Google Algorithm Update December 2020
Google Algorithm Update December 2020
Google gave webmasters a gift on December 5, 2020, when they rolled out a broad core algorithm update. While some welcomed the changes amid a busy holiday season, others groaned loudly. Google even changed it a little late in the month. Here’s what you need to know about Google algorithm updates occurring in December 2020.
Google Properties Claim Even More Space
Throughout 2020, Google continued to claim more of the space on search engine pages for properties that they owned, such as YouTube, and that is particularly noticeable with this update. Meanwhile, direct competitors, such as Amazon, took a hit.
Original Well-sourced Content
Another group of big winners with this core update are sites providing great original content that is well-sourced. You need to be working with experts in your field to stay up-to-date and providing that to your target audience in bite-size pieces that they can easily understand. The content needs to be presented in a manner that your target audience will find interesting and helpful. Be particularly careful that your heading matches as close as possible what a searcher is looking for when they enter a phrase or word into Google’s search engine results page.
Content Structure
Concentrating on your headings and content structure across your entire site may pay huge dividends because this update seems to be more sitewide than more recent updates where individual pages won or lost.
Ads
Many sites that lost ranking during this Google core update had intrusive ads interfering with the user experience. Look at your site if you allow ads to display to make sure that they are out of the way of users getting to your main content. Some sites with lots of gambling and alcohol ads took a particularly hard hit during this update.
Google Eliminates Penalty Reporting
Be aware that manual penalties are no longer available on your Google dashboard. It is not that Google has stopped looking at the things outlined in the Google User Rater Guidelines, but they have stopped letting you know what you are doing wrong.
What Can You Do If Google’s December Core Algorithm Update Felt Like Coal?
If your site took a hit during the December update, then you may have felt like Google gave you coal instead of a present. If that is the case, make sure you have sourced every fact with a reliable source. Look at your about page to ensure that it paints an extremely clear picture of your company and its purpose. Compare yourself against those who jumped ahead of you to determine what they are doing differently and copy their methods without stealing their content. Be sure that your content is well organized with titles and subheadings that tell the reader precisely what they will find there.
