Hajra Naz
Google usually releases improvements to its core algorithm twice or three times a year, but this year, there were a record number of four updates.
With the March core update, we recently had a 45-day record rollout as well.
These updates were partially created to counter strategies used by SEO experts.
Over time, Google has changed its updates to reflect the way it has changed as a classifier, information finder, and retrieval engine.
The way we discuss, comprehend, and handle changes must therefore change as well.
It’s also important to emphasize that not all Google upgrades are meant to be harsh; throughout the last 24 to 36 months, a number of updates have been made in line with Google’s “core algorithm” and its embrace of various technologies.
What Is A Core Update?
A core update occurs when Google makes a “notable” update to one or more of its fundamental systems, according to Danny Sullivan’s definition.
The way inputs (our content, links, etc.) are handled and weighed is altered by these updates.
Since the systems are always in operation, they process and refresh data according to the updated criteria as soon as they are updated.
Not every update is covered since, in Sullivan’s opinion, it would just be a never-ending notification feed that wouldn’t be useful outside of the present narrative that Search is an ever-evolving product.
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Have I Been Impacted By An Update?
Determining if you have been affected by an update is essential to choosing the right action.
In addition to thousands of ongoing, minor updates that aren’t recorded or proclaimed, Google made nine official updates in 2023, all of which were tracked via the Google Search Status Dashboard.
The last official core update took 45 days at the time of writing.) However, major changes are typically visible within the first 24-48 hours of distribution, even though confirmed updates typically take 3–4 weeks to complete.
You should anticipate volatility and variations over the rollout period, but based on past performance, the first few days are the “danger zone” for the most popular and sought-after searches.
It’s also important to keep in mind that not every drop in traffic and ranking is caused by updates.
Since Google now processes in real-time and the Google Dance is a thing of the past, any changes you see in your performance could be the result of competitors working harder and enhancing their value propositions, such as gaining valuable press coverage or creating better content.
Unfortunate Timings With Transformation Projects
Many websites undertake a significant makeover along with the announcement of an upgrade because core updates are unpredictable.
Anecdotally, these are usually ongoing transformation projects, including migrations that accidentally fall within the schedule of core updates.
Adding to the complexity of the unknown change factors makes it more difficult to determine if performance changes (or delays in returning to previous performance) are caused by the migration processing or the core upgrade. Migrations can take some time to finish and be processed by Google.
Recovering From An Update
Updates that better align content with Google’s requirements tend to see the most changes (and recoveries) with future updates. However, it is still possible to recover from an upgrade before the next major core updates are released.
“If improvements have been made, content that was affected by one in Search or Discover might not recover until the next broad core update is released.”
Another truth that is outlined in the same Google article is that if there is “more deserving content,” Google will continue to rank it highly in its search results, thus improvement does not ensure recovery.
Generally speaking, recovering from a Google update entails enhancing one or more of the following:
- Your content’s useful purpose, value proposition, and conformity with user expectations for particular inquiries.
- Improve your E-E-A-T (enhancing mentions and links).
- Enhancing and developing the entity (and relatedness) of your brand.
Because there are several kinds of recoveries, they can appear differently.
Some recoveries happen quickly, and as a result of the recovery measures you’ve been putting in place, traffic is near, if not more, than it was before the update.
This typically occurs when a variable that was altered in a prior search engine update is revised and amended.
Some recoveries require more time.
This implies that Google has probably noticed favorable user statistics resulting from the variables altered in the last update and that you now have an obligation to better align your content and website with what Google is trying to reward.
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Update Recovery Checklist
Asking questions at this “phase zero” before moving on to phase one might help company stakeholders avoid wasting a lot of time and worry:
Where is the decline in traffic occurring?
- Is this consistent with our proprietary data if it’s through a third-party tool?
- Has the third-party tool updated the traffic forecasts and data sets it uses?
- Are all tracking codes applied and activated correctly in our proprietary data?
