The events of 2020 have slowed down a lot of things, and here in the SEO world, one of the most notable delays comes in terms of Google’s broad core updates (of which there are usually several every year). In 2020 however, we’re only NOW – in December – getting the 3rd core update since January, with the last one being issued over 7 months ago.
Why Does December’s Broad Core Update Have the SEO Community Concerned?
While the rollout began last week, the process as a whole can take weeks before we have a clear understanding of everything that it entails. This, of course, has created a mild sense of anxiety within corners of the SEO community, generating fears that (i) the update will be more impactful than usual since several updates are being condensed into one, and (ii) that the updates made to Google’s algorithm could impact (or even negate) the efforts of SEO’s everywhere.
(Not here at Wikimotive, though 😉 )
What Does The Broad Core Update Mean To Your Dealership’s Site?
Well, it depends. Remember…Google’s updates are intended to be improvements, empowering them to create a more satisfying user experience every time one of these updates is rolled out. And a broad core update means that they’re rolling it out on a global scale. That said, it’s entirely possible that your dealership could see some fluctuation in search rankings (and quite possibly, organic traffic) in the days and weeks to come, if you haven’t already noticed some.
Your experience, however, will come down to the effectiveness of your SEO strategy. Maybe you handle your dealership’s SEO in-house, or maybe you work with an agency like ours. Either way, a lacking SEO strategy will grow progressively less effective if you’re not evolving it with respect to each update. And, as a result, Google is likely to penalize your site in local search. But if your in-house team, or SEO provider have been working continually over an extended period of time to optimize your search signals, they’re probably on top of these updates and you may be less affected (or largely UN-affected).
So, keep this update in mind before you start tearing apart your December analytics wondering why things seem so far out of whack. And make certain that whoever’s in charge of your SEO going into 2021, is paying close attention to these updates. The ranking game is changing every day, and strategies that seemed “good enough” a year ago, just aren’t going to cut it anymore. It’s why so many dealerships are eliminating their in-house SEO, and putting in the hands of trusted professionals who remain up to speed on Google’s ever-evolving demands.