Google Core Update: SEO Impact and Optimization Strategies

Google released the November 2024 core update to Google Search. This update aims to enhance the quality of search results by displaying more content that people find genuinely useful and reducing content created solely to perform well on Search. Google will soon update the ranking release history page and notify when the rollout is complete.

How Google Core Updates Work;

Core updates are designed to ensure that Google consistently delivers helpful and reliable results for searchers. These changes are broad and do not target specific sites or individual web pages. As web content evolves, Google continually assesses and updates systems to keep pace with these changes.

One way to understand a core update is to imagine a friend asking for your top food recommendations. Although you have a list of your 20 favorite restaurants, changes since 2019 may mean new candidates deserve a spot. You might reassess and move some restaurants up the list due to consistently positive experiences or your friend's preference for dog-friendly venues. Changes in the list don't mean restaurants that move down are "bad"; they simply reflect new additions to your top 20.

Checking for Traffic Drops in Search Console

If you notice a drop in position and suspect it correlates with a core update, use Search Console to decide if changes are needed. First, confirm that the core update has finished rolling out by checking the Search Status Dashboard for the update's start and end dates. Compare your site's performance a week before and after the update for a better understanding.

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Review your top pages and queries to assess ranking changes. For small drops (e.g., position 2 to 4), drastic changes may not be necessary. However, for large drops (e.g., position 4 to 29), a deeper assessment is required. Analyze different search types (Web, Google Images, Video, News) separately to pinpoint specific areas affected.

Assessing Large Position Drops

If your site experiences a significant, sustained position drop, review it using self-assessment to ensure it delivers helpful, reliable, and people-first content. Specifically:

• Objectively evaluate your entire site. Consider asking trusted, unaffiliated individuals for their assessment.
• Focus on pages most impacted by the update. Understand how these pages perform against self-assessment questions and compare them to better-performing pages on the web.

Making Changes

Avoid "quick fix" changes, such as removing page elements rumored to be bad for SEO. Instead, focus on sustainable, user-centric improvements. Consider rewriting or restructuring content for better readability and navigation. Deleting content should be a last resort, used only if it cannot be salvaged. This often indicates the content was created for search engines first, not users. Removing unhelpful content can boost the performance of your site's valuable content.

Seeing Effects in Search Results

Improvements may take time to reflect in search results. Some changes might take effect in a few days, while others may take several months as Google's systems confirm your site's long-term production of helpful, reliable, and people-first content. If several months pass without improvement, it may be necessary to wait for the next core update.