How to Prepare for a Google Core Update

Factors Affecting Algorithm Updates

Google's priority is to provide its users with the best results. When they see changes in how people are searching online or what they find useful, they make changes to their algorithms, resulting in updates. Did you know Google updates their algorithms up to six hundred times each year?

Key factors that influence Google updates include:

• User experience (UX) – how easily people see and navigate your website 
• Quality content – Google prefers content that is well-written, informative, and valuable to the user
• Trust – is your website reliable and credible?
• Relevance – your content needs to match what the user is looking for in order to remain relevant
• Mobile-friendliness – websites optimised for mobile devices are prioritised by Google with Google's Mobile-First Indexing showing that Google crawls and indexes the mobile version of your website to determine your ranking in search engine results
• Page speed – web pages should load in three seconds or less
• Security – is your website HTTPS? Ensure your website is safe and secure for your website visitors

Google Algorithm Update History

Over the years, Google has caused a hub of excitement in the digital marketing industry, with their host of major updates:

• Panda (2011) – focuses on content quality, penalising websites with low quality content
• Penguin (2012) – focuses on targeted web span. This algorithm focuses on link building practices, discouraging manipulative techniques
• Hummingbird (2013) – focuses on user intent and context, providing relevant answers in search results
• Pigeon (2014) – Updates local search results providing businesses with a strong local presence higher rankings
• RankBrain (2015) – incorporates machine learning, adapting search results based on search behaviour
• Mobile (2015) – prioritises mobile-friendly websites to provide users with a seamless experience when using a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet
• Fred (2017) – targets low quality content and heavy advert use. Penalises websites that do not prioritise user value
• Medic (2018) – core update focusing on health related websites, focusing on expertise to provide accurate information
• BERT (2019) – natural language understanding for voice search

Core Updates

Core updates are ongoing updates to the Google search algorithm. It is regularly addressed to ensure it meets the evolving users needs and trends.

Page Experience Update

The Page Experience Update (2021) is the most recent Google algorithm update. It focuses on user experience, taking page speed and mobile responsiveness into consideration.

Latest Updates

Google introduced the November 2023 Reviews System update, looking to recognise quality reviews that provide insightful analysis and research. Google is constantly updating their core algorithms, which means you need to stay vigilant, adapting to these changes.

How to Prepare

It is important that you take the time to prepare for any Google updates. Our expert team have put a list together to prepare you for any upcoming updates:

1. Stay informed – keep an eye on Google and SEO news for official announcements. Check for updates, so you remain informed on upcoming changes
2. Understand the changes – you need to fully understand each change made to the algorithm, determining how it will impact your website and your content
3. Follow quality guidelines – when creating content, ensure you follow Google's quality guidelines to provide valuable, relevant, and accurate information
4. User experience – focus on providing a positive user experience. Optimise your website to load quickly and respond to mobile searches
5. Quality backlinks – focus on creating high quality content that acquires backlinks from high quality domains
6. Update your content – keep your content updated, relevant, and fresh

Are you ready to tackle the next Google core update? Do you need help preparing for the changes Google makes to its algorithms? Contact Genie Crawl today and let our expert team help you drive your business forward in this competitive digital landscape.