What happened?

  • Google classified this update as a “broad core algorithm update”
  • This happens several times a year
  • The first iteration of the Algorithm Update was on July 22nd
  • The big changes were on August 1-2nd.

 


This graphic indicates how Google's algorithm update fluctuated ranking - https://moz.com/blog/googles-august-1st-core-update-week-1.


Update by industry

The update has especially affected YMYL sites (Medical, Health, Fitness, Finance).

What did Google say?

Google used Twitter to announce the changes using the account Google SearchLiaison. 

This tweet makes references to another announcement back in March.


Still on Twitter, a lot of relevant conversations started around the topic and what publishers should do in a nutshell.  For instance, David Sullivan, a Google official Spokeperson comments on the subject:

Finally, Dan Shure, a SEO Consultant, tweeted that the update is not something new and Google always presented this guidance and are simply now enforcing them.