Google may have recently launched an update to its search ranking algorithm. The effect of the update was evident on May 1, 2023, but became more noticeable on May 2, 2023, when many SEOs reported spikes in their traffic and conversions.
Several SEOs have reported a sharp drop in traffic, followed by an increase and another drop. Others have indicated zero drops but lesser conversions. While the details remain unclear, there are suggestions that this unconfirmed update be linked to the confirmed April 2023 Reviews Update.
What Are People Saying?
SEOs have provided their insights regarding the update on Twitter. Here is what Barry Schwartz had to say about the unconfirmed search ranking algorithm update:
Possible unconfirmed Google search ranking algorithm update on May 1st and 2nd https://t.co/SzGy7YzVRZ pic.twitter.com/cuA0RmWvM6
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) May 3, 2023
What’s Next – Dealing With This Update
At this point, it is hard to understand what is happening. While the April 2023 Reviews Update is confirmed to have been completed on April 25, 2023, several SEOs say their traffic has fluctuated ever since and is yet to recover.
It’s essential to note that April 2023 Reviews Update differs from the previous Product Review Updates as it covers all review content, not just product reviews.
This makes it hard to pinpoint the purpose of this current update or whether there is even an update. However, if you experience traffic fluctuations on your site, you can closely monitor the affected pages using Rank Math’s Analytics. You can also refer to the below video on how to recover from Google Algorithm updates.