August Google Core Update 2024: What to Expect

Update – 16th August’2024

Google rolls out its Core Update on August 15

Google is rolling out its Core Update on August 15. No end dates have been confirmed. Google’s Core Updates typically take 2 to 4 weeks to roll out fully.

Google also updated its help page about core updates, which includes more in-depth guidance for those who may see rank and traffic changes after an update.

John Mueller has confirmed that the August Update has considered the feedback received after the March 2024 Core Update

This latest update takes into account the feedback we’ve heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content, when relevant to users’ searches. This is an area we’ll continue to address in future updates. This update also aims to better capture improvements that sites may have made, so we can continue to show the best of the web.

 John Mueller, Search Advocate, Google Switzerland

What to Expect from the August 2024 Core Update

I speculate that some websites negatively impacted by the March 2024 Core Update might see a recovery Several sources said that the March core update was poorly rolled out.

Before diving into the expectations from the August Core Update, let’s see what happened with the March Core Update.

The Impact of the March Core Update

1. Low-quality sites ranking across SERPs

We have seen the degradation of the search result quality after the March Core Update. Sites with low authority on the subject matter started ranking on the SERP. The update was trying to bring diversity to the results otherwise dominated by sites with high authority. But this failed big time.

2. Increased Search Visibility for Reddit, Quora, and other Forums

Social bookmarking sites like Quora and Reddit saw a high uptick in traffic from Google after the March Update. Even forums from websites started to get visibility after March 2024.

The main reason why this happened was Google trying to bring diverse “Perspectives” to its search results. This was a continuation of what happened in 2023 – when Google brought the “Perspectives” feature to SERP.

The below chart shows the Growth of traffic from Google post March’2024.

3. Rise of Parasite SEO Sites

Although this is nothing new, we have seen an increase in sites doing Parasite SEO. Parasite SEO is when a site abuses its authority to rank for topics that are normally out of the scope in terms of authority & expertise. An example would be a Tech review site ranking for “Top Supplements for XYZ”

Read More: In-depth analysis of the March 2024 core update.

My Expectations from the August 2024 Core Update

1. Reversal for Sites that got hit after the September HCU

The September 2023 Helpful Content Update negatively impacted genuine sites that post high-quality content. A reversal for high-quality sites that got hit after the HCU update would help these sites. It’s been almost a year since these sites have suffered.

2. Reversal for Sites that got hit after the March 2024 Core Update

The March 2024 Update was notorious for negatively impacting a lot of high-quality sites including websites from large publisher networks. We have seen degradation of quality with search results after the update.

3. Put a leash on the Visibility that Reddit & other Forums Enjoy

I agree with what Google is trying to do with Reddit and other forums. Having diverse perspectives on SERP can help with user queries. However, for any long-tail query, Reddit is not always the answer.

Google should only show Reddit and other forums when the search requires perspectives from these sites and Google has enough user data and click data (thanks to their Navboost algorithms) to make these changes to the algorithms.

4. Solving Localization issues with Google Search

I have seen sites that don’t fit with the result, mostly when it comes to localization. An example would be a Japanese wellness ranking in US SERPs or an Indian Product site that doesn’t sell in the US ranking in US SERPs. Another example is Tax websites from the US (IRS & NY Tax) and Canada ranking in India for income tax filing keywords.

5. Better Ranking Quality in Google Discover

What happened with Google Search also happened to Google Discover. This includes Site Reputation Abuse and Low-quality AI-generated content. High-quality publishers have seen their Discover traffic going down. Traffic loss to News media sites can impact their profitability, which threatens many of these publishers.

What Google Recommends during and after a Core Update

1. Avoid doing “Quick fix” Changes

Google advises against making “quick fix” changes to your website. Instead, focus on making changes that are helpful to your users and that will be sustainable in the long term. If you’re not sure what changes to make, look at your analytics and see what’s working and what’s not. Then, make changes that are relevant to your users and that align with your long-term goals.

Tip: In my experience, a rank drop after an update might be due to “Content freshness”. An example would be a top 10 listicle you might have written 2 years back and now it’s outdated. In this case, updating the content can bring the position back.

2. Delete Content when it’s your Last resort

Deleting content or pages signifies that you have written it for search engines rather than users. If you have pages that don’t help users in any way, deleting them might actually help the site.

3. Wait till the Update fully rolls out to make changes or debug

Google says a drop of 1 or 2 to position doesn’t require drastic changes. In fact, Google recommends avoiding making changes to content that’s already performing well!

If the position drop is large, try comparing the before and after performance at the keyword and page level to understand the scale of impact. Look at SERP intent, Content freshness, Tech SEO, etc for the root cause analysis.

---

Update – July’2024

Danny Sullivan from Google’s Search Liaison said the next Google core update might be released “in the coming weeks.” Historically, Google releases their Core Updates around August and the statement seems to fit the bill.

Google has not released an official statement regarding the next Broad Core Algorithm Update schedule.

“We’d tell you when the next core update will be if we knew. But we don’t know exactly yet, that’s all. These aren’t scheduled to a particular day. The ranking team makes changes, tests those, evaluates those and eventually we get a launch date. There have been many times I could have said “Core update next week!” because everything was on track for that to happen, but then there’s a need to do a bit more work or other things that might cause a pushback. I would expect we’ll see one in the coming weeks, because that fits in with our general cycle. But precisely when, that’s just not known yet.”

Danny Sullivan as posted on Search Engine Roundtable

The statement appeared as a reply to a comment posted on Search Engine Roundtable.

The March core update was released on March 5, 2024, and took 45 days to roll out, i.e., April 19, 2024. The March 2024 core update is considered one of the largest core updates to date.

Evidence of Early Tremors of August 2024 Google Core Update

We have noticed an uplift in Discover traffic for many of our clients. Sudden trend changes in Discover traffic are an early sign of something brewing in Google – algorithm changes also impact Discover traffic.

About Google Core Algorithm Updates

Google Core Algorithm Updates are significant, broad changes that Google makes to its search algorithms and systems several times a year. These updates ensure that Google’s search results are helpful, relevant, and reliable for users.

Purpose of Core Updates

• Improve search result quality by prioritizing websites that offer valuable, informative, and trustworthy content.
• Encourage websites to focus on user experience and provide content that genuinely addresses user needs.
• Combat spammy tactics and manipulative practices that might artificially inflate website rankings.

How to Prepare for Google Core Updates

While the exact details are unknown, there are general best practices that can help your website fare well in Google’s search results:

• Focus on High-Quality Content: Create informative, well-written, and valuable content that genuinely addresses your audience’s needs.
• User Experience Matters: Ensure your website is user-friendly, loads quickly, and provides a positive experience for visitors.
• Mobile-First: Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices, as Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search results.
• Technical SEO: Maintain a clean and well-structured website with proper technical SEO practices.
• E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness): Google emphasizes E-A-T, so establish yourself as a credible source of information in your field.
• Stay Updated: Keep yourself informed about SEO best practices and industry trends.