Google Algorithm Update: May 2020 Core Update Rolling out today

Google Announced its second algorithm update, the May 2020 Core update on Monday 04 May 2020. Their first update was the January 2020 Core Update.

Original Message from their Twitter account: Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the May 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see this blog post for more about that:

During this update, many webmasters may notice drops or gains in their rankings. The core updates are actually designed to ensure that overall, the search results are more relevant and more authoritative content to the users.

If you experience drops in your site rankings, try to fix the things but don’t focus on the wrong things. Sometimes, you don’t have to fix anything at all.

Major Focus Areas during May 2020 Core Update

If you’ve been following the webmaster guidelines, or not violate those guidelines, you don’t have to worry about this update. There is a chance, your content might rank better than the previous update which are under-rewarded earlier.

So, the main focus in this core updates is on Content. They even have some specific guidelines which can increase the possibilities of ranking higher in the search rankings. Below are some questions you must ask yourself to improve your search rankings:

Content and quality questions

• Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
• Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
• If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
• Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
• Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking in nature?
• Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?

Expertise questions

• Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site’s About page?
• If you researched the site producing the content, would you come away with an impression that it is well-trusted or widely-recognized as an authority on its topic?
• Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
• Is the content free from easily-verified factual errors?
• Would you feel comfortable trusting this content for issues relating to your money or your life?

Presentation and production questions

• Is the content free from spelling or stylistic issues?
• Was the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
• Does the content have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
• Does content display well for mobile devices when viewed on them?

Comparative questions

• Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
• Does the content seem to be serving the genuine interests of visitors to the site or does it seem to exist solely by someone attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

Apart from asking these questions yourself, you should also ask your reader for improvements. Users who are unaffiliated with your site will give you the honest assessment.

Conclusion

As with the previous updates, if you are focused on providing valuable information to your user, follow webmaster guidelines, you don’t have to worry about this “May 2020 Core Update”. Focus on your content more and give the best to your reader which makes the user stick to your content and also helps you in ranking better in the search results.

Let me know what you feel about this May 2020 core update in the comments section.