Google Core Update: Stay Informed on the Latest Changes

How can you make sure your website stays important and seen in the changing SEO world? By keeping up with Google’s core updates. These updates change Google’s search systems and algorithms several times a year.¹ They aim to make search results better and more relevant. However, they can change how well your site does. So, are you prepared for Google’s core updates?

Key Takeaways:

Google’s core updates are broad changes to their search methods. They aim to make search results better and more relevant.
Some pages might do better after these updates, while others might not.¹
Keep an eye on your site’s visibility and data from Google Search Console. This can help you understand how a core update affects you.
Knowing what the updates mean and changing your SEO plans are crucial. This keeps your website strong.
Creating top-notch, user-focused content is key for dealing well with future Google updates.

Understanding Google Core Updates

Google’s core updates bring big changes to how search results work. These changes happen a few times each year.¹ The goal is to make search results better and more on point, not to single out certain websites.¹ After a core update, some content that wasn’t noticed before might do better. Yet, some pages could drop in the ranking.¹ Google doesn’t change things to hurt sites. It’s all about helping its system find and show the best material.¹

What Are Core Updates?

Several times a year, Google makes big changes to how its search works through core updates.¹ These updates don’t pick on certain sites but try to make content assessment fairer.¹

How Do Core Updates Work?

Pages that did not get much attention might shine more after a core update.¹ These big updates happen every few months, affecting what shows up in Google’s search.¹ Still, just because your site improves, it doesn’t mean you’ll jump up in search results.¹

Impact on Search Results

With core updates, search results can change a lot. Some pages do better, while others might see less traffic.¹ Google wants to highlight the best and most relevant content with these updates.¹

Assessing the Impact of an Update

It’s crucial to check how an update affects your site.¹ First, use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Sistrix to watch your search visibility.² Check your site’s traffic and rankings for any big changes, like less clicks or drops in position.

Also, look at your Google Search Console info.¹ It can tell you about manual actions or huge performance shifts.² By mixing these checks, you’ll get a clear view of the update’s impact.

Monitoring Search Visibility

Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Sistrix are great for tracking search visibility.² They give useful insight and show how your competitors are doing too.²

Analyzing Traffic and Rankings

Look into your traffic and rankings to find any changes in clicks or positions.¹ This will show if the update affected how you appear in search.²

Reviewing Google Search Console Data

Google Search Console helps a lot with core updates.¹ Check for manual actions or big performance changes.² It tells you a lot about the update’s effect on your site’s view and rank.

Metric	Before Update	After Update	Change
Impressions	50,000	45,000	-10%
Clicks	2,500	2,800	+12%
Average Position	8	6	+2

The table shows how you can check the impact of a core update. By comparing the numbers before and after, you’ll see what changed. Then, you can make a strategy to improve.

Evaluating SERP Changes

It’s crucial to watch not just your website but also the search results pages closely.² Major updates often hit US sites first, affecting others later.² The Medic update in 2018 hit health sites hard.² Tools like Mozcast and Semrush Sensor can help you track how your site responds to updates.

Examining Featured Snippets and SERP Features

Changes in featured snippets or knowledge graphs can change user behavior and what they see.² Understanding these changes can show you how users might react.² For topics like Covid-19, Google might show official sources first in the search results.

Monitoring Competitor Performance

Keeping an eye on your rivals offers insight.² You’ll notice if new competitors show up in searches or if old ones do better or worse.² Figuring out why pages rank high is key; it’s often about knowing your stuff, making your site work well, and being on target.² Don’t panic when things shake up; a clear mind and smart moves are best.

Learning about the bigger picture of SERPs helps explain changes on your site.

Staying Informed About Update Findings

It’s vital to keep up with Google’s latest findings and analyses. This helps keep us informed about the changing search world. Reading reputable SEO blogs, news sites, and following experts on Twitter gives valuable insights after a core update. Agencies and SEO experts working with many sites often notice trends and patterns,¹. This info can help us see the bigger picture of changes and spot any issues on our websites.

Google alters its search rules a few times each year. It does this to make sure we get useful and trusty search results. These changes don’t aim at specific sites or pages. Instead, they check and improve how content is reviewed overall¹. By keeping informed, your website can better deal with future google algorithm updates.

google core update

After recognizing the changes a core update brings to your site, it’s key to look deeper.¹ By breaking down data into groups like device use, location, and types of content, you can spot trends.¹

Segmenting Data for Analysis

Scrutinizing different sections of your site uncovers where gains or drops occur.¹ It’s also smart to compare popular and unpopular pages. This can show why some do well and others don’t.¹

Comparing URL Directories

Looking at how each URL directory changes offers insights on the update’s impact.¹ By checking top directories and smaller content, you may figure out a pattern in the shifts.¹

Contrasting Winning and Losing Pages

Finding your top winners and losers post-update hints at what Google likes or dislikes.¹ Comparing what’s on these pages can show where you need to boost efforts. Plus, you can copy the good strategies.¹

Conducting a Thorough Review

After analyzing the data, the next step is a comprehensive review of your website. This step is crucial in identifying areas that need improvement. It ensures your website can handle future³ Google core updates well.

