Algorithm updates
Around the 4th May Google released one of their core algorithm updates. As mentioned last month in our SEO report covering April 2020 Google perform these core updates about 3 times a year.
These core updates can affect a very large amount of websites. All the SEO discussions i have read makes me think this one is very large indeed.
Google confirmed that this update was completed on the 19th May 2020. Local algorithm update: There looks to have been an update rolling out over the first week of May 2020.
Although Google has said they did not release a large update. They have also been a smaller update on 20th May, unconfirmed though.
Speed
My favourite SEO subject is back in the headlines once more. Google confirmed that the speed of a website IS a ranking factor, once again.
However, only a very small one.
That said, there are endless stats that show how important it is to have a fast website so please keep working on it!
Manual URL submission
Google reminded everyone this month that you do not need to manually add your new URL’s to Search Console to get it indexed, they will automatically find it via a sitemap or crawl from a linking page.
If you do need to add them manually as Google is not finding them then there is most likely something wrong with your navigation or internal linking.
That said, if you want the page to index quickly then go ahead and submit manually.
Soft 404
If you receive a soft 404 message by some of your pages within Search Console this is a sign that you may be linking to them too many times internally.
I’m not sure if Google has ever said that before??
Slow Ranking Decline
If you are starting to see a slow decline in organic traffic it could be that your content is less relevant for today. Have a look at those pages and make any updates you might need.
This could also be the reason if you are seeing fewer pages being indexed too.
My Business
If you are a shop and offer curbside pickup to help with the current Caronavirus situation there is now a button you can add to your listings.
This is a good idea if you are a shop owner you really should look into this.
That’s it for this month’s report, please all stay safe and help your website perform better!