Answering these queries can help avoid wasting resources and possibly restore order to the situation.
Step One: Assess The Impact
You may determine if the loss in traffic is specific to a few pages or the entire website by determining which pages have had a decline in traffic. This helps you focus your investigation on the most likely causes of the drop in traffic.
- Data gathering: Gather and combine as much of the accessible data as you can, preferably down to the keyword and URL levels. This can originate from different analytics systems and data sources, as well as your Google Search Console and Google Analytics account.
- Segmenting data: To find out which areas have been affected the most, segment your data by page cluster, keyword cluster, persona, device, demographic, or your own custom classification.
- Data comparison: To identify any possible relationships between seasonality and past traffic or purchasing patterns, historical data must be compared.
Step Two: Review The SERPs
An essential next step is to assess the changes made to your major search terms and word clusters’ search engine results pages (SERPs).
You should be neutral, eliminate any prejudices, and refrain from believing things like “my content is better than that” when examining the SERPs, as the facts at this time seem to indicate otherwise. Gathering this data is the first step in doing a GAP analysis.
- To what extent has Google altered the SERPs?
- Does Google now favor websites that aim for a particular kind of search query?
- Does Google give websites with different source types more credit?
- Have there been any positive or negative effects on your direct competitors?
- Has Google added any new features to the SERPs?
- Did Google eliminate any SERP features?
- Are any of the top 10 domains being double-listed by Google?
Step Three: Review Your Website
You may do a GAP analysis on your own website now that you have the information from looking through the SERPs.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that there are two crucial areas to look closely at: assessing the depth and relevancy of the content you provide and how well it matches the user’s expectations and the search intent.
- Thorough Coverage: Evaluate if the subjects at hand are adequately covered in your article. In addition to providing pertinent supporting content and logical next actions for the user on their numerous journey routes, it should provide all the information a user could need to search for the query.
- Data and Information Accuracy: Verify that the content is current and contains the most recent information, particularly in fields where statistics are highly valued or in which there is a lot of interest. Keeping statistical data tables and examples up to date with the latest data available enhances the content’s perceived legitimacy and integrity in the eyes of users.
- Matching Keyword Intent: The primary content of every page should explicitly address the search intent underlying the keywords it targets.
- Beneficial Purpose Alignment: Every content component serves a useful purpose. Beneficial purposes don’t have right or wrong answers; they just need to meet user expectations. For instance, a piece of informative content with the headline “the best X software for Y” that subtly elevates your business to the top and has reviews three times longer than the competition lacks a useful goal that is consistent with the keyword aim.
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Step Four: Develop & Implement Recovery Strategies
You may start coming up with a plan to deal with these differences now that you’ve gathered and examined all of your data and know how your content differs from what Google is currently awarding.
It is important to define the strategy first since it enables you to share expectations with larger business stakeholders regarding activities and your recovery plan.
Experience tells me that far too many make the mistake of leaping straight to tactics, even if they differ greatly.
The purpose of strategies is to ensure that all efforts are in line with the main goals of the company by offering a broad framework and guiding decision-making over an extended period of time.
This helps move the conversation away from measurements like rankings and keywords and toward more significant business KPIs like leads and revenue. It also connects your SEO activities with the business objectives.
Recovering From Google Updates Is Difficult
You cannot ask Google why your rankings are declining. It is necessary to take an unbiased look at your website in order to determine the causes of a decline in traffic or SERP performance.
You need to stop assuming that your website and its content are valuable enough to rank well and start asking yourself if your pages are worthy of being ranked.
- Have you applied the foundations of SEO?
- When you establish links, are you staying away from black-hat techniques?
- Do you send out spam?
- Are your content writers qualified professionals?
- Do the competition’s websites offer a more compelling value proposition, more user-friendly pages, or superior content?
You are able to proceed if you have a clear assessment. It requires persistence, patience, and work to bounce back from an abrupt ranking decline. Your best tool is accurate information.
