SEO News You Can Use: Google Announces Two-Part Core Update Rollout

Mere weeks before the Page Experience algorithm update is set to launch, Google announced that a new core update began a global rollout on Wednesday, impacting all languages.

The June 2021 Core Update, as it’s been named, comes six months after the December 2021 Core Update. For Google, that’s a fairly long wait, but we won’t have as big a gap between this update and the next. That’s because Google has already announced part two – a sequel slated for rollout next month.

That’s right: We’re in for a double whammy. The June 2021 Core Update will be rolling out over the next two weeks, and the July 2021 Core Update is already around the corner. Why the decision to release two updates just a few weeks apart? Google told Search Engine Land that several of the planned improvements for the June update just weren’t ready for release. So, Google decided to push ahead with the parts that were ready and hold off for a month on those that were not. 

Google also warned that the two-part release means it’s possible that some content might see changes in June that reverse in July. Most sites shouldn’t notice any major shifts, but site owners who manage several websites should see changes in Google Search results. How big these changes will be remains to be seen. 

On the day the rollout was announced, Google’s Danny Sullivan also released a blog post to explain how and why it makes regular updates to Search, reminding us that these changes are being done for users, not to SEOs. In it, Sullivan said,

“As new sites emerge and the web changes, continued updates are key to ensuring we’re supporting a wide range of publishers, creators and businesses, while providing searchers with the best information available.”

It looks like we’re really in the thick of it now. Between two core updates and Google’s Page Experience algorithm all rolling out in the next couple of months, it’s going to be difficult to know who to blame for rankings shifts. But before we panic, let’s wait and see what happens. Hopefully, the hard work we’ve put into preparing for Page Experience will mean we make it through these updates relatively unscathed. 

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Editor’s Note: “SEO News You Can Use” is a weekly blog post posted every Monday morning only on SEOblog.com, rounding up all the top SEO news from around the world. Our goal is to make SEOblog.com a one-stop-shop for everyone looking for SEO news, education and for hiring an SEO expert with our comprehensive SEO agency directory.