What are the latest Google algorithm updates businesses should know about?
If you have an understanding of search engine optimisation (SEO), then you probably know that Google updates their algorithms up to six hundred times each year. This is a lot of information to stay ahead of, ensuring your SEO strategy remains sustainable and successful. We are going to take a look at some of the latest algorithm updates you should know about.
Google launched a core update in August 2024 that has resulted in shifts in website traffic. This is not uncommon after a core update, but it appears this update in particular, has caused quite a lot of turbulence that is lasting longer than expected. Traffic fluctuations were reported from 6 September to 18 September. The update is unknown and the strange fluctuations in website traffic have businesses wondering how to gain traffic again. Google has still not made any announcements regarding the update or how it impacted website traffic.
What we do know is that the core update was launched on 15 August 2024, which was followed by search ranking issues. The core update was to improve the quality of search results, showing content that people find useful, reducing content created just to perform well in search results. The update reflected feedback from creators in previous months, but they did not specify what the feedback was.
The March core update was completed on 18 April, but Google only announced its completion on 28 April. It took forty five days to complete and caused tremendous turbulence across the web during the rollout. Google did ask publishers to submit their feedback regarding the update. This update resulted in some publishes seeing a sixty percent drop in website traffic while the update was being rolled out.
As always, Google was exceptionally vague regarding the details of this core update. What they did announce is that the update marked an evolution on how they identified the helpfulness of content. This core update could be related to the August 2022 update, when Google rolled out a major algorithm, the “Helpful Content Update.” This uses machine learning to identify content that is not helpful, unoriginal, and low quality. Google has made periodic adjustments to the algorithm over the past two years, prioritising content that provides value to users.
On 5 March 2024, Google rolled out a spam update. This update took fourteen days to complete. The update targets malicious practices that have become common across the internet. These three practices include:
It is imperative to stay updated with Google updates, but it is a huge undertaking. At Genie Crawl, our talented team stay updated with the latest trends and algorithm updates, ensuring that we provide our clients with current SEO services that drive results. If you want to stay ahead of Google updates, contact us now. We can help you grow your business online, achieving sustainable and long-term results.
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