June 2019 Core Update Wrap-Up
This year, Google broke tradition and announced a broad core update the day before it launched. The officially-titled June 2019 Core Update went live Monday, June 3rd and was fully rolled out by June 8th. As with previous updates, Google remained fairly vague in response to questions from industry experts, although Google search liaison Danny Sullivan did state that there is “nothing special” about this particular update.
The June 2019 Core Update appears to have affected a wide variety of sites, including YMYL, retail, and news sites, leading experts to conclude that the scope of the update was much broader than previous ones. In particular, news sites with reputation risks seem to have been negatively impacted. One notable example of a negative hit is cryptocurrency news outlet CCN.com, which cited the algorithm update as the reason for closure of its operations on June 10th. While CCN.com may be trusted in its industry, cryptocurrency is often associated with risky investments and reputation issues.
In response to concerns, Google stated as usual that there is no quick fix. In the past, liaisons have referenced the Google Webmaster Guidelines as a resource for web developers and other industry experts. They have said on many occasions that the focus should be on “building great content” and providing an overall good user experience for searchers. Previous updates have established the need for relevant content, high E-A-T, mobile friendliness, and site speed. Considering all this, site owners would do well to focus on the big picture: overall site health, rather than quick solutions.
Experts are hoping that a precedent has been set with the pre-announcement of this update. As Danny Sullivan stated, it would certainly save site owners and developers a lot of head-scratching. At Radd Interactive, our team of SEO analysts works to stay on top of Google trends and changes to keep client sites healthy and ahead of the algorithm curve. Learn how you can protect and build your business with our PPC and SEO marketing services.