Google announced last week that the June 2021 Core Update, a major search engine algorithm shakeup, began rolling out on June 2. It also announced that the July 2021 Core Update will be rolled out next month. Both of these updates are in addition to the Page Experience Update being rolled out in mid-June, making for an unusually busy stretch for digital marketing agencies.
Google rarely launches core updates in back-to-back months; generally speaking, the search engine leaves anywhere from two to six months between significant updates. The last major algorithm tweak was in December 2020, and the one previous to that rolled out last May.
Google reportedly told Search Engine Land that the reason it is launching consecutive updates is that some of the improvements planned for June were simply not ready for release. That means that websites affected by the June update may see their ranking positions normalize in July, and that websites unaffected in June won’t be fully in the clear until August.
“Of course, any core update can produce drops or gains for some content,” Google said to the SEO- and search engine marketing-focused publication. “Because of the two-part nature of this release, it’s possible a very small slice of content might see change in June that reverses in July.”
As with most other major algorithm changes, the June 2021 Core Update is rolling out globally and for all languages over the next two weeks. Digital marketing experts expect it to be fully launched by the time the Page Experience Update hits.
Between the June 2021 update, the July 2021 update, and the Page Experience Update, SEOs are preparing for an unusually volatile 8 to 10 weeks of search rankings and search visibility. As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with unique insights on Google’s best practices, GrowthEngine Media is uniquely prepared to weather this sudden ranking storm. Contact us today if you would like to discuss the upcoming changes.
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