Google’s New Core Update, January 2020 Core Update, is Out with a Bang
The new year is the time for a new beginning, and Google has already taken one step ahead to the new beginning. On 13th January, Google preannounced about another core update, named the January 2020 Core Update. This time January 2020 Core Update seems to be a lot bigger than the past one, September Core Update.
The Announcement:
Google announced on 13th January 2020 on Twitter, “Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the January 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before.
On the same day at 10.30 PM, Google again announced –
“The January 2020 Core Update is now live and will be rolling out to our various data centers over the coming days.”
Just after the January 2020 Core Update was live, Twitter was broken into the shower of wishes and expectations that this update would impact positively on their ranking.
Previous updates:
The most recent Core Update was Sept. 2019 core update. For many SEO professionals and Webmasters, that update did not have a big impact like the previous core updates. Google also released another update in November, 2019specifically for local rankings.
The previous Core Update September 2019 Core Update was slow to roll out and wasn’t shockingly upsetting one. However, based on early signals and chatter within the SEO industry, the current update seems to bring a lot bigger change to ranking than the previous ones!
What to do if you are down:
Some folks twitted that they got hit by the September, 2019 Core Update. Google has a piece of advice for those who are negatively impacted in the past by a Core Update. According to Google, you don’t need to take any specific action to recover, in fact, the negative ranking does not signal anything is wrong with your pages.
Google’s Advice for Core Updates:
Google has never given any specific and actionable advice on how you can deal with the January 2020 Core Update, if you perform less. Their only advice was in August 2019. We have shared some of the most important info below:
If a website is not performing well in a core update, there is nothing wrong with the pages. It does not even mean that they have violated Google’s Webmasters guidelines, neither it is for manual or algorithmic action. The Core Update is not about targeting any specific pages or site, it is about improving Google’s ability to assess content overall.
So, how does Core Update work?
Imagine you have made a list of top 100 movies in 2015, and just after a few years, in 2019, you refresh the list. Will it be the same? Certainly not! The list will change naturally. Some new and exclusive movies that never existed before, will be there. You might also reassess some movies and realize that they should be in a higher place on the list. This list will change continuously, and this is just the way Core Updates work.
However, Google always prioritizes content over anything. It always says to focus on the content. So, if you perform less, and think you should do something to rank higher on the Core Update, you can revisit your website and assess the quality of the content. To do the self-assessment, you can ask yourself the following questions –
- Is the content rich with original information, research, reporting, and analysis?
- Does the content offer a complete, comprehensive or substantial description of the topic?
- Is your content nothing but a rewriting piece from another source instead of being a unique one?
- Does the content provide interesting information or insightful analysis?
- Is the headline or the page title unique and informative or it is exaggerating and shocking in nature?
- Would you love to read your content in hardcopies, like magazine, encyclopedia or book?
- Do you feel the eagerness to bookmark the page or share it with your friends?
Let’s hope for the best:
Widely noticeable effects are to be expected from the new January 2020 Core Update. This may drop or gain your search ranking. So, be patient! As Gooogle says, the list will change, and the names that were down might be higher on the list, and vice versa.
If your rank drops, analyze what content can rank your business high! Hope this Core Update impacts your business on a positive note.