Yes, Google’s Latest Core Update has arrived.
It doesn’t seem like 5 minutes since I blogged about Google’s latest core update. There’s now another one you need to be aware of.
Google have announced that their November 2024 update will be the last of the year. That will be a relief to many. The August core update had a major impact on many sites, putting a focus on higher quality and original content.
The November update is going to take that emphasis even further.
What Google’s latest core update wants
I won’t repeat what I’ve said in previous blogs. If you haven’t taken the message onboard by now, this latest update won’t be your new best friend.
If you’ve taken note of what Google has been saying, you might be appropriately rewarded. Adapting your content, curating original and valuable material for readers, should ultimately reap dividends. However, anyone that has worked in SEO for as long as I have needs to be completely honest with you. You shouldn’t expect miracles the following day.
The core updates of 2024 will benefit you in the long-term if you keep doing what they’ve asked. You won’t shoot to No.1 because you’ve published a couple of blogs that you spent a few hours on. If you think about it, Google would be a rather easy touch if they did that – and they’re not idiots.
E-E-A-T remains in focus for Google
They are on the hunt for sites that consistently publish content that people want, like to read, share and value.
Their E-E-A-T principles remain important in respect of what you should be thinking of. I published a blog about Google Content Guidelines to try to help readers with this. You can download a Content Checklist PDF that will help you check that your content meets their requirements.
When will you see ranking changes?
I’m often asked how long it’ll take for clients to see their rankings change after Google Core Updates. There is no definitive answer to that, but the roll-out of updates takes approximately 2 weeks.
Some sites will see changes in rankings the very next day after the process begins. Others will see nothing. Ultimately, it all depends on how Google’s changed algorithm reacts to what it sees on your site. There is absolutely no guarantee that your rankings will change, for better or worse. That said, in my experience it is unlikely you won’t see some movement.
For example, some sites that have continued to ignore anything Google tells them saw catastrophic falls in traffic in August. On the flip-side, I’m not aware of many that were throwing parties because of rocket powered increases, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Those that do benefit will see the gradual increase in positions. The way each of these algorithm adjustments works is a drip-feed of qualifying calculations. If anything, the algorithm is taking the rubbish out of search in far higher numbers right now than they are powering the good stuff up the rankings from nowhere.
If they send Site A plummeting down search results, it doesn’t mean that Site B will move up dramatically. Theoretically – if one result disappears, you might gain one place directly as a result of it, but you don’t know how Google is reading your competitor sites. Watch their performance as well as your own. Sometimes, there are pointers in what you should be publishing if you notice them gaining traction that you’re not.
Beware of AI penalties
What I do know for certain is that SEO agencies seem to be worried and looking for shortcuts. They’re all over Reddit and other channels at present, asking about AI-powered content generation. Again, these are the people that are not reading Google’s guidance.
AI is fine to use as a trigger or ignition point for content, but please don’t think you’ll get away with it writing swathes of content for you. You won’t and you’ll pay the price, eventually. If you are using too much AI content, and think it must be fine because your site is performing well, there will come a day when you check your rankings and realise it was a terrible error.
Adopt a content prioritised mindset
Have patience, keep faith and do what Google is asking you to do. Instead of feeling under pressure to publish new content every day, publish good quality content on a less frequent basis. If you read that as “Ah, okay, once a month will do, or once a quarter”, you’ve not quite grasped the importance of content.
You might publish an amazing piece of content once a month and do very well from it, but my experience of new content is that people who produce it once a month see it as a chore they’ve ticked off rather than an exceptional piece of work they’ve been grafting away at.
Do you understand the value of good content?
That brings me onto the subject of how you view content production. If you do see it as a task you have to do, with a grumpy mind-set and a generally sour approach to having to do it, you need to understand what it can do for you.
It WILL bring you visitors. It WILL keep them, and they WILL share it.
All of that will probably (almost certainly if it is very good) do your domain and page authority the world of good, which in turn is going to help all, or most, of your search rankings.
I’ve worked with clients that produce very good content and clients that would rather spend their time drinking tea. I appreciate that there are probably a million other things they prioritise over content, but as soon as people see what a fabulous piece of content can do for their website rankings and visibility they soon change their mindset.
None of this opinion means I think you’re guaranteed to succeed. I have seen brilliant pieces of content disappear into the ether and get rarely seen, whilst the most seemingly benign content gets visibility you’d have never forecast.
SEO and A/B testing of results
A/B testing is a vital part of assessing what type of content Google responds best to, but more importantly the type of content your audience likes. You need to keep it on brand message, and on the subject of what you do or what Google associates you with.
Don’t be tempted to throw in content that has nothing to do with your sector, as Google has already confirmed it is likely to de-index content that bears no relation to your core subject matter.
Instead, try different lengths of content, different tone of voice from time to time, be it formal or informal shifts in writing style (without damaging any brand guidelines on tone of voice). In doing so, it won’t take too long to discover what you need to be publishing more of.
Use AI to help you think of content ideas. That is fine, but bear in mind that the rest of the world might be doing it too. Look around your office, look more laterally, you’ll soon find that there are hundreds of things that can inspire content generation.
Feedback
I’d be interested to hear how Google’s latest core update affects you. If you’ve any comments to add, feedback, or questions to ask, feel free to post below.
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