January 2020 Google Core Update: Rollout & Analysis

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The first core update of 2020, announced by @searchliaison on January 13 with rollout starting around noon ET the same day. Google said it was mostly done rolling out by January 16.

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Google opened 2020 with a same-day core update. On the morning of January 13, @searchliaison announced "Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the January 2020 Core Update", and rollout began around 12pm ET, followed by "The January 2020 Core Update is now live and will be rolling out to our various data centers over the coming days." It was the first core update since September 2019.

Three days later Google said the update was mostly done rolling out, while noting core updates can take up to two weeks to fully complete; no formal completion date was ever announced. Tracking tools including Mozcast, RankRanger and Semrush showed substantial ranking volatility during the rollout, and Search Engine Land's 2020 year in review summed it up as an update that "was big and impacted a lot of sites".

As with every broad core update, there was no penalty to lift and nothing specific to fix. If your site moved in mid-January 2020, assess the affected pages against Google's core updates documentation and its self-assessment guidance, and see our recovery guide for how recovery typically plays out.

Rollout log

  • Announced in the morning and live by around 12pm ET, rolling out to data centers over the coming days.

  • Google says the update is mostly done rolling out, though core updates can take up to two weeks to fully complete.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When did the January 2020 core update start and finish?

It began rolling out around 12pm ET on January 13, 2020. Google said it was mostly done by January 16 but never announced an official completion date, so no exact end date exists.

How big was the January 2020 core update?

Search Engine Land's 2020 year in review described it as an update that "was big and impacted a lot of sites", and tracking tools such as Mozcast, RankRanger and Semrush recorded substantial volatility during the rollout.

How do I recover from the January 2020 core update?

There is no specific fix for a core update. Google's advice is to compare winning and losing pages against its self-assessment questions, improve content helpfulness site-wide, and expect meaningful recovery at a later core update.

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Cite this page: Keywords Everywhere, "January 2020 Google Core Update: Rollout & Analysis", last updated 13th Jan 2020, https://keywordseverywhere.com/news/google-algorithm-updates/january-2020-core-update/