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Google Core Algorithm Update – May 2020

For the second time in 2020, Google has published a global update to its core algorithm.

What does that mean?

The core algorithm is the formula used to determine where pages rank on Google. Google actually tweaks and experiments with this formula all the time. If these updates are so common, why is “Google Algorithm Update” becoming a frequently trending keyword? The reason for this is the uncertainty behind it and the affect that it has on SERPs.

Unlike the usual updates launched by Google, the broad core algorithm update is notorious for changing organic results. However, this is completely natural, if you imagine a top 50 song playlist of 2019, it would look a lot different in 2020 which is essentially what occurs during these updates.

What does AMP mean?

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are essentially stripped down HTML copies of already existing web pages. You often see them when searching for news stories which appear in a carousel format on top of your mobile search engine. This means that google searches with AMP stories will appear in Top Stores for searches that are covered related with news (A Savvy Web, May 5th 2020).

In addition, it has been found that due to the algorithm including AMP & non-AMP you may begin to see less local news popping up on your search engines. Whereas, previously Google would rank local news on top of all news search results.

Boost for Youtube?

Google found that many users find visual experience a lot more useful and informative than reading text. With this new update, when users search for how to queries, Youtube will feature snippets of relevant video results which will be determined by likes/views.

Fixes to AI & complex searches?

Many SEO experts are showing a lot of excitement with fixes regarding wrong information being displayed when searching for a specific name, person or something that is more complex & specific. Therefore, there has been a core update in response to improved Artificial Intelligence which Google uses to display these types of complex queries.

Changes to Structure Data Mark-up?

Structure Data Mark-up is also known as schema mark-up, this is a type of code which allows Google to better understand the data on your website. However, it is important to make sure that you add this code in the correct place otherwise this may affect your ranking & analytics as Google won’t be able to crawl, organise & view your content.

Many websites use FAQ mark-up on their website as it helps with getting to the first page of Google, but a lot of websites do not use this correctly. Google has released guidelines with do’s & don’t’s in regards to this issue as it may negatively impact your ranking if not done correctly, read more here.

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