Google Search’s December 2020 Core Update: What To Do If Your Traffic Dropped

Google Search’s latest core update is now live, and like clockwork, webmasters and business owners are once again up in arms about their rankings. And rightfully so. It seems that with every PageRank overhaul, Google’s proprietary algorithm shakes up the SEO world and knocks countless small websites off the first one or two search engine results pages — in other words, relegating them to the virtual dustbin of the internet.

Since December 3, 2020, Google’s latest core update has disrupted SEO rankings and left many website owners wondering what they can do to salvage their lost traffic. If this describes you, rest assured that there are steps you can take to recover.

As the CEO of two digital marketing companies, I’ve helped many clients retake their top rankings after previous Google core updates. This time is no different. To help ease your concerns, I’ve put together a brief guide to boosting your SEO performance after the December 2020 core update.

The December Core Update: What’s The Damage?

Google’s December core update reconfigured Google’s PageRank algorithm for the third time this year (the previous two occurring in January and May). Although Google isn’t forthcoming about the specific changes made, we already know the extent of the SERP changes:

• Top 3 Results (May 2020): 38%

• Top 3 Results (December 2020): 55%

• Top 5 Results (May 2020): 63%

• Top 5 Results (December 2020): 55%

• Top 10 Results (May 2020): 93%

• Top 10 Results (December 2020): 98%

This data comes from a PageRanker report that shows the likelihood of a search result changing its position due to the update. From this, it’s evident that the December update was a major one, especially for websites that rank in the top three results for a given search term.

A recent survey from Income School found that ranking results were mixed, with about 50% of small to medium-sized websites (“independent publishers”) improving their ranking due to the most recent core update and the other half backsliding their ranking position. 

If you find yourself in the fortunate top 50% of website owners for whom the December 2020 PageRank update improved your SEO position, congratulations. Keep on producing excellent content. But this article isn’t for you. Rather, the section below will touch on your next steps if you were negatively impacted by the update and need to regain your lost ranking position.

Read more: www.forbes.com