Google announced rolling out a new core update on May 25, 2022, and the update is likely to take two more weeks to roll out completely. This is the first broad core algorithm update of 2022 since the last core update in November 2021. Several webmasters and SEOs are concerned with this update as they are expecting to experience some turbulence in the SEO rankings.
Google has been making substantial improvements to the overall ranking processes several times a year. So, with that, we can conclude that these updates might produce some noticeable changes to how sites perform, which we’ve noted in previous core algorithm updates.
Google’s Official Announcement
Google took to Twitter to officially announce the new broad core update and linked to their official guidelines on core updates.
Today, we're releasing a broad core update, as we do several times per year. This update is called the May 2022 core update. Learn more: https://t.co/7kFklwdkAb
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) May 25, 2022
What Are People Saying?
Several SEO experts and webmasters are concerned with this core update, as they are expecting some spikes or drops in SEO rankings. Twitter discussions are available here.
During the course of the update, there were several tremors in the search results, and here are some noticed by the SEO Expert Glenn Gabe.
OK, we are starting to see a lot of movement based on the May 2022 broad core update. Here's a sampling of domains seeing surges or drops. And a number of them saw previous drops/surges during the November or June/July core updates. I'll be digging in. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/hAWF1ijNLb
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 27, 2022
What’s Next – Dealing With This Update
According to Google, there can be some impacts on rankings by this core update, that is, some sites may experience a drop, and some might experience an instant spike in search rankings. Also, if your sites are negatively impacted, there’s nothing wrong with your web pages. It is usual that some of the web pages may perform well or rank lower during a core update.
With that being said, there is only one way to ensure your site is immune to a core update, and that is, to follow the best SEO practices and have a constant check on the site’s health. Rank Math’s Analytics Module helps you to monitor the keyword rankings and analyze their historical performance data during the rollout of the update.
Note: The update finished rolling out on 9 June 2022.
The May 2022 core update rollout is now complete.
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) June 9, 2022