By On September 12th the “Google Search Central” Twitter handle announced the release of a new Core Update also known as a “Broad Core Update”. This is the second announced Google Core update of the year, the sixth announced Google algorithm update, and comes just one business day after the Helpful Content Update finished rolling out.
The timimg of this core update roll out being right after the first iteration of Google’s brand new ranking signal for helpful content is extremely interesting and might tip us off a little to what the focus of this Core Update is, especially since Google’s Search Liaison Danny Sullivan tweeted this out a few days earlier:
Maybe the helpful content signal alone wasn't enough to tip the scales and produce a change in someone's particular situation, but when we do other updates (core, product reviews), it might add into that and be more significant….
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) September 6, 2022
Updates like this can take several weeks and Google targets to have them fully rolled out in 2 weeks time from the day they are announced. Google’s verbiage around this update is unchanged from previous “broad core” updates. I recommend thinking about this update as a refresh of the data Google’s algorithm uses to determine quality and rankings across millions of keywords and how it assess your content overall.
Here is everything we know about the Google Search September 2022 Core Update
September 2022 Core Update Vitals
- Date Started: September 12th, 2022 (USA)
- Date Completed: September 26th, 2022
- First Impact Reported: Unknown
- Most Impacted Industry(ies): Unknown
- Most Impacted Site(s): Unknown
- Most Impacted Website Types: Unknown
- Most Impacted Content Types: Unknown
- SEO Change Proven to Improve: Unknown
First major impact reported:
No impact reported yet
September 2022 Core Update Facts
- Released just one business day after the Helpful Content Update finished rolling out.
- Release was a few weeks after back to school shopping and several months prior to Christmas shopping but hits right as Halloween shopping is getting into full gear.
- Update is NOT site-specific, same as all other known Core Updates.
- This core update may take 1 to 2 weeks to fully roll out and impact websites.
- Not all websites or documents will get a ranking increase or decrease from this update.
Media Coverage of Google’s September 2022 Core Update
- none yet
Transparency Report
We add this section when an update may have impacted our clients or our portfolio of websites. Below you’ll find positive and negative impacts to client websites / our websites if those impacts were deemed statistically significant AND if we believe we understand one or more of the reasons behind the adjustment.
No impact yet
Google September 2022 Core Update Help
- If you noticed a spike or drop in traffic starting on Thursday September 8th or Friday September 9th, don’t get upset or celebrate just yet. When this core update finishes rolling out it may impact how the Helpful Content update classifier is impacting your website
- Do not panic. I know that sounds easy to say, but panic caused by a Google core update rarely solves problems with rankings.
- If your negative impact is directly affecting transactional pages (i.e. pages that drive revenue for your business) consider a PPC, Facebook/IG, Nextdoor, TikTok, Yelp, or other advertising campaign to make up for lost sales.
- If your negative impact is directly affecting informational content you may want to compare your content to the new top ranking document. Review the intent of both documents, look for missing elements in your content, and do entity anlaysis to see if you can find ways to improve your content for the next update.
- Read Google’s guidance on the September 2022 Core Update from their website when it is available: Google Search Central Blog
- Read Google’s guidance on Core Updates from their website here: What webmasters should know about Google’s core updates
- Hire an awesome SEO agency either one in your local area or one talented at finding and fixing issues related to Google and other search engine algorithm updates *hint* you are reading our website *hint*.