Click here to jump down to our July 2024 update: What We’ve Learned About the March 2024 Google Core Update
Google finished rolling out the November 2023 Core Update, which is a significant milestone in their algorithm journey, and has left a few Core Update effects in its wake.
Mastering the latest Core Update is essential for staying ahead of the competition and making sure your website’s visibility in search results. By understanding the intricacies of these updates and implementing effective SEO strategies, you can maintain and improve your website’s search rankings.
This article delves into the key aspects of the Google algorithm update impacts, and strategies for improving site rankings in light of these changes.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
What Are Google’s Core Updates?
A Core Update, also known as Google search updates, are significant changes to the search algorithm that can impact website rankings, with the aim of enhancing search results and user experience. These updates occur multiple times a year and are often announced by Google Search Central:
With an average of thirteen algorithm modifications daily, amounting to over 4,745 alterations annually – and over 5,000 in 2021 – site owners need to keep abreast of these updates.
Why Does Google Implement Core Updates?
The primary purpose of Google’s Updates is to refine the search algorithm so that users receive the most relevant and high-quality search results. These updates target link spam and other manipulative tactics to maintain a fair and accurate ranking system.
Maintaining rankings in the changing search landscape is possible for website owners who adhere to Google’s guidelines for quality content, such as demonstrating expertise and providing evidence in high quality reviews as per Google E-E-A-T:
How Do Core Updates Affect Website Rankings?
Core Updates can cause fluctuations in website rankings, with some sites experiencing improved visibility while others may see a decline. This is because Google’s search algorithms are constantly refined to provide better search results for users.
The Google Update impact on traffic was a decrease in website visibility and can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as:
- inadequate content quality
- suboptimal user experience
- lack of credibility
- inadequate mobile-friendliness
Websites that attempt to manipulate search engines through spammy tactics will likely also see a decrease in visibility due to a spam update.
What Is the Difference Between a Google Update and a Google Core Update?
While Google Updates are small modifications to the search algorithm, Core Updates are substantial changes that can have a significant effect on search rankings:
- Google updates are smaller, more frequent changes that are made to address specific issues or improve the overall performance of the search algorithm. These updates are typically announced in advance, and they usually do not have a significant impact on search rankings.
- Examples of Google Updates include Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird.
- Core updates, on the other hand, are larger, less frequent changes that are made to fundamentally change the way that Google evaluates and ranks websites. These updates are not typically announced in advance, and they can have a significant impact on search rankings.
- Examples of Core Updates include the Medic Update, BERT, and the November 2023 Core Algorithm Update.
Monitoring industry news and discussions, along with official announcements from Google regarding recent updates, will help determine if a change in your website’s ranking is due to a Google Update or a Google Core Update.
Understanding the November 2023 Core Update
The November 2023 Core Update is a significant change to Google’s search algorithm, focusing on promoting high-quality content and improving search results.
Keeping updated about these changes and modifying your website’s content and SEO strategies accordingly is key to maintaining and enhancing your search rankings.
Key Characteristics
The November 2023 Core Update, also known as a broad core update, builds upon previous core updates by emphasizing the promotion of valuable content from a variety of sources and the refinement of content assessment systems.
By prioritizing informative and authoratative content for the user over content created exclusively to rank well in the SERPs, this update aims to make certain that people receive the most relevant and high-quality results.
Impact on Google Search Rankings
This update brought significant fluctuations in search rankings, impacting websites differently based on various factors. While some websites witnessed a boost in their search visibility, others faced a decline, underscoring the ever-evolving nature of Google’s search ranking algorithms.
Consider the case of a hypothetical online health and wellness platform, “WellBeing Central.” Prior to the November 2023 Core Update, “WellBeing Central” had moderate visibility in the SERPs, focusing mainly on general health tips and advice.
However, following the update, they saw a decline, so they decided to revamp their content strategy, with a stronger emphasis on relevance, authenticity and user needs:
- Optimizing Review Content: “WellBeing Central” started incorporating more user-generated content, such as genuine reviews and testimonials about health products and services. This not only enhanced the authenticity of their content but also aligned well with Google’s preference for user-focused, valuable content.
- Refining Ranking Systems: The platform also improved its internal content ranking system. They implemented an algorithm that prioritized articles and advice based on user engagement and feedback, ensuring that the most valuable and sought-after content appeared prominently.
- Tailoring Content to User Needs: Understanding their audience better, “WellBeing Central” began producing more personalized content. They developed articles and resources that addressed specific health concerns of their users, ranging from nutrition advice for different health conditions to mental wellness tips during challenging times.
