How Lawyers Are Faring with Google September Core Update

On August 25, 2022, Google launched its most anticipated helpful content update (HCU), causing a lot of commotion among website owners as the update aimed to penalize “unhelpful” content. However, many were not expecting another update following the HCU.

This Circle of Legal Trust blog will discuss what we know about the Google September core update and how it might affect law firms.

Google Announces September 2022 Core Algorithm Update

On September 12, 2022, Google announced its core algorithm update on its social media platform, Google Search Central. 

It stated that the company would update its ranking release history page once the rollout was complete within two weeks.

According to Search Engine Land, the September 2022 core algorithm update is Google’s second core update this year, following its May 2022 broad Core Update.

Google Core Update Quick Facts

• Name: Google September 2022 Broad Core Update
• Release Date: September 12, 2022
• Rollout: Within two weeks
• Targets: Affects all content
• Penalty: The update promotes/rewards great web pages
• Global: It is a global update
• Impact: Typical update with no information present so far on how it will impact websites
• Recover: Follow the core update advice for recovery if you got hit
• Refreshes: Periodic refreshes may follow in the future

Let’s answer some critical questions about the latest broad core update you may have.

How Will Google’s Algorithm Now Affect Search Results?

Google typically announces core updates when it wishes to bring significant changes to the algorithm, which is responsible for website rankings and search results. 

Core updates are more of a general update, and from past core updates, we can assume that they will affect search results across multiple languages.

However, Google has not mentioned how the September core algorithm update 2022 will affect search results (SERPs) worldwide.

Is Helpful Content Update Part of the September 2022 Google Core Update?

Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, mentioned on his social media platform that the HCU is part of the September 2022 core update. Its effects might become more observable in the coming days.

There was a lot of speculation earlier on regarding HCU changing everything, but because people were not sure how Google would tackle such a massive challenge, they forgot all about the update and what it set out to do. However, many expect HCU to become more robust with the latest core update.

Is the Back-to-back Update Coincidental?

Although it is unusual for one update to follow the other in a short period, it is not unprecedented, as Google has previously rolled out six updates between June 2021 to July 2021.

Many believe the core update is coincidental, but Sullivan disagrees. He tweeted that updates are standard and help improve upon existing algorithms. 

He further stated that Google is not in the business of confusing content creators or website owners, and the company is doing a great job communicating ahead of time about an update rollout and how it will affect users.

How Should Law Firms React to the Update?

With so many law firms operating in the United States, everyone is fighting to secure top rankings for their websites to enjoy a larger piece of the pie. However, many do not understand how search engine rankings work, especially after every new update.

Following the latest update, it is best not to react and wait for the next few weeks to see how search results react. The SEO community is already reporting a drop in traffic following the broad core algorithm update.

You may also find some fluctuations in rankings, but that’s just the algorithm doing its magic. Let the search results settle before making sense of how the new search algorithm works.

So far, the search community response is optimistic. In the meantime, keep track of changes in the search console.

Google’s previous series only targeted prominent bad websites; perhaps with the latest Google algorithm update, the company may look to round up the usual suspects.

Stay tuned for more updates on the latest search ranking algorithms.