Quote from James A.Hart on July 14, 2025, 11:00 am

There’s a Google algorithm update just around the corner —
and you probably already know what that means.

Rankings shift, traffic crashes, and websites get nuked overnight.

But here’s a ranking factor almost no one talks about: momentum.
It often plays a key role during core updates, especially for sites built on expired domains.

What Is Momentum in SEO?

Momentum refers to the velocity of two things:

• Content publishing
• Link acquisition

Let me give you a classic example:

You launch a 200-page website on an aged domain with 500 backlinks.
The content and link velocity spike out of nowhere — a step function.
In Google’s eyes, this site just became a supernova. The result?

“Let’s send it all the traffic in the world!”

But then… core update hits.

Google checks:
“Does the site’s current content and link velocity still justify this much traffic?”
And most of the time, the answer is: no.

Because the owner built the site, launched it — and then just stopped.
No ongoing links. No new content. No momentum.
And that’s how these sites get crushed.