Post-update, “WellBeing Central” saw a notable increase in their search engine visibility. Their pages started ranking higher for relevant search queries, and they experienced a surge in organic traffic.
This improvement was largely attributed to their strategic alignment with the core aspects emphasized by the November 2023 Core Update: relevance, user-focus, and authenticity in content.
What Are Signs that a Google Core Update Has Affected My Website?
Signs that a Google core update may have affected your website are:
- You’ve noticed sudden changes in rankings. Decreased rankings in search engine results pages following a Google core update can indicate an impact on a website. Monitoring rankings for various keywords and examining them over several days can provide insight into whether the update has had a negative or positive effect.
- You’ve seen a noticeable decline in organic traffic. This may also signal the effects of a core update. This decrease in traffic can be significant, especially if there is also a drop in rankings in the SERPs. Analyzing organic traffic using tools like Google Analytics and comparing traffic year-over-year can help identify any substantial differences pre and post-update.
- There are variations in page impressions and CTRs: Using Google Search Console, monitor your pages’ impressions and click-through rates. A core update may impact how often your pages appear in search results and the likelihood that users will click on them.
- There are differences in user engagement metrics: Changes in user behavior, such as decreased time on site, higher bounce rates or fewer pages per session, might indicate that the content is no longer resonating well with your audience or matching their search intent as effectively as before.
- You’re seeing shifts in rankings for different types of queries: A Google core update often aims to improve how well search results match user intent. You may find that your website’s performance varies across informational, navigational, commercial and transactional search queries.
- You’ve noticed altered performance in different geographies or devices: Sometimes, a core update’s impact is more pronounced in certain geographic regions or on specific devices (mobile vs. desktop). Analyzing traffic and performance data segmented by location and device type can reveal these patterns.
- You’ve heard feedback from the SEO community: Often, the broader SEO and webmaster communities will note and discuss the impacts of a core update. Paying attention to industry forums, blogs, and social media can provide additional context and confirm whether observed changes align with wider trends.
Strategies for Adapting to Google Core Updates
Based on the hypothetical example above, you can see that it’s not difficult to adapt to this new Google search update. But let’s break it down into the SEO strategies businesses should implement to maintain and improve their website’s search rankings.
Conduct Regular Website Audits
Regular website audits are key to identifying and rectifying potential SEO issues like technical errors, content quality, and backlink profiles.
This practice allows you to keep updated with the latest SEO best practices and make necessary adjustments to keep your website competitive and relevant in the context of Google Core Updates.
Prioritize High-Quality Content
Focusing on high-quality content that caters to user needs is essential for maintaining and improving search engine rankings:
This involves creating unique, engaging, and informative content that is optimized for relevant keywords and search intent.
Avoiding spammy tactics, such as keyword stuffing and low-quality backlinks, can help your website stay in line with Google’s guidelines and improve its organic search visibility.
Optimize On-Page SEO Elements
Optimizing on-page SEO elements such as meta descriptions, title tags, headers, and internal linking is key to boosting your website’s search rankings:
These elements aid search engines in better understanding your content and enhancing your website’s search visibility.
Additionally, the effective use of keywords in your content can have a positive impact on your website’s ranking after a Google Core Update.
Build a Diverse Backlink Profile
A diverse backlink profile consists of high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites, which helps improve your website’s search rankings. To build an effective backlink profile, you should:
- Prioritize quality over quantity
- Develop link-worthy content
- Establish relationships with other website owners or bloggers in your niche
- Adhere to best practices for backlinking
Regularly auditing your backlink profile and removing low-quality or spammy backlinks can help ensure that your website’s rankings are not negatively impacted by Google’s updates.
Enhance User Experience
User experience plays a vital role in influencing SEO rankings, as search engines use user-engagement metrics in their algorithms. Providing an optimal user experience on your website involves focusing on elements such as:
- Usefulness
- Usability
- Consistency
- Security
- Accessibility
- Credibility
- Personalization
- Value
Remember, Google rolled out its latest update to emphasize the importance of user experience by striving to improve the web-browsing experience and prioritize websites that offer a superior user experience.
Focus on Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a set of three metrics that measure the speed, interactivity, and visual stability of a webpage:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures the time it takes for the largest content element on a page to load. Ideally, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds for a good user experience.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures the time it takes for a browser to respond to a user interaction, such as clicking a button or tapping a link. Ideally, FID should be less than 100 milliseconds for a smooth and responsive user experience.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures the amount of unexpected layout shift that occurs on a page as it loads. Ideally, CLS should be less than 0.1 for a stable and predictable user experience.