Evaluating Content Quality

Start by evaluating your content’s quality. Look for signs of E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). This includes in-depth and current information, clear expertise on topics, and citing authoritative sources. Make sure your content meets user needs and fills any gaps.³

Assessing Technical SEO Elements

Then, address your website’s technical SEO aspects. Check things like how fast your site loads, if it’s mobile-friendly, and if it’s easy for search engines to find and understand. These elements heavily affect how well your site does in search results.³

Analyzing User Experience (UX)

Finally, dive into your website’s user experience stats. Look at how much time people spend on your site, how many pages they visit, and how engaged they are. Find and fix any problems that might be making it hard for users to navigate your site.³

Adjusting Your SEO Strategy

After analyzing the recent changes, it’s clear your SEO strategy needs an update. The latest⁴ Google core update shifted away from AI-generated content and tightened spam policies. This impacts about 40% of low-quality sites. To keep up, you must focus on fixing problem areas and continue what’s working well.

Targeting Problem Areas

First, look at the weak spots on your site after the update. This might include pages that don’t perform well, sections that users find difficult, or content lacking in E-A-T standards.⁴ Invest in making these parts better. Improve their quality, relevance, and how they’re technically set up. It’s key to enhance the user’s experience on your site. Also, get rid of any content that’s not up to standard or too SEO-focused, and update content to align with Google’s new rules.

Embracing the Wins

Don’t forget about the parts of your site that are doing well post-update. Find out what outcomes and strategies are working, and see how you can do more of that.⁵ This might mean making more great content, improving your site’s technical setup, or analyzing what your users like the most.⁵ By focusing on what’s successful, you can make your online presence even stronger and do better in search results.

It’s crucial to adapt your SEO strategy to these new Google changes. By tackling problems and leveraging success, your site can stand out, even with search trends evolving.⁶

Tracking Google Algorithm Updates

Keeping up with Google’s algorithm changes is crucial for SEO success. Google changes its algorithm about 600 times a year. It uses over 200 factors to rank websites, like how fast they load, the quality of their links, keywords use, and how well they look on mobile devices.⁷ Big drops in site visits might show a Google update has affected your site.⁷

Monitoring Web Traffic

Watch your website’s traffic carefully for any big changes. This can tip you off to a new Google update on the way. Special tools like Accuranker and MozCast can offer insight into these changes.¹

Using SEMRush

Use SEMRush to check how your keywords are doing in different places. This can help spot any changes in specific regions.¹

Following @searchliaison on Twitter

@searchliaison on Twitter is your direct line to Google updates. Following this account can keep you ahead of important news.¹

Staying Ahead of Google Algorithm Updates

To beat Google’s updates, focus on making great stuff people want all the time.⁸ Keep your site’s info fresh and useful for visitors.⁸ Use a content plan to set dates for your posts and content. This keeps you on top of changes and helps your site do well despite updates.

⁹ Make sure your content is always good and new. This way, you’re ready for whatever Google throws your way.

Producing High-Quality Content

Google likes sites that put users first with top-notch, helpful stuff over just using big words.⁹ Having quality and easy-to-understand content helps you adjust to updates.⁸ Create posts that show you know what you’re talking about, are trustworthy, and expert. These are big for where you show up in Google.

Maintaining Up-to-Date Information

Google’s updates boost user experience by fighting weak and copied content.⁹ Using bots to make not-so-good content means your site might drop in rankings with Google’s latest moves.⁹ So, update your content a lot and always give value to folks visiting your site.

Creating a Content Calendar

Google often updates its main rules. This happens a few times each year, usually in March, August, October, and November in 2023, and May and September of the previous year.⁹ Planning your content helps you deal with these updates better.⁹ Using strategies that focus on making great content for users makes your site stronger against Google’s changes.

Conclusion

Google’s core updates change search algorithms to make search results better. It’s important to know how these updates work, see their effect on your site, and change your SEO plan. Doing this helps keep your online space strong. By keeping up, checking your site well, and putting out great content, your site can do well with future Google updates.

The March 2024 core update is big and spans different core systems. It might affect rankings over a month as it rolls out fully.¹⁰ Also, three new spam policies came out, focusing on certain kinds of spam. They push for showing helpful content more in search results.¹⁰ Knowing these updates and making changes can help your site stay strong online.

SEO keeps changing, and it’s crucial to keep up with Google’s updates. Understand the changes and see how they influence your site. Do thorough checks and focus on making top-notch content for users. Doing this can make your site ready for future updates. Always be ready to offer the best for your audience.

FAQ

What are Google’s core updates?

Google’s core updates are big changes to how it decides search results. Their goal is to make searches more helpful and reliable. Some sites may do better, while others might lose rank after these updates.

How do core updates work?

The updates are not aimed at specific sites. They try to improve how Google looks at all content. So, everyone should focus on making the best content possible. This is what Google looks to reward.

How can I assess the impact of a core update on my website?

You can see how a core update affects your site by keeping an eye on your visibility in search, your traffic, and where you rank. Also, regularly checking your Google Search Console data is useful. Always staying updated with the latest news on updates is crucial. It helps you adjust your SEO strategies to keep your website strong.

What should I look for when evaluating SERP changes after a core update?

Look for changes in the SERPs, like new snippets or graphs, as these can change how users find and see your site. Watching what your competitors do helps you understand where you stand too.

How can I stay informed about Google’s algorithm updates?

To keep up with Google’s updates, watch your web traffic closely. Use tools like Accuranker and MozCast, and follow the official Google Search Liaison on Twitter. These methods are great for staying in the know.

What can I do to stay ahead of Google’s algorithm updates?

Always focus on making top-quality, relevant content and keeping your site up-to-date. Having a content plan in place also sets you up well for future updates. This approach can help your site face changes better and maybe even get a boost from them.