November 17, 2021

Google Releases November 2021 Core Update

Google is officially rolling out its new core update today, dubbed the November 2021 Core Update. As the third core update of 2021, the timing and announcement mark a change from previous years.

What’s Different About The November 2021 Core Update?

For starters, Google typically announces these kinds of updates from their Search Liaison Twitter account. However, Google decided to announce this update via the Google Search Central account, noting the starting point for the rollout as 11 AM EST.

Secondly, the timing of this update is significant, as it’s surprising to see Google roll out a significant core update during the biggest shopping season of the year. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, some marketers are understandably worried about the impact it might have on their search results rankings.

What Did Previous Core Updates Look Like?

Naturally, businesses and SEO professionals will remember the July 2021 Core Update, as it followed not long after Google’s much larger and more comprehensive June 2021 Core Update. Before that, marketers were anxious to see how the May 2021 page experience updates would affect their rankings, given the larger December 2020 Core Update produced considerable volatility and fluctuation for the top three ranking results. With other updates stretching back to May 2020, January 2020, and September 2019, respectively, analysis has indicated that some of these updates felt weaker. However, SEO professionals and webmasters did suggest keeping an eye on search traffic following the rollouts.

Advice for Those Negatively Impacted by the November 2021 Core Update

Google’s advice for SEOs, webmasters, and businesses is the same as it was in 2011 following the change in their Panda algorithm. Essentially, their recommendation is to maintain focus on offering the best content you can, as this is what their algorithms seek to reward. This can be accomplished by evaluating your content based on the following questions:

• Are you providing original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
• Does the content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does the content feature insightful analysis or interesting information beyond the obvious?
• If the content draws from other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting that information, providing additional value and originality instead?
• Does the headline and/or page title offer a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
• Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking?
• Is this the kind of page you’d want to bookmark or recommend to a friend?
• Would you expect to see this content referenced by a magazine, encyclopedia, or book?

There are additional questions related to evaluating the expertise, presentation and competitive value of your content to consider. Google’s focus remains on helping webmasters create a positive user experience, rather than encouraging publishers to focus on one particular tweak to the algorithm.

Affected by the November 2021 Core Update?

Google’s core updates can be nerve-wracking, especially when they fall during such a busy holiday shopping season. Should you find yourself affected by the November 2021 Core Update or have additional questions or concerns, we’d love to help.

As a Google Premier Partner, we’re on the front lines of every Google update, from the smallest to the most impactful. Contact the digital marketing experts at VELOX Media to learn how we can help guide and optimize your SEO strategies moving forward.