Even in times of massive global uncertainty, Google’s engineers remain hard at work fine-tuning their search ranking algorithm. Earlier this month, the search engine announced its latest major algorithm tweak, the imaginatively named ‘May 2020 Core Update.’ As always, the announcement sent the SEO community into a frenzy.

SEO, short of search engine optimization, is the practice of building, updating, and/or maintaining a website to maximize visibility on search engine results pages. Most website visitors arrive via organic (non-paid) search results, and most searchers visit pages that appear in the top three results for their query. Prominent visibility at the top of a search engine results page can be a major boon for any business.

That’s why core algorithm updates cause such shockwaves in the digital marketing community. A major update can push high-ranking websites down the results page, which can directly impact a company’s bottom line.

The May 2020 Core Update took exactly two weeks to rollout, from May 4 to May 18. The consensus among SEOs is that it was a “monster,” according to Search Engine Land’s reporting. Several digital marketing and analytics agencies reported significant ranking volatility, including drastic fluctuations in first-page results.

Of course, every business’s loss is another business’s gain. When a website falls out of a top search position, another website, sometimes a competitor’s, must necessarily take its place.

“There is no lack of discussion within the SEO community in both the online discussion forums and on social media around this update,” wrote Search Engine Land’s Barry Schwartz in his report. “Some people claimed to have lost over 90% of their Google organic traffic, while others did well from this update.”

As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency, GrowthEngine Media is finely tuned to Google’s preferred practices. For this reason, our clients rarely experience major fallout from Google’s algorithm updates. Our SEO strategies are based on Google’s recommended best practices with a focus on delivering useful, relevant information to searchers. If you have questions or concerns about the May 2020 Core Update, feel free to reach out today.

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