These metrics are essential for delivering an excellent user experience and are therefore considered important ranking factors by search engines, making them a key component of any SEO strategy.
Enhancing Core Web Vitals can result in improved search engine rankings and a superior user experience.
Adapt to Search Intent
An effective SEO strategy involves understanding and optimizing for search intent, as this makes sure that your content aligns with the purpose or motivation behind a user’s online search.
The four types of search intent are:
- Informational: Users are looking for information or answers to their questions.
- Navigational: Users are looking for a specific website or webpage.
- Transactional: Users are looking to make a purchase or complete a specific action.
- Commercial: Users are researching products or services before making a decision.
By analyzing user interactions with search engine results pages (SERPs) and considering keywords and content, Google can provide the most helpful and reliable results for each search query.
Optimizing your content to match the search intent of your target audience can help increase your website’s visibility and relevance in search engine results.
Common Mistakes to Avoid After a Google Core Update
After one of Google’s Core Updates, it is important to avoid some common mistakes that can negatively impact your website’s search rankings. Let’s take a look at these mistakes.
Overreacting to Ranking Fluctuations
- Mistake: Reacting hastily to ranking fluctuations after a core Google search update can prompt unnecessary or unbeneficial changes to your website.
- Solution: It is important to take a measured and informed approach to SEO, analyzing the impact of the update and making strategic adjustments based on data and best practices. This will yield better results in the long term.
Ignoring Google’s Guidelines
- Mistake: Disregarding Google’s guidelines following a Core Update may result in decreased rankings, crawling and indexing difficulties, disregarded links, potential penalties, and loss of rankings.
- Solution:Adhering to these guidelines ensures that your website is in sync with the updated algorithm and maintains its visibility and ranking in search.
Relying Solely on Algorithmic Solutions
- Mistake: Relying solely on algorithmic solutions after a Google’s Core Update can be detrimental, as the update can significantly alter website rankings and traffic. Algorithms are subject to frequent changes and relying solely on them may not account for the specific modifications introduced by the update.
- Solution:It is essential to modify and make strategic adjustments to your SEO strategy to accommodate the alterations caused by the update.
Future-Proofing Your SEO Strategy
“How can I start recovering from a Google core update?”
First and foremost, keeping abreast of Google search updates and understanding their implications is crucial. This not only helps in making immediate adjustments but also aids in strategizing for future updates.
Then you’ll want to gauge the current quality of your content, which you can do by looking at key aspects: the author’s expertise, the presentation of the content, and the comparative analysis that went into it. Ask yourself if your content is truly informative and interesting, if it demonstrates expertise in the subject matter, how well it is presented visually, and how it compares to content from your competitors.
Depending on the size of your website’s blog, you may choose to focus on specific posts or pages, or just review all content methodically.
Remember that SEO is not static, and neither are Google’s algorithms. Embracing new trends, such as the integration of AI in search (as seen in the BERT update) and the rising importance of search generative experience, is essential.
Be sure to conduct regular audits of your website to identify areas of improvement and align your strategies with Google’s evolving standards.
Last Word on the November 2023 Google Update
Mastering the latest Core Update from Google involves understanding the intricacies of these updates, monitoring their impact on search rankings, and effectively adapting SEO strategies.
By prioritizing these elements, businesses can ensure their website remains visible and relevant in the ever-evolving world of search engine optimization.
- Focus on high-quality content
- Optimize on-page SEO elements
- Build a backlink profile
- Enhance user experience
- Focus on core web vitals
- Adapt to search intent
If you need help tackling the challenge of online visibility and increasing your organic traffic, Single Grain’s SEO experts can help!👇
Update for July 2024
Since this article was published in November 2023, Google has implemented one more major core update and two spam updates:
The March 2024 core update is the culmination of some fine-tuning Google started in 2022 with the release of the helpful content update to reduce low-quality and unhelpful content in its SERPs. The March update is expected to reduce “low-quality, unoriginal content in search results” by 45%.
It includes key changes to several components of the overall search system:
- Improved quality ranking: Google is refining its core ranking algorithms to prioritize high-quality, valuable content. This update aims to elevate the most informative web pages while reducing the visibility of unoriginal material in search results.
- Upgraded spam policies: Google is implementing stricter spam prevention policies. These new guidelines target spammy SEO tactics, including repurposing expired domains for spam and making auto-generated/AI-generated content at scale to boost search rankings.
