On 15th August 2024, Google launched its August 2024 Core Update to Google Search. It seeks to demote poor quality content and boost genuinely useful content.
This is Google’s second update to its core algorithm this year after the March 2024 Core Update.
Join us to discover what is different about this core update and what it means for you and your business.
Contents:
- What is the new core update and how will it affect you
- How long will it last
- Previous Google updates this year
- What to do if your website is hit
- Looking to the future
What is the New Core Update and How Will It Affect You
Google has announced this update is designed to improve the quality of search results, promoting content that people find useful. It aims to penalise content focused on serving search engines, while promoting content that is more focused on users. This means content that is only designed to rank in search engines, but does not provide help to the user, will be negatively impacted.
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
This update also builds on feedback Google has received in the past few months from creators.
Additionally, Google said it aims to capture improvements sites have made to display the best possible results.
Google reiterated its goal to promote useful, original content that is optimised for users.
Based on what Google has announced, there seems to be nothing to be worried about if your website offers helpful, reliable and high-quality content, even if you are a small or independent site.
Google has updated its advice on how to react to search changes if you have been affected by a core update. Though a lot of this guidance is not new and there are no specific actions to take to recover, it offers in-depth guidance if you see changes as a result of the update.
How Long Will It Last
The core update is set to take up to one month to complete, according to Google’s Search Status Dashboard, which provides status information on Google Search services.
This appears to be a shorter update compared to the 45 day roll out of the March update earlier this year.
Previous Google Updates This Year
This August core update is the second update this year after the March 2024 Core Update, which aimed to tackle spam and low-quality content on Google Search. It also included new spam policies that aimed to fight against manipulative practices like scaled content abuse, site reputation abuse and expired domain abuse.
There was also a June 2024 Spam Update that further aimed to target websites that violate Google’s spam policies.
What To Do If Your Website Is Hit
During the roll out of the core update, your search rankings may experience high volatility. Google is clear: a drop in rank may not mean there is anything wrong with your pages and there are no specific actions to take. Let’s go through some steps you can take to ensure that Google continues to think that your website is worthy of a high rank.
Monitor Data
After a core update is completed, you should assess if there has been a drop in traffic. Identify the pages that were most heavily hit to start thinking about how you could improve them.
Evaluate Your Website
Looking at your site as a whole will help you evaluate if you are delivering content that is helpful and puts users first. Google has released a handy list of questions to ask yourself if you have experienced a drop in rankings due to a core update.
Create High-Quality Content
This update reinforces the need to create high-quality content that targets your ideal audience. Creating extremely useful content that is well-thought out, educational and entertaining is key to not being negatively impacted.
Stay Up To Date
Google is constantly updating its algorithm and policies, so one of the easiest things you can do is keep up to date with new developments to adapt your strategy. You can find a list of Google’s current and previous updates on the Google Search Status Dashboard.
Looking To The Future
The August 2024 Core Update is all part of Google’s mission to improve the user experience on search. Google has stated that focusing on useful and original content is something that it will continue to address in future updates. So, staying on top of updates will continue to be essential to rank on search.
At Adult Creative, we will always keep you in the loop about new developments on our News Page. For more information about how to increase your online presence, contact us today. We are experts in the adult industry and its unique challenges online and we’re passionate about helping businesses like yours thrive.
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