The Business Owner’s Guide to Core Updates

Do you find that every few months, your website traffic slows and you have no idea why? You’re still posting relevant content and targeting the right keywords… so why’s your traffic declining?

Well, you’re not alone. And you’re not necessarily doing anything wrong. Let us introduce you to Google’s core updates.

What happened in the most recent update?

Unfortunately, there is no definite answer to this question. Different industries have been affected in different ways. The effects of a core update will depend on the major keywords and topics within the industry. To understand if the most recent core update has affected your digital marketing efforts, it’s a good idea to compare your organic traffic data in Google Analytics, from before and after June/July 2021.

For example—here’s how it affected some websites in the healthcare industry

As the June/July 2021 core updates have rolled out, Google’s separate core web vitals have also begun to play more of a role in where you rank. Core web vitals were announced as a ranking factor in November 2020. A ranking factor is any factor which affects where Google ranks your site in search results pages.

Here’s what we’ve spotted in the rankings data for a few of our clients within the healthcare industry.

These screenshots show the traffic for the tracked keywords of two brands. Both sites were positively affected by the June/July core update, seeing an increase in rankings.

The June/July 2021 update was fully rolled out across all languages and locations on July 1, 2021.

What can I do if my site was negatively affected?

To better understand how your content fits into the topic you’d like to rank for, take a step back and consider the following:

• What other types of content are ranking in search results for your target keywords, now that the core update has finished?
• What’s your competition writing about, when it comes to your target keywords?

From there, you can add any information and topic areas to your website’s content that you don’t see in the top-ranking results. By making your content more comprehensive, you’ll be more likely to rank as Google sees you as an authority on the topic.

How can I get ahead of this in future?

Google has provided guidelines for site owners hit by a core update. An SEO agency can also help you navigate these core updates both before, during, and after their quarterly implementation.

As a leading digital marketing agency, we’re continually monitoring our clients’ data to understand the long-term impact of the update on their websites. Our SEO specialists know how to analyse the data, drawing up a strategy customised to the unique challenges of your business.

Our clients have weathered many updates with the help of our SEO experts, and have continued to thrive and see great results. If you need a helping hand or personalised strategy to navigate the SEO landscape, get in touch with our specialists and tap into our decades’ worth of collective knowledge.