The State of Search: The June 2019 Core Update

As temperatures begin to rise in most places, Google’s organic search results are no exception. In a rare move, Google pre-announced that a core algorithm update would launch in early June. While minor tweaks to Google’s algorithm can happen daily, major core updates only occur a few times per year. Google’s last core algorithm update took place earlier this year, in March.

After a series of smaller, unconfirmed algorithm updates and an overhaul of Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, we anticipated that a major algorithm update was just around the corner following a similar pattern of events prior to Google’s Medic update—one of the largest algorithm updates experienced to-date.

Google has named this update the June 2019 Core Update and it began rolling out on June 3^rd. The SEO community is reporting major shifts in visibility and representatives from Google confirmed that noticeable changes should be expected.

What does this mean for you?

After reviewing preliminary results, our SEO measurement tools show a 5 - 15% drop in position on average, but this is not indicative of where results will ultimately settle. We will have a better understanding of the true impact and action plan (if necessary) after the roll-out is complete over the next few days.

With any Google algorithm update, it is best to avoid making drastic changes to a site until we are able to gather more information and understand the residual, more lasting effect of the update. During this time, we will continue to monitor sites’ organic traffic and keyword rankings for major changes. Per Google’s recommendation, our ocus will continue to be on quality content and user experience.