No more confusion: Google gives core update a name, and a structure

It appears Google heard about the confusion with the namings of the broad core algorithm update from March 12 and decided to clear things up. Google said on Twitter, “Our name for this update is March 2019 Core Update.”

Why did Google name it? Google doesn’t often give names to updates but in this case, Google said, “We think this helps avoid confusion; it tells you the type of update it was and when it happened.” So Google named it the March 2019 Core Update, which they think will help avoid confusion.

Can Google change names of updates? Yes, they can and they have done so in the past. The original name we had for the Panda update was actually the Farmer update. Google didn’t like the name Farmer update and renamed it to the Panda update, which was based on the lead engineers last name.

So yes, Google has renamed updates in the past and they’ve stuck.

The tweet: Here is the tweet from Google earlier this morning with the new name:

We understand it can be useful to some for updates to have names. Our name for this update is “March 2019 Core Update.” We think this helps avoid confusion; it tells you the type of update it was and when it happened.

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) March 15, 2019

Will it stick? Will the new name stick or will people still call it the Florida 2 update? It is hard to say but I suspect people will go with calling it what Google wants it to be called, the “March 2019 Core Update.”

Where can I learn more? Check out our original story on this update over here. Google has said there is “no fix” for Core updates. But we are collecting data in a survey to analyze the data and report back to you with our findings. Please take the survey to help us, help you.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.