Google’s March 2024 core update marks a significant shift in how the search engine handles algorithm changes. From now on, helpful content updates will be integrated into core updates rather than announced separately.
The core update took 45 days to roll out and impacted a significant number of websites. Several were deindexed due to their use of AI-generated content or otherwise low-quality content.
While the exact number of deindexed websites is unknown, Niche Site Metrics reports that out of 49,345 websites in its database, 1.7% or 837 sites were deindexed following the March 2024 core update:
You may also like: Google Core Update March 2024: What Content Creators Need to Know
Recovery Strategies if Your Rankings Drop
If your website was affected by the Google Core Update 2024, here are some strategies we recommend based on Google’s advice:
- Improve content quality: Update your existing content with a focus on quality. This means making sure your blog content is well-researched and written by experts. You should also update outdated information.
- Audit and remove low-quality content: Thoroughly audit your website to identify content that doesn’t provide real value to users. Google recommends focusing on “creating people-first content” rather than creating content just to gain search engine rankings.
- Follow E-E-A-T principles: Google loves articles that follow its Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) principles. Create evidence-based content that cites reputable sources and establishes your website’s credibility.
- Avoid shady SEO practices: Focus on long-term SEO strategies and avoid manipulative tactics like keyword stuffing, scaled content abuse, expired domain abuse, and site reputation abuse (parasite SEO).
- Prioritize user experience: Google has outright stated that its core ranking systems “reward content that provides a good page experience.” That means ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, enhancing your site’s overall UX, and optimizing page load speeds.
If you follow good SEO practices and stay clear of bad advice, you’ll be well-positioned to recover and even thrive in the post-update landscape.
Remember, Google’s ultimate goal is to reward sites that provide value to users. By aligning your strategy with this principle, you’ll build a more resilient online presence that can weather future algorithm changes.
Don’t rely on bad SEO practices. If you’re not sure what are considered bad or good tactics, then you should consider hiring an SEO professional.
If your website was affected by the Google’s core update, Single Grain’s SEO experts can help you recover your ranking and future-proof your site!👇
Related Video
Google Core Update November 2023 FAQs
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What is the latest Google Core update 2023?
The Google Core update November 2023 focused on improving search quality and reducing spam in search results. This was the fourth core update of 2023, following the August, October, and November updates.
If you are concerned about how the November core update may have impacted your website, there are a few things you can do:
- Review your content: Make sure your content is high-quality, original, and relevant to your target audience.
- Check your technical SEO: Use tools like Google Search Console to check for any technical issues that may be affecting your website’s ranking.
- Monitor your website traffic: Keep an eye on your website traffic to see if there are any significant changes after the update.
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What is a Google core update?
A Google core update is a broad and significant change to the algorithm that Google uses to rank websites in the SERPs. These updates are designed to improve the overall quality of search results by rewarding websites that provide high-quality, relevant, and helpful content.
These core updates typically occur several times a year, usually every few months. However, the exact frequency of updates can vary depending on Google’s assessment of the need for changes. In recent years, Google has been increasing the frequency of core updates, with an average of four or five updates per year.
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What is the primary purpose of Google Core Updates?
The primary purpose of Google Core Updates is to improve the overall quality of search results and provide users with the best possible experience.
Google’s goal is to ensure that its search results are relevant, helpful and trustworthy, and core updates are designed to achieve this goal by rewarding websites that provide high-quality content and prioritizing factors that contribute to a positive user experience.
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How can I differentiate between a Google Update and a Google Core Update?
Google Updates are typically small changes, while Core Updates involve major alterations to the search algorithm that can significantly alter rankings.
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What strategies can I implement to adapt to Google Core Updates?
To adapt to Google Core Updates, it is important to conduct regular website audits, prioritize high-quality content, optimize on-page SEO elements, build a diverse backlink profile, enhance user experience, focus on core web vitals, and align with search intent.
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When were the recent Google Core Updates?
Here is a timeline of some of the recent Google core updates:
- November 2023
- October 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- May 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
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Why has Google changed today 2024?
In March 2024, Google released its latest core update as part of its continuous effort to enhance search quality and user experience. This update builds on previous core updates, focusing on better understanding and serving helpful content to users, while addressing ranking volatility and maintaining the integrity of search results.
By prioritizing high-quality, informative content, this update aims to ensure that users find genuinely useful information in the SERPs. Additionally, Google’s commitment to combatting low-quality and deceptive content is reinforced through targeted efforts like the spam update, further refining the search ecosystem for both users and creators.
