Every so often, Google decides that it wants to make its search engine better for users. It sets out to meet this objective by focusing on a particular theme, determining a series of standards, and creating an update to bring its own systems in line with these quality-led principles. For example, back in April, the March 2o24 core update concluded, after having removed 45% of spammy, low-quality results.
If you’re a website owner, it’d be helpful for you to understand a bit more about what these updates mean, especially if you’ve been seeing any kind of negative impact on your domain performance that could correlate to any recent rollouts.
What are Google Updates?
A Google update refers to a series of changes made to existing search algorithms. There are two major update rollouts that Google will notify us about.
Core updates
These are the hard hitters. Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird are all examples of Google core updates, and each release focused on improving the relevance and quality of search results.
While we mentioned that Google sets a series of standards for each core update (let’s call it a hit list), they’re rarely explicit about exactly what they’ll be targeting, with the exception of the scope they shared about the March 2024 rollout. This keeps website owners guessing, but those of us within the SEO space will be accustomed to the process of piecing potential signs of impact together – it’s definitely not our first rodeo!
Spam updates
Spam isn’t good for the integrity of search, and it can show us false signs about user behaviour. The spam update does what it says on the tin, rooting out content that is built upon spammy practices from results pages. It’s worth noting that a spam rollout was also announced at the same time as the March core update.
How often do Google updates happen?
Both core and spam updates are rolled out multiple times throughout the year – with an average count of once every 2-3 months for each type. However, smaller-scale updates are happening all of the time, but these changes don’t usually create the same kind of volatility that core updates are infamous for.
Why does Google make these changes to its algorithms?
Google updates are intended to improve the quality of the search engine, by ensuring that relevant, credible content is served on its results pages – from ensuring that users are finding accurate answers from trustworthy publishers, to determining the most effective types of content formats to show within results.
Despite these efforts, Google has its own demons to face about search quality. From facing fresh scrutiny regarding searches that have been flooded by Reddit results, to the long-standing issue involving small-medium publishers being completely deindexed (removed from search results).
How will I know if my domain has been impacted by a Core Update?
The common theme for most core updates that we’ve seen in the past decade is volatility. One of the best ways to understand how your website has fared is to take a look at your Google Search Console property, or Google Analytics data. Don’t hyperfixate on declines though – some websites might see an increase in their rankings following a rollout, while others might experience a drop – and fluctuation between both scenarios is a hallmark of Core Updates, so brace yourself!
How long does it take to recover from a Google core update?
The general consensus, and based on input from Google, is that recovering from a core update can take anywhere between several months to a year – though this timeframe can still vary. The best way to observe how your site settles after an update is to monitor metrics such as visibility (SISTRIX has a really simple way of doing this), and analyse realtime data from Search Console.
When should I make improvements after a core update?
Making haphazard changes in response to a drop in traffic isn’t the way to go, especially if the update is still active. Wait until the roll out is complete, then conduct an organic audit of your losses and gains; assess the areas of your website that have seen any negative impacts, and look for any clear culprits – is the content stuffed with keywords? Is the page hard to interact with in terms of user experience, or does it take its sweet time to load? Is the page accessible on different devices? The list goes on…
Long story short? Don’t panic, and avoid making any rash decisions without having the data to back them up.
If my rankings have fallen, does this mean my website has been penalised?
A change in rankings doesn’t necessarily mean that your site is at fault – sometimes, pages that perform well can be hit by initial fluctuation. It’s worth adding that these pages might also not *fully* recover until the following core update; and this is why we’d like to emphasise the importance of taking a measured response to these changes.
Can I protect my website from Google updates?
We don’t know how we’d describe the digital alternative of building a moat around a castle to keep the baddies out, but if we did, we’d say that you can’t do this for your website in the face of Google updates.
SEOs don’t control search algorithms, and if we did, we probably wouldn’t be writing this blog. That being said, following a SEO strategy that keeps you on the right path is a proactive step to take, given the changing nature of search.
Your strategy should revolve around keeping your domain in good technical stead, while also serving as a means to help you to create and share the type of content that your ideal customers find value in. It won’t be hinged upon quick fixes or short term gains; as these kinds of objectives are associated with the practices that Google updates are designed to root out.
Looking for advice on your website’s current performance? We’re here to help, so get in touch with Libra Nine to find out how we can help your business to develop a credible online presence through SEO, content marketing and digital PR.