Minor Algorithm Update with Google – January 12, 2021

We have talked a lot about algorithms and how they are regularly changing. There is unconfirmed information that Google released a minor search ranking update in January 2021.

Twitter was abuzz with information on 8 January, reporting that a potential minor algorithm began to Google search results. Webmasters reported changes, and websites owners said they experienced a traffic loss of up to 70% in a week even though they hadn’t made any changes to their site. Further comments by Twitter users included some suggesting it may have been a new core-like update.

Since the December 4, 2020 core Google update that shook the SEO community, this is the first algorithm update we have had since. Experience shows that updates like these can be considerably impacting across all niches.

Updates that have been smaller have usually focussed on particular practices or industries. For example, Google may release a minor update to an algorithm that in turn disregards link strength to some web pages. While this has a considerable impact on those affected, it’s usually only to a small group or niche.

The next expected update isn’t until May 2021. However, this isn’t to say that Google won’t release smaller updates that will affect a range of websites.

Can I Do Anything If I was Negatively Affected?

There is not much you can do with a negative effect from an update right away. So the best course of action from here is to see where things go. Then, once everything has settled, there may be some actions you can take to correct any issues you are experiencing.

If you are unsure, compare them to your pages that haven’t been impacted to understand why the changes may have taken place and put a strategy together to steer clear of any effects that may arise.