News Analysis
The Gist
- Core update goals. Google aims to promote high-quality, useful content and reduce low-value, SEO-focused material.
- Impact analysis. Use Google Search Console post-update to assess changes in traffic and rankings.
- Content strategy. Implement sustainable improvements rather than quick fixes to enhance site quality and SEO rankings.
Google released its long-awaited August 2024 Core Update on Aug. 15. Once complete, this update will demote low-value SEO-focused content and promote high-quality websites.
The goal, according to a tweet from Google Search Central, is to improve the quality of search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful, and less content that feels like it was made for search engines.
Today we released the August 2024 core update. It continues our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.https://t.co/T6Qt0JUoWt
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) August 15, 2024
The rollout may take up to a month to complete.
Google Core Update Insights
This core update takes into account the feedback Google has received from creators and others over the past few months.
“As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content, when relevant to users’ searches,” wrote John Mueller, search advocate at Google Switzerland.
Google states it will continue to address this area in future updates.
The strategy behind all core updates, such as the previous March 2024 Core Update, is to deliver on the company’s mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers. These changes are broad in nature and do not target specific websites or individual pages.
Google likened its core updates to a friend asking for food recommendations. Perhaps in 2019 you created a list of your top 20 favorite restaurants. But now, that list has changed. Some new restaurants have cropped up that didn’t exist before, while others may have gotten better or worse over time. As a result, your list will need to change.
Related Article: State of SEO: Google Search Algorithm Updates for 2024
How to Analyze Impact to Traffic and Rankings
Alongside this August Core Update, Google has made changes to its help page on the topic, including more in-depth guidance for those who see changes to traffic and rankings after an update has rolled out.
You can use Google Search Console if you’ve seen a drop in position or page traffic to determine if it might be due to the core update.
To do so:
- Wait until the core update is complete. You can do this by checking the Search Status Dashboard. In fact, Google recommends waiting a full week after rollout before analyzing your site.
- Compare your site performance. The week after the rollout is complete, compare your site’s performance to the week before the rollout began to pinpoint what’s changed.
- Review your top pages and queries. How did they rank before and after the core update?
- Is the change small? For instance, a drop from position 2 to position 4? If so, don’t make any changes.
- Is the change large? Say a drop from position 4 to 29? In this case, it’s time to do a deeper assessment.
- Look at search types separately. This means separate comparisons for web search, Google images, video mode and the news tab.
How to Boost Traffic and Rankings Post-Update
Have you noticed a large drop off in traffic and rankings? If so, Google offers a self-assessment guide, which walks creators through how to assess their overall site in terms of delivering content that is reliable, helpful and people-first.
Tips for Using the Self-Assessment Guide
Planning to use the self-assessment guide? If so, Google offers a few tips to follow:
- Look at the pages as a whole and try to be objective.
- Ask someone you trust (who’s unaffiliated with your site) to do the assessment.
- Evaluate the pages that were most impacted.
Questions in the Self-Assessment Guide
The guide contains more than 35 questions to ask as you review your site, including:
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
- Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does the main heading or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
- Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it?
- Is this content written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
- Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?
- Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they've had a satisfying experience?
Dos and Don’ts for Changing Content
If you plan to make changes to your content in the hopes of improving rankings, Google offers some simple dos and don’ts:
- Don’t use quick fixes. For instance, don’t remove some page elements that you’ve heard are bad for SEO. Instead, focus on changes that make sense for your users and are sustainable long-term.
- Do think of ways to make meaningful changes to content. That could mean rewriting or restructuring content to make it easier for users to read and navigate.
- Don’t delete content. This should be a last resort and only done if you think the content can’t be salvaged.
When you make improvements, it might take a while to see the effect in search results. Some changes could take effect in a few days, while others might take several months. In some cases, you might not see any impact until Google rolls out its next core update.
Related Article: What's New in Search? Top SEO Strategies for 2024
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Stay on Top of Google’s Big SEO Changes
Google constantly makes changes to its algorithm and features, something we cover regularly in our State of SEO. The August 2024 Core Update is a reminder that SEO is not a set-it-and-forget-it endeavor but a challenge that requires ongoing refinement.
Remember, changes in rankings and traffic are an opportunity to improve and excel. Use tools like Google Search Console and the self-assessment guide to align your content more closely with Google’s criteria. You can also check out insights from Google’s algorithm leak to learn what benchmarks Google’s looks for that it doesn't necessarily advertise.
