JW Maxx Solutions, one of the front runners in personal and corporate online reputation management, offers some insight into the new Google update.

For the first time, Google announced its intent to release the June 2019 update. The pre-announcement was not because the update was unique, according to Danny Sullivan of Google Search Liaison, but just as a change of tact. The significant difference with the most recent update is that Google has not given any information about what exactly has changed.

Each Google update affects sites uniquely, and often, it is not really about something the webmaster can fix immediately. Sometimes it takes weeks before users and publishers can tell the extent of an update. A few days after the rollout of the June 2019 core update, however, several sites including The Daily mail and CCN have gone public about how badly the visibility on search engine result pages was hit, while some other sites like Huff Post and The Mirror reported massive gains in traffic. If your site loses after an update, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it, more likely; it just means that you need to continue providing great content. Google strives for excellent user experience; it is that simple.

 

Unlike with other updates like Panda and Penguin, Google chose not to release much data on the impact of the June 2019 update. The only reason they gave for announcing this update is that they knew the changes would be noticeable. Another interesting fact to most SEO professionals is that Google chose to overlap the core update with what they called a diversity update. The diversity update started on June 3rd and ended on June 6th, while the core update ended a few days later. This fact has made it even more challenging to assess how their sites have been affected.

Site owners need to stay alert when Google releases new updates if they want to know exactly what causes a decline in traffic. When updates overlap, it becomes more difficult to pinpoint the issue behind traffic decline. Updates like Panda and Penguin had a considerable effect on SEO. Google claims that the June 2019 updates dealt more with cleanup issues, but precisely what they were cleaning up remains to be seen.

Effects of June 2019 Update

The fields of affected domains continues to grow as a result of this update with medical sites, retail and classical news sites all reporting drops in visibility. The gambling niche was also hit pretty hard by this update, but from credible reports, it appears that these sites didn’t move down by too many positions. Some experts also point out that it seems that many sites that lost during the March update regained visibility with the recent changes.

 

Google’s algorithm is a closely guarded secret, making it very difficult to define precisely what was impacted. Upon a close look at effects of the June 2019 update, it is clear that YMYL (Your Money Your Life) sites bore the brunt. YMYL pages are those that can affect people’s health, happiness, financial stability, or safety. This may seem like a large category, but there is proof that while some sights dropped significantly, others gained in the same sector. What is not known is the reason why.

What is known with certainty is that Google has been very keen on ensuring that sites like these prove their E.A.T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust). If you own a finance, fitness, nutrition, or medical information blog, Google expects you to meet the Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E.A.T) standards. Sites like VeryWellHealth witnessed a massive drop in 2019 while another related site DRAxe seen huge gains. It is clear that with the update your site might drop while that of your competitor ranks higher because they proved their E.A.T.

To prove your E.A.T a few things must happen

 

Build your expertise and reputation in your field

• Always include backup resources for any claims

• Always attribute posts and articles to an author rather than the page admin

It takes time, tact and skill to build E.A.T but even before a core update, you can gauge performance by looking out for;

• Negative reviews –If you are getting too many, relook your business practices

• Outdated information – perform regular content refreshes on all your websites

• Unsupported information- whenever you make a claim, make sure to include credible references

 

How to create Google-proof content

• Offer value and actionable advice

• Create a high-quality site. No matter how much content you provide, a site with broken links, redirects and poor images gives a bad user experience.

• Link to established and authority sites.

 

• Always establish the intent of the page. In this case, assign a topic to each page.

Google’s updates will keep coming, but you can steer clear of penalties by carefully looking at the Google Search Quality Rater Guideline. It covers a wide range of information, including creating quality content, how to format a page, backlinks, and on page SEO assessment. Remember that each update will affect your page somehow and take the necessary steps to stay afloat no matter how big or small the changes may be.

JW Maxx Solutions suggest using Googles Search Console and  Google Lighthouse.

More about JW Maxx Solutions, an online reputation management firm. The company is based in Phoenix, AZ, with offices in Cabo San Lucas. It has been in business for almost a decade with an A-plus rating with the Phoenix BBB. The company specializes in Small business online reputation management, and personal reputation management and digital messaging. We provide positive media outcomes to growth-oriented companies.