Don't worry about Google Core updates; So you can look forward to Google Core updates with peace of mind!

They have great names like Hummingbird and Panda and are among the most feared “forces of nature” on the Internet: Google Core Updates. And not for nothing, because they can cause your website to disappear from the top search engine rankings in no time. In this article we will show you how best to deal with Google Core Updates and how you can even use them to your advantage. Curious? Then let’s get started!

What are Google Core Updates?

If Google carries out a fundamental update to the algorithm that rates websites, this is called a Google Core Update. Such an update is intended to improve search results so that users always find what they are looking for.

What Makes Google Core Updates So Feared?

Smaller updates to the Google search engine algorithm are scheduled almost every day, but these are of little importance to website operators. Things look completely different with core updates: As their name suggests, these get to the core of the matter. This means that they represent a relatively deep intervention in the algorithm and have a correspondingly strong effect on the SERPs. SERPs are the abbreviation for Search Engine Result Pages. In these, the search results for a search query are listed and sorted in descending order of relevance. Algorithms are used to determine rankings in the SERPs by calculating them using numerous factors such as loading speed, keywords and content quality. If Google now carries out a core update, the relevance of individual evaluation factors changes and pages that were previously ranked top can suddenly slide to the bottom of the search results - every website operator’s nightmare.

Why does Google perform core updates?

Basically, Google wants to use core updates to improve search results and ensure that the content you are looking for is found. This is of course positive for users, but it regularly causes website operators and SEO representatives to break out in a sweat. But that doesn’t have to be the case, because with a basic understanding of the matter and appropriate preparation, Google Core Updates quickly lose their fear and you can even use them to your advantage.

This is how you can prevent damage caused by Google Core updates

The good news right away: Nobody has to be caught off guard by Google Core Updates, because Google usually announces them some time in advance of their implementation. In addition, the company also provides information about how the evaluation of the ranking factors will change. In short: you can prepare for Google Core Updates. In addition, there are fundamental foundations of every website that have always played and continue to play an important role in search engine rankings for Google, regardless of core updates. These include a solid technical basis and added value of the website content for users. If these two basics are correct, you can look forward to Google Core Updates much more calmly.

We have summarized the most important points for you again:

• Conduct regular SEO audits to check whether your website still meets current SEO requirements and where there is room for improvement.
• Check whether the content on your website is high quality and up to date and whether it offers users added value. High-quality content is always an extremely important factor when evaluating websites.
• Always stay up to date and always keep an eye on announcements from Google regarding core updates

The latest Google Core updates 2021

Google carried out the last core updates in May and June 2021 and in December 2020. We want to go into these in more detail and shed light on their effects on search engine rankings.

The Google Core Web Vitals Update in May and June 2021

This core update was announced by Google well in advance, so website operators had enough time to prepare for it. Basically, this update was about giving the page experience more weight and giving it a much greater influence on the placement in the search engine ranking. The page experience is particularly important to them Core Web Vitals Influence, which has been expanded from four to seven in this update. These seven are the following criteria that Google uses to evaluate how well users can access a website:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): The time the entire loading process takes
• FID (First Input Delay): The time that passes until interactivity occurs
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): The visual stability of a website
• The display of a website on mobile devices
• Encrypting data with an SSL certificate
• The use of advertising banners and other elements that disrupt the user experience

In short: a good one Performance optimization The website plays an important role here. This update clearly shows that users are increasingly becoming the focus and user experience is becoming an increasingly important factor in Google’s search engine algorithm. A positive user experience is one of the most important criteria for landing at the top of the Google search engine rankings. The only thing that has an even greater influence on the ranking of a page is its content - if it is excellent, it can still be ranked high despite a less than optimal user experience. However, you should always keep an eye on the user experience of your website and continually optimize it, because this is where the greatest potential for improving a website’s search engine ranking lies.

Content update in December 2020

Especially in the run-up to Christmas - the period with the highest sales for many online shops - Google carried out a core update in 2020. This particularly affected websites with thin content - i.e. bad content - and unnecessary clickbait. This core update has placed even more focus on high-quality content and ensured a better ranking of websites whose content offers significant added value for users. In addition to well-structured content, the content now also plays a larger role. After this core update, Google also checks whether studies and analyzes were used as the basis for a topic and whether the content was copied from other sites or marked as sources.

Prepared for upcoming Google Core updates

Websites with high-quality content that offers visitors actual added value, a very good user experience and a solid technical basis do not have to fear falling behind in search engine rankings due to Google Core updates. We can therefore only recommend that you pay attention to outstanding content on a regular basis SEO audits and always stay up to date with Google Core updates announced for the future. So you can even use this to your advantage.