Google has announced the launch of a new core update. With this core algorithm update, Google is repeating last year’s bold move when it initiated a similar process on November 3, right before the peak sales season. This time, the company has indicated that the November core update will take two weeks to complete, bringing us close to the eve of Black Friday, which will be held on November 29.
In a LinkedIn post, Google commented only that “this update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that appears to be created solely to perform well in search.”
A new core update in a controversial year
If you follow us regularly, you will know that Google launches this type of update several times a year. In 2024, we’ve already seen two of these updates: one in March and another in August.
The March update was more extensive than usual and included algorithm changes aimed at improving the quality of search results and reducing spam—an area that previously fell within the scope of separate “spam updates” Google would release. At that time, Google reported a 45% reduction in non-original or low-quality content in search results and enhanced detection of useless pages—those that provide a poor user experience and were created to please search engines rather than add value for users.
The August update aimed to address some deficiencies in search results that arose from previous updates, particularly the March update and the helpful content update from September 2023, which led to complaints from small publishers whose websites had dropped into irrelevance.
As with the November 2023 update, this new update comes at the worst possible time for the eCommerce sector, which relies heavily on sales during November and December, driven by Black Friday discounts and the lead-up to Christmas shopping. Experience shows that the impact of core updates is quite unpredictable: sometimes the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) change very little, while in other cases, the impact is substantial, creating “earthquakes” that can cause websites, such as online stores, to shift up or down significantly in a short time.
What is a Core Update?
According to Google, “core updates are changes we make to improve search overall and keep pace with the ever-changing nature of the web. While nothing in a core update is specific to any particular site, these updates can produce some noticeable changes in site performance.”
In reality, Google makes adjustments to how it ranks search results almost every day. Although most of these changes go unnoticed, they help to continually refine the algorithm, aiming to reward content that is most relevant and best suited to each user’s search. However, on occasions like this, Google releases a core update, or central update, which has a more significant impact on SEO.
These updates can lead to substantial shifts in search rankings, impacting the visibility and performance of many sites, especially those that may not align closely with Google’s evolving quality standards for content.
How to Handle a Core Update
Google provides this analogy to better understand how a core update works: “Imagine that in 2021, you created a list of the 100 best movies of all time, and in 2024, you want to update it. Naturally, there will be changes to the list. You will want to include new movies that did not exist in 2021 but have since captured the audience’s attention. You may also want to rearrange the positions of movies already on the list. The list will change, and some movies may drop a few spots, but that does not mean they are bad; it simply means other movies deserve a higher ranking.”
Although Google states that there is generally nothing specific you can do following a core update and that these changes focus solely on enhancing how its system evaluates content overall, there are still some areas you can review to improve your content and, ultimately, your Google ranking, regardless of this or future updates.
To assess whether your page and content are set up optimally, Google suggests answering the following questions:
Content and quality cuestions
- Does the content provide original information, data from reports, research, or analysis?
- Does the content offer a substantial, complete, or exhaustive description of the topic it covers?
- Does the content provide interesting and non-trivial information, or does it analyze a topic from a useful perspective?
- If the content cites other sources, does it add enough value and originality, or does it merely copy or rephrase information included in those sources?
- Is the title of the content or page helpful and descriptive?
- Does the title of the content or page avoid exaggerations or sensational expressions?
- Is this the type of page you would want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend to someone?
- Would you expect to see this content in a magazine, encyclopedia, or book, even if only as a reference?
- Does the content provide valuable information when compared to other pages in the search results?
- Does the content have spelling or stylistic errors?
- Is it evident that time and effort were put into creating the content, or does it seem sloppy or hastily made?
- Is the content generated on a large scale by a high number of writers or spread across a broad network of sites, so that each page or site does not receive much attention or care?
Authority questions
- Does the content present information in a reliable way? For example, does it clearly cite sources, appear to be produced by an expert, or provide information about the author or publishing site, such as links to an “About” page?
- If someone were to seek additional information about the publishing site, would they conclude it is trustworthy or a recognized authority on the subject?
- Is the content written by an expert or enthusiast with proven knowledge of the topic?
- Has the content been reviewed to ensure there are no easily verifiable errors?
- Is it clearly shown to visitors who created the content?
- Do pages include an author signature, displayed in a designated location?
- Do author signatures provide additional information about the author or authors involved, such as background details about their expertise and the topics they write about?
Questions on AI use in content creation
- Is the use of automation, including AI generation, evident to visitors (through disclosures or other means)?
- Do you provide information about how automation or AI was used to create content?
- Do you explain why automation or AI was helpful in producing the content?
Beyond considering these questions, it is beneficial to seek honest evaluations of your website and content from others. Conduct an assessment of your most impactful pages, analyzing what types of searches lead to these high-impact pages. This can help you understand how your content is being evaluated compared to previously published content.
Remember, these are general recommendations. There are no specific actions required to recover if your site experiences a negative impact from Google’s latest core algorithm update. Instead, focusing on high-quality, authoritative, and user-focused content remains the best approach.
Image: Flux Schnell