Google and its updates

Wednesday 1 september 2021

The latest Google update

Google is the biggest search engine in the world. This is because almost everyone uses Google as a search engine. Because Google is used by so many people, it is of course important to ensure that the algorithm works properly. Therefore, Google is constantly updated to get the best possible results and to serve its visitors as well as possible. The most recent updates at this time are:

  • July core update (July 2021)
  • Product reviews update (April 2021)
  • December core update (December 2020)


The influence of Google updates on your website

If Google has an update, this can cause a lot of changes to some websites. Google is progressive and wants to help visitors as much as possible by serving the right websites with the right information. A Google update causes the algorithm to work in a different way. It can therefore be useful to prepare your website and take some small steps in the right direction. 

In Google Analytics, you can keep an eye on whether the number of visitors increases or decreases. If there has been an update, it is useful to keep a close eye on this. If the number of visitors drops significantly, we advise you to take measures to prevent this and to take a good look at what the update of Google meant.

Because Google Analytics keeps track of all the information about your website, it is also possible to send a notification about this. You can set this up on the website itself, and with this you can decide for yourself what kind of drop you will receive a notification. 

To set this up, you can click on 'adjustment' in Google Analytics via the left menu. Here it is possible to use the custom notifications button to set a notification when there is a decline in the number of users your website has. 

When you receive a notification from Google Analytics, you can look up in Google whether there has been a new update. It is important to keep a close eye on the destination pages. 

It is also important to check whether the decrease continues a week later. If that is the case, it is important to take measures. 

July Core update 2021

The most recent Google update is the July Core update. This update was launched in July 2021. This is one of the more notable updates that Google has done. This update is meant to prioritize relevant and authoritative content. 

The July Core update is overarching for the two Core Algorithm updates that have been there recently. As a result, relevant and authoritative content is presented more prominently in the search results in Google. These updates are made in the breadth of Google's algorithm. 

This means that you will not notice a difference in a certain branch or certain content on your website. The difference is noticeable for every website in the Google index. Core updates are also noticeable in Google Discover. 

The Juli Core update is meant to put the focus on the content of the website. Therefore, this update is especially noticeable for websites with little content or poor SEO

The influence of the update

The July Core update has had a major impact on many websites. As a website, it is important to have a number of things in order to be easily found in Google. Think for example of: 

  • Pagespeed
  • SEO proof content
  • URL structure
  • Rich content
  • Relevance

With this update the emphasis is on this again. 

It is important to offer original content on your website. This is because Google often ranks websites with similar content lower in the search results. Furthermore, pages with extensive content are often shown earlier and higher than pages with incomplete content. Google also looks for information that you will not find elsewhere, unique content. 

It is also important to look at the title of a text. It is important that a text has a title that gives a good summary of the content and is not shocking. 

The form and structure of the content is also important to take into account. It should be easy to display on the phone and free of spelling and grammatical errors and illogical sentence structure. 

Product review update

On 4 April 2021, Google launched its product review update. This is an update that rewards websites with independent and good product reviews. This update is made to display the best possible result for the user. 

Currently, the update only applies to English language websites, which is the case with most Google updates. However, Google is working on an update for other languages, including Dutch. So for all readers with a Dutch website, beware!

A product review page is a page that tries to help a visitor make a choice. By listing all the information, the choice is made easier for the visitor. A product review is therefore intended to list all the information. You should actually see it as an independent review. A website can promise anything, but an independent review says much more and is much more credible for many visitors.

Google says that the product review update is not part of the Core updates. However, Google does indicate that it is advisable to follow the same advice as for a Core update. 

The product review update was launched by Google to make the choice a bit easier for the user. Users can only benefit from reviews that focus on original research with all the facts in a row. In addition, the review must be written by someone who understands the facts. 

The influence of the update

The product review update has not had an impact on every website. This is because it mainly works for review pages. Google is trying to prioritise independent reviews by means of this update and to let them come forward sooner. 

This makes it a better choice for websites to write independent reviews that are of real use to users. This is what the update is meant for. 

December Core update 2020

On 3 December 2020, Google launched its December Core update. This has been a major update and no doubt 80% of the readers have noticed it in their website's numbers. Every Google Core update can have a big influence on the findability of your website. They are often the somewhat broader and larger updates from Google.

Google does a major Core update several times a year. With these updates, a new ranking for the pages is always determined. A Google Core update can therefore have a big influence on the findability of your website. 

Google has not disclosed much about the exact update. They did give an advice to keep an eye on the figures of your website. If these numbers drop significantly, they advise you to take a number of measures to limit the consequences. 

The influence of the December Core update 2020

The December Core update 2020 has had a major impact on many website pages. The number of visitors for some pages has decreased significantly and for some pages it was not so bad or they even increased. 

A Google Core update takes between one and two weeks to implement all the changes. In this time you can expect some changes in the figures of your website. 

Keep an eye on Google updates

At the moment you have a website, it is always wise to keep an eye on the Google updates. There are regular small updates, but a couple of times a year there is a big Core update. These have the most influence on your Google rankings. 

Google always announces well in advance if an update is coming. If this is the case, you can prepare your website for it and you will not be faced with unexpected surprises. It is important to take this into account if you want to maintain your website properly. Especially on the more important SEO pages, the impact will be the most present. 

Kelly Verbunt
Content coördinator
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Writing is something Kelly has always loved. Nothing like being able to put your creativity into a text to convince, inform or simply entertain people!

Kelly was looking for a place where she could combine her passion for writing with her broad interest in online marketing. At Digital Newsgroup B.V. she feels like a fish in the water. Every day she enthusiastically dedicates herself to the online marketing of our clients. Kelly’s specialism lies within content marketing.
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