What the Google Core Update in August 2024
In mid-August 2024, Google released its latest algorithm update, known as the Google Core Update. The goal of this update is to further improve the quality of search results and the relevance of content. This time, the update was focused on smaller and independent websites. How might these changes affect you, and what should you watch out for?
What is a Google Core Update?
In order for Google to provide relevant search results, it must continually refine its algorithm. Smaller updates happen almost constantly, but every few months, a larger update is released, known as a Google Core Update. These updates impact website rankings and can positively or negatively affect your website's position and visibility.
The most recent major update before this one was the Google Core & Spam Update in March 2024. That update not only affected the core systems but also targeted spam-detection systems. The goal was to reduce the presence of low-quality, unoriginal content and increase the visibility of useful pages. The August update builds upon that.
August 2024 Google Core Update
The second core update of 2024 was released by Google on August 15, 2024. If you've noticed sudden changes, fluctuations in rankings, or variations in search results in recent weeks, now you know why.
The aim of this update was once again to improve the algorithm that evaluates the quality and relevance of web content. However, this time the focus was on smaller and independent websites, giving them a better chance to compete with larger competitors, provided they offer unique and useful content. The emphasis on content quality remains unchanged.
How Could the Google Core Update Affect You?
The August update could positively affect smaller and newer websites that have yet to establish themselves online. So, if you’re wondering whether it’s still worth building content in today's competitive market, the answer is simple – yes!
It’s important to remember that Google continues to prioritize content that is original and valuable to users. Hundreds of low-quality articles generated by AI, already present in various forms across the web, will not help you achieve better results. Content must be built consistently, over time, with a focus on delivering real value to users.
If you have been building high-quality content over time, this update should only affect you positively. As John Mueller from Google stated: "This update is designed to continue our efforts to improve the quality of search results by showing more content that people find genuinely helpful and less content that appears to be created solely to perform well in search engines."
What to Do if Your Rankings Dropped
Have you noticed a drop in rankings after the update? Google doesn't provide specific advice on how to improve your ranking or position. However, their guidance is clear – it's important to ask yourself a few simple questions aimed at evaluating the quality of your content:
- Does your content provide relevant and original information backed by facts?
- Does your content offer a complete, comprehensive solution to the problem the user is trying to solve?
- Is your content created for users and user-friendly?
There may be nothing inherently wrong with your content. The algorithm may have simply found a better source of information. However, you can always improve it, and it’s a good idea to continue creating new content. It’s also important to prepare for the fact that, between updates, you may notice slight improvements, but the most significant changes will appear after the next update.
Important! The update was implemented from August 15 to September 3, 2024. Any fluctuations observed during this period may not be particularly relevant. It's best to compare results before the update started and after it ended. A significant change was noticeable in Google Search Console for several of our clients. As you can see in the graph, everything returned to normal within a few days.
Summary of the August 2024 Google Core Update
There was nothing unexpected in this update. It aligns with Google’s ongoing efforts to provide the most relevant content, and the key remains to create content for users, not search engines. Of course, this content should still be optimized stylistically and technically.
The three main goals of this update are:
- Displaying more content that is truly valuable to users.
- Reducing the visibility of content created solely to rank well in search results.
- Supporting small and independent websites that produce original and high-quality content.
This update is a response to feedback from creators affected by previous updates. According to official statements, we can expect that Google will continue to support high-quality content from smaller and independent websites in the future. If you haven't started working on your content yet, now is the time.
Are you ready to start building on-page content, working on link-building, or conducting an SEO audit to see where you stand? Fill out the contact form, send us an email, or give us a call, and our team will be happy to help. We look forward to learning more about your project and working with you.