Google
September 2022 Core Update
In brief
Second core update of 2022, rolled out shortly after the launch of the helpful content system, which complicated the analysis of causes.
Key points
- Second core update of 2022, launched shortly after the August Helpful Content Update.
- Widespread reshuffles across all topics.
- Overlapping effects making it hard to isolate the causes.
- Rollout spread over roughly two weeks.
Analysis
This core update arrives in a busy window: the helpful content system had only just finished rolling out. The two signals, of a different nature, overlapped, complicating the diagnosis for sites whose traffic shifted during that period.
Like any core update, it globally reassesses relevance and quality with no precise target. The main difficulty for publishers was attributing a change to the right signal, which calls for a careful analysis of the dates and pages concerned.
What to do
- Cross-reference the precise dates of the changes with the timeline of the two updates to attribute the impact correctly.
- Distinguish editorial quality issues (Helpful Content) from questions of relative relevance (core update).
- Wait for full stabilization before concluding and prioritize the most affected pages.
Impact
Widespread reshuffling. Difficulty isolating the effect of the core update from that of helpful content.