September 2019 Google Core Update

On the 24th of September 2019, Google began to roll-out its third core update of the year. They pre-announced the update in June, which seems to be their standard operating procedure these days. Since this is a core update planned for global application, all markets and search engines will be affected.

Google’s New 2019 Core Update Communication Strategy

This year, Google adopted a new strategy for communicating information regarding the roll-outs of their updates. Now, Google announces all planned Core Updates that affect the main algorithm on Twitter. Another thing that Google does these days differently is naming its own core updates. For example, Google suggested a name for their March 2019 update right after the roll-out began. Additionally, Google named the June 2019 update before rolling it out. Google provides all of the news and information regarding these updates through the Google Search Liason Twitter feed.

While Google announces its Core Updates and the projected roll-out start date, they aren’t expected to release the exact time that the update will finish its roll-out. However, the Google Search Liasion Officer Danny Sullivan stated that the roll-out would take “a few days” to complete.

The Current Search Impact of the Google September 2019 Core Update

According to Searchmetrics.com, it isn’t really possible to come to any “real conclusions regarding the impact of the Google September 2019 Core Update.” In other words, there isn’t any consistent trend — at least so far — regarding the impact of the recent Core Update. However, according to several of the loudest SEO’s in the business are claiming to see an effect on searches related to healthcare and financial services. To see some of the information regarding the impact, keep an eye on this poll over at the Twitter account for Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land:

What Can You Do To Mitigate Negative Impact from Core Updates?

Nobody likes to drop in search ranking from a Core Update suddenly. While it happens, even to the best of us, there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent a significant negative impact from Core Updates. For instance:

• Quality of Content: Per usual, the most beneficial thing you can do to help mitigate negative impacts from updates is to make sure your site offers unique, high-quality content. You need to make sure your page titles and descriptions reflect the content on the page and that you aren’t just copy-pasting someone else’s work.
• Site Useability: Make sure your website uses responsive design and that your mobile version reflects all the same content that your desktop version does. Also, make sure that your site is easy to navigate and that users can quickly access your most relevant content. Keep your website free of errors and make sure it loads as fast as possible.

September 2019 Google Core Update Conclusions

Google just rolled-out the September 2019 Google Core Update, and, so far, the impact is minimal. This update seems smaller than the previous 2019 Core Updates, and Google has continued with their new announcement strategy. If the Core Update affected your site, then don’t fret. Just make sure your content is high-quality and unique, and that your website is as useable as possible. In other words, don’t overcompensate for a ranking change after a Core Update.