SEO News: Google’s November 2021 Core Update

Google’s November 2021 Core Update is now being rolled out.

Google announced the start of the rollout on November 17th, with the update expected to take up to two weeks to be completed. This update comes a few short months after the rollout and completion of several Core Updates this summer, along with a handful of other updates such as Spam and Title Tag Updates.

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Below are the details that we know so far about the latest broad core algorithm update, and a short recap of previous updates.

November 2021 Core Update: Rolling Out

Google didn’t provide extensive details about what the update would look like — aside from pointing to guidance (opens in a new tab) about what webmasters should know that says these updates are general improvements to search algorithms and a more quality user experience.

What is notable about this update is the timing. This came as a surprise to many in the SEO community, given that the announcement came just before the biggest online shopping season. With this timing, the update will still be rolling out during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Several tweets, and memes, voiced concern about how this update would affect the most important time of year for ecommerce. Google’s Danny Sullivan responded that the core updates don’t have a major impact for most, and that people should stay calm and continue to follow best practices.

He also noted that the timing is something they would take into consideration moving forward.

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Recap of Google’s Latest Updates

As we mentioned before, this update comes after several updates that were rolled out this summer and fall — including two Core Updates.

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See the latest announced updates and releases on our blog here.

What you need to know right now

Like previous updates, it will be at least two weeks before the rollout is complete and we know the full extent of the impact. Our advice for the time being is to not panic and stay calm. Everyone’s rankings are going up and down.

Google also provides guidance to performing well during search and core updates here (opens in a new tab).

The key points are:

• Focus on creating quality content and improving E-A-T
• Broad Core Updates happen every few months, and sites might not recover until the next one
• Making improvements does not guarantee improvement in search results

To that end, if you want to make sure that the fluctuations you’re seeing aren’t caused by any technical mishaps, changes that were made or any other issues — we recommend going through our 13-step checklist (opens in a new tab).