Rater Guidelines, which feature numerous resources for SEO and other realms. One major part of these guidelines, particularly as it relates to website content, is abbreviated E-A-T: Expertise-Authority-Trust.

In many cases, businesses that have been following the guidelines for E-A-T have seen positive results since the May Core Update, and can expect to continue seeing these results through future updates as long as they maintain these efforts. The May updates have allowed for more viewers to visit these sites, a factor that’s of particular importance for many businesses due to market changes based on COVID-19.

YMYL Sites

For a number of smaller sites, including sites in the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) categories, there may have been negative results from the May update if E-A-T was not a previous priority. It’s never too late to begin making greater efforts in this area, however, and there are several other areas of the Google Quality Rater Guidelines such businesses can adhere to while they look to rebound. Our team has already assisted several businesses who were negatively impacted by the update, helping point them toward the proper actions.

Importance of Quality in content and links

The E-A-T theme we’ve touched on here is important throughout sites, but particularly within all written content areas. We cannot overstate the value of unique, high-quality content that stands out from competitors, content that builds on themes of Expertise, Authority and Trust.

Linking was also a big contributor to this update -- solid, trustworthy links helped, while thin and overly identical links were left behind. Quality and hard work will continue to catch Google's attention while gaming the system and quick fixes will continue to be flagged as irrelevant.

For more information on how we’ll assist you with your response to Google’s May Core Update, or to learn about any of our SEO services, contact the pros at SEO Werkz today.