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What You Need to Know About the Google June 2019 Core Update

If you do business online, staying on top of the Google June 2019 Core Update is vital. It could mean the difference between potential clients finding your or your competitors.

On June 2, 2019, Google announced through their Twitter account that they were releasing a new algorithm update.

This came as a surprise to most SEO experts. Google often announces updates after they have been rolled out. Experts then have to determine on their own how the update affected SEO rankings.

In this blog post, we are going to discuss the latest Google June 2019 Core Update. You will learn how it could affect you and how you do business online.

Let’s get started.

What is a Core Update?

Not all updates are created equal.

Some Google updates target specific types of behaviour, mostly ones that affect user experience.

For example, the Panda update targeted poor quality content. It detected keyword-stuffed or spun content and ensured that only the most valuable content topped search engine results.

Core updates affect several rankings factors at once. Google releases several core updates per year, and you can consider them routine maintenance.

They are more difficult to predict since they affect so many factors. Traffic may increase for some sites and decrease for others without a clear explanation.

Experts use data from different tools and websites to determine the cause of these traffic fluctuations. It is possible, however, that the true cause behind them may remain a mystery.

What Should You Do if the Google June 2019 Core Update Affect Your Website?

Google does not have specific action steps for those affected by its recent updates. In a tweet, they explained that this is because they do not “want content owners to mistakenly try to change things that aren’t issues.”

If your search engine rankings are affected, Google says that you should focus on creating the best content you can. According to the Google SearchLiason Twitter account, it is “what our algorithms seek to reward.”

But “the best content” is subjective.

10X Content

Creating quality or “the best” content is no longer enough. You need to create content that is several times better than what is already ranking in search engine results.

Rand Fishkin, the founder of Moz, coined the term 10X Content. It is the process of checking which pieces of content are ranking for your target keywords and creating something better.

You can create 10X content by following these steps:

• Create a list of target keywords. These are keywords your target audience use to find information online. Keep in mind that people may use different phrases depending on their age, location, and other factors.
• Determine the top search results for your target keywords. List down everything including their URLs and blog names.
• Analyse these top search results. What is the word count for the top-ranking piece of content? What points did they fail to discuss? What points can you expand on? What images, videos and other media did they use?
• Start creating your 10X content. Use the information you gathered from the previous steps to create something better. If your competitor’s blog post included 5 tips, discuss 10 to 20 tips in your own post.

Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines

To create better content, Google also recommended reading their Search Quality Rater Guidelines. It is a 166-page document you can find here.

The Importance of E-A-T

If you are sick and want more information about your diagnosis, who would you turn to? The neighbour who lives down the street or a trusted doctor with his own practice?

The answer is obvious. You may trust your neighbour, but the information you get from an authority figure will be of more value.

Back in August 2018, Google took the real-life concept of “authority” and made it a major search engine ranking factor. It has played an important part in almost all succeeding updates.

Before the update, two pieces of content that provided equally valuable information had equal chances of ranking in search engines. Now, Google determines which author is more “authoritative” and ranks content accordingly. It looks at your E-A-T.

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. Google uses those three traits to determine how much you know about the topic you’re writing about. It determines your E-A-T through certifications, awards, degrees, recommendations from other authorities, and years of experience.

Conclusion

To maintain or improve search engine rankings, you need to stay abreast of major Google updates. It may require you to make minimal or major changes to your website.

If you are a business owner, it may be difficult to track all these Google updates. Keep in mind that there is one thing you should continue doing–create the best content you possibly can.

Need help rising in search engine results pages? Cornerstone Digital is an SEO agency in Sydney that can create a five-start SEO strategy for you. Call us on (02) 8211 0668 or email us at info@cornerstone-digital.com.au.

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Darlyn Herradura

A self-professed book and digital marketing nerd, Darlyn Herradura focuses on building trust between customers and businesses with the written word. She understands that creating valuable content is the best way to get found online and happily spends her time doing that.