Google has confirmed that the core algorithm update that began on May 25 is now complete. You can now get a precise assessment of the impact.
The completed rollout was announced at 3:44 a.m. EST, though it’s possible you’ve already noticed the effects of the update.
If that’s the case, and the changes you’re seeing follow the same pattern, you were most likely affected by the Core Update in May 2022.
Today, we're releasing a broad core update, as we do several times per year. This update is called the May 2022 core update. Learn more: https://t.co/7kFklwdkAb
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) May 25, 2022
What Should I Do Next?
Are there any positive changes that you’ve noticed? Great! You made it through another update (and hopefully are thriving as a result).
Are there any negative changes that you’ve noticed? If that’s the case, you’re probably wondering what to do next.
When it comes to recovering from core updates, Google’s advice is always the same: improve your content.
In October, Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, stated:
“With the core updates we don’t focus so much on just individual issues, but rather the relevance of the website overall.
And that can include things like the usability, and the ads on a page, but it’s essentially the website overall.”
Don’t get bogged down by technical fixes or making one-off improvements like changing title tags when planning how to recover from a core update.
Beginning with content, take a holistic approach to improve the website as a whole.
That can be a difficult task, so it’s not uncommon these days to enlist the assistance of AI content generators. However, you should exercise caution before going down that path.
Did Google’s Core Update in May 2022 target AI-generated content?
Google’s core updates have an impact on all search results to some extent, though it can be more noticeable in some areas than others.
It’s too soon to draw any conclusions, but there are indications that websites with AI-generated content were particularly hard hit.
Here’s an example of a website owner reporting a significant drop in traffic after using an AI content generator:
I suspect the Google core update (May 2022) may have been a hit on AI content. It certainly was for me.#google #coreupdate #aiwritting pic.twitter.com/BdFCo5UIp5
— Oliver Boyers (@OliverBoyers) June 6, 2022
On the other hand, here’s an SEO that shows a traffic increase after the core update.
He claims that his website is in a niche that is “polluted with garbage AI content,” and that he has finally outranked competitors:
The May 2022 core update rollout is now complete.
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) June 9, 2022
Although evidence suggests that AI content was affected by the core update, this does not imply that AI content is inherently bad.
What Google has to say about it is as follows.
What Does Google Have to Say About Content Created by AI?
Only when AI-generated content is used with the intent to manipulate search results, according to Google, is it against its guidelines.
If AI-generated content starts to rank lower after the May 2022 core update, it’s likely that it wasn’t being used in a way that complies with Google’s guidelines.
Google may be getting better at distinguishing between when AI content is used to manipulate rankings and when it is used to add value.
Learn more from News and read Google Launching May 2022 Broad Core Algorithm Update.
