How to Handle the Impact of the June 2021 Google Core Update
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Have you recently spent time looking at SEO-related topics? If so, then you probably encountered the ripples from the June 2021 Google core update. They include everything from algorithm trackers indicating wild fluctuations to backlash from furious website owners regarding the drastic changes that have taken place.
If you find yourself at a loss when confronted with the effects of the Google core update on your website, you’re not alone. It is an issue that many web admins are currently grappling with…
Following the painful lessons we learned from the Panda and Penguin updates, one key takeaway is that Google rewards websites with good SEO. This means websites that are well organized and easily accessible. Ensuring your site is authoritative and has relevant content is the only solution to Google's algorithm updates.
When it comes down to it, you must remember that this most recent update is Google’s attempt to provide a better user experience—not an attack on your actions or your website.
Have You Done Anything Wrong?
The quick and simple answer is no. Google has a long and established track record of rolling out its broad-based core updates. The updates tend to affect certain factors such as its understanding of what users are searching for, what different web pages are about, and how the pages are relevant to users' search queries. Suppose Google decides that user search queries are looking for information or ideas on a particular topic. In that case, it will negatively affect your site if it only offers transactional pages containing little value.
Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Google Rankings?
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed what searchers need from Google search results. There has been a noticeable shift in general user behavior. With Google's May 2020, December 2020, June 2021, and July 2021 updates, the search giant now faces the unique challenge of trying to catch up with these shifting expectations. Simply put, Google must establish what its users want to see whenever they search.
The changes in your search rankings are possibly a reflection of the relevancy of your content. With the Google core update, many websites that were not as relevant before have gained much more relevancy due to their COVID-19-search-related content. And as a result, their search rankings have risen.
Because of the fluctuating situation we’re in, you are advised to avoid jumping to conclusions or making drastic changes to your website. It’s best to wait until the July update is rolled out fully before making any major website changes. However, if there is anything that violates Google’s guidelines, you should fix it immediately.
What to Do If the Google Core Update Impacted Your Website
Despite your best efforts to stay on the right side of Google's requirements with the new update, you may find that your website has suffered a dip in organic search traffic and a drop in position in the SERPs.
What can you do to reduce the impact of the June 2021 Google core update?
1) Offer High-Quality Content
Google's main suggestion for websites that want to avoid being negatively affected by the June 2021 core update is to offer users quality content. To improve your website and lessen the impact of the most recent update, you should consider the following factors:
- Content quality: Avoid having copy/paste content on your site. Instead, create original content for your pages, have descriptive titles, and prove yourself as a trusted source. Besides being authentic, the content should offer comprehensive and complete descriptions of the topic and provide answers whenever possible.
- Expertise: There are two ways to demonstrate expertise in your content. The first is by building trust. This means presenting your information in a way that makes your audience believe in the answers you provide to their queries. The second, providing proof of authority on the author's part, means that your visitors know they are getting their information from a knowledgeable source.
2) Understand E-A-T and Quality Rater Guidelines
E-A-T is an acronym for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. It is essential for Google's algorithms, particularly with the new update. E-A-T is an integral part of the Google Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) that evaluate the overall quality of results for specific queries.
Below are the things you should keep in mind…
Page Purpose
Each page on your site must serve a purpose. It must also provide a benefit to the user in some way (e.g., sell them a product, teach them, inform them, make them laugh).
Contact and About Us Pages
Your website must have strong, easily visible, and highly optimized About Us and Contact Us pages. An About Page should feature ratings, testimonials, third-party reviews, as well as in-depth company history and industry certifications. Your contact details should have visibility across your entire site, possibly within a global footer or header.
E-A-T-Focused Metadata
Your website metadata needs to communicate your expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, not urgency. Page listings in the SERPs should leverage reviews and trust ratings, as well as avoid pushy language.
No Clickbait
The world is full of competitors looking to get ahead of you. It can be tempting to front-load your website with content solely designed to attract clicks. However, Google may penalize you for content that it considers deceptive to users or for headlines it views as exaggerated or shocking.
Takeaway
The June 2021 update and upcoming July Google core update are classic broad core updates. These global updates are not specific to a particular website category, region, or language. The goal behind this type of global update is to help Google become better at assessing website content and determine the pages that provide the best answers to its users' queries. The update changes might boost pages that were under-rewarded before. As a result, your website may receive a drop or increase in its traffic.
If your ranking or traffic drops, it could send you into a state of panic. However, you should note that the decline is probably not because of any unknown SEO issues but simply because Google can find better results for users' search queries. In that case, you can use the tips above to increase the chances of your content being listed at the top of Google’s SERPs.
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