At the beginning of May, Google made a change to its search algorithm. The “Mayday” update concerns search results from long tail keywords – search terms 3 or 4 words long – and has led some sites to experience a 50% drop in traffic.
At the beginning of May, Google introduced a change to its search algorithm that some organisations found disturbing. Google modified the criteria it uses for selecting search results from enquiries using long tail keywords (search terms 3 or 4 words long). Although people do not use long tail keywords very often, they can still represent an important share of the overall traffic to your site. Because the change occurred around 1st May, it has become known as Mayday.
Following the Mayday update, some sites were reporting falls in traffic of anything between 5% and 50%. Meanwhile, other sites were experiencing an increase. The reason was that Google had changed the search algorithm for long tail keywords to reward quality over relevance. For inquiries using long tail keywords, higher quality sites will receive the traffic rather than pages that are simply relevant.
Google’s Matt Cutts has explained that the algorithmic change is not just a blip. Instead, it is a carefully considered change to how Google assesses which sites are the best match for long tail queries, and “it’s not temporary”. Google’s mind is made up. What matters now is how best to adapt. The key thing to consider, says Matt Cutts, is “what sort of thing can I do in terms of adding great content, making sure people consider me an authority.” The Mayday update created panic in some quarters, but it also reminds you of the importance of maintaining a high quality website.
You can watch Matt Cutts’ explain the change: