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Have you noticed a drastic decline in your organic search traffic lately? If so, your website may be affected by the recent Google update.
Google updates can be tough for brands that rely on organic traffic for sales and revenue, such as through affiliate links, online ads, or selling products online.
In particular, Google algorithm core updates are known for their significant and sudden impact. They often leave site owners scratching their heads about what went wrong and how to retrieve search traffic.
The same is the case with March 2024 core updates that target low-quality content and spam. More than 800 websites have already been removed from Google’s search results, and more are expected to follow suit as the roll-out progresses.
Want to know what March 2024 Google core updates are and how to recover if your website got hit? Read on.
Unlike other launches, Google core updates happen when Google makes broad and significant changes to its search engine systems and algorithm.
While many launches go unnoticed, a core update gets attention because it impacts search results noticeably. These updates help make the search experience better for users, giving more useful, trustworthy, and relevant content.
Typically, core updates occur several times a year, and Google officially confirms them.
Now that you know what a Google core update is, let’s find out what the March 2024 updates are.
Google’s latest core updates are more complex than usual updates and promise major changes in search rankings. The updates will help improve search quality and make it more helpful and efficient.
Without further ado, let’s walk through the March 2024 core updates in detail.
One of the crucial focuses of March 2024 Google core updates is to improve Google’s search ranking systems.
In 2022, the search giant started to fine-tune its “ranking systems” to reduce unoriginal, unhelpful content in SERPs. This latest algorithm change is a continuation of that effort.
According to Google officials, the update will likely reduce low-quality, unoriginal content and articles in search results by 40%.
The refined ranking system will help better understand if website pages can be more useful, have a better customer experience, or are just created for a search engine instead of users. This sends more valuable traffic to high-quality and helpful sites.
Although the roll-out may take a month, the update will create fluctuations in site rankings. If you’re a brand or a content marketer who develops quality content for users, you won’t have to worry about the latest update.
However, if your site doesn’t rank well, Google offers documentation that helps you create people-first, reliable, and engaging content.
Here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself to craft content that works and remains search-friendly:
Besides ranking adjustments, Google has also updated its spam policies to keep low-quality content from search results.
Google says it will continue relying on effective spam detection tools and systems like SpamBrain (an AI-based spam prevention system).
SpamBrain in 2021 helped identify 6x more spam websites than in 2020. Not only did it result in a 75% reduction in ‘gibberish spam’ but also a 70% reduction in ‘hacked spam’ on hosting sites.
Like previous spam-fighting systems and policies, the 2024 core updates will help better address both evolving and new abuse practices that often lead to low-grade and unoriginal content showing in searches.
Listed below are the three key updates under the 2024 spam policies that will allow Google to take more specific, targeted action:
If you feel your site’s ranking took a toll after these updates and want to overcome the challenges, jump to the next section.
Do you believe the latest Google core updates had a knock-on effect on your website’s performance? If so, fret not!
With a few practical steps, your website can bounce back and earn its lost rankings. Here’s how.
It’s natural to feel worried if your website’s traffic suddenly drops significantly. However, panicking can also be counterproductive, especially if you start making big site changes without thinking about them first.
You should know that when Google updates its algorithms, it takes a few weeks for the changes to happen. During this time, search results can be all over the place, which many SEO experts call the “Google Dance.”
If your site is lucky, you’ll notice that the traffic has reverted after a few weeks or even increased. So, making major changes to your site during a Google update is risky. You may end up negatively affecting things Google approves of in your content.
Instead, make sure to remain calm. Wait until the update is finished and your site has been affected before making big changes.
Before you crawl your website and look for potential issues, take a step back and go through Google’s quality rating guidelines in detail.
These guidelines show what Google expects and wants from sites and how it looks for E.A.T or “Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Make sure to note important things as you review Google’s quality rater guidelines. Once you understand them, it’s easy to identify issues and areas for improvement.
Next, you have to take a close look at your site’s existing content. Based on the size of your website, you may check your most valuable web pages or all the content available on your website.
If you notice that the updates only affected some of the content, check what was and wasn’t impacted. Google recommends four kinds of questions to ask when reviewing your content:
Your responses will help gauge your current content’s quality and help you enhance it.
Once you evaluate your existing content and respond to queries, you can make the necessary improvements.
Compile audited web pages and prioritize them based on their value. For example, a product or service page may deserve more (and immediate) attention than blog posts, particularly if it doesn’t rank well in search results like your other content.
You can check your competitors’ product pages to see what they offer. Maybe they have useful videos and detailed information about how to use their products.
You can do similar things with a pinch of uniqueness for your product. This will help make your website experience ten times better.
Links remain a crucial factor in Google’s ranking algorithm. So, it’s best to evaluate your backlink profile to identify opportunities for improvement.
Rather than focusing on quantity, you should look for quality links from reputable sources within your industry.
High-quality backlinks not only boost your site’s credibility in the eyes of Google but also drive valuable traffic from other reputable sites.
While acquiring expired domains has been a common strategy in the past, recent updates suggest that Google is cracking down on this practice.
This is particularly true if it involves low-quality content or abuses the authority of the previous domain. If your site falls into these categories, it might be time to consider getting a new domain.
Even using a 301 permanent redirect might not help, as you’d still be misusing the old site’s ranking power for the new one.
Google’s latest March 2024 core updates not only tackle low-quality content but also introduce new ‘spam policies’ that target manipulative practices.
If you want your site to stay ahead of competitors, provide quality content. This not only helps you bounce back from updates but also makes you future-ready.
Remember, Google approves sites that give users what they search for. While it doesn’t guarantee you’ll never be affected by updates, it’s a smart move to increase your odds of coming out on top.
And don’t forget to tweak your site with some SEO magic, too!
Many experts suggest that Google updates its search algorithm approximately 500 to 600 times annually. That’s about once or twice every day.
Websites have specific timeframes for following Google’s updated spam policies. For instance, they have two months to meet the new site reputation policy. No matter the timeline, you must adapt the updates promptly to improve your search rankings.
Google announces on its list of “search ranking updates” when a particular core update finishes rolling out. In addition, it lets businesses know via the “Google Search Central Twitter” feed.
Monitoring your site traffic with tools like Google Analytics or Ahrefs can help keep track of sudden spikes or dips that can happen due to algorithm updates. However, you should know that not every traffic change is caused by an update.
