Understanding Google's August 2024 Core Update: What You Need to Know and How to Recover

What is the August 2024 Core Update?

The August 2024 Core Update is a broad and significant change to Google's search algorithms, aimed at refining how search results are ranked. Unlike smaller, more targeted updates, core updates affect search results on a global scale, impacting all types of websites. The primary goal of this update is to ensure that users are presented with high-quality, relevant content that meets their needs.

This update builds on feedback from content creators and webmasters, reflecting Google's commitment to showcasing a diverse range of high-quality websites, including smaller and independent sites. The update also seeks to better recognize improvements made to sites over time, allowing these sites to gain better visibility in search results.

Key Observations from the August 2024 Core Update

As with any core update, the impact can vary widely across different sites. Here are some of the key observations from the August 2024 Core Update:

• Signs of Recovery: Some websites that were heavily impacted by previous updates, particularly the September update, are starting to show signs of recovery. For instance, sites like Retro Dodo and House Fresh have reported improvements for the first time since the earlier updates.
• Mixed Results: Not all websites are seeing positive changes. While some are experiencing recovery, many others are either stagnant or continuing to decline in search rankings. This variability underscores the broad and complex nature of core updates.
• Ongoing Bugs: Google's confirmed ranking bug has not yet been fixed, adding another layer of complexity to the update's impact. Additionally, rich result image thumbnails are reappearing for some websites that had lost them, indicating ongoing adjustments to the search results.

How Core Updates Work

Google's core updates are not designed to penalize specific websites or pages but are intended to improve the overall quality of search results. These updates are broad, affecting many aspects of how search results are ranked. As the content on the web evolves, Google's algorithms are adjusted to better reflect the changing landscape, ensuring that the most helpful and reliable content is prioritized.

It's important to understand that core updates are not about targeting specific sites or actions. Instead, they focus on improving the overall search experience for users by better aligning the results with the content that best answers their queries.

How to Assess the Impact of the Core Update

If you've noticed a drop in your website's traffic or rankings following the Core Update, the first step is to assess whether the update is the cause. Here's how you can do that:

• Check Search Console: Use Google Search Console to identify any significant drops in traffic or ranking positions. This tool can help you determine if your site has been affected by the core update.
• Compare Dates: Wait at least a week after the core update has fully rolled out before making any assessments. Compare your site's performance during this period to its performance before the update to pinpoint any changes.
• Review Top Pages and Queries: Analyze your top-performing pages and the queries they rank for. Check how their rankings have changed since the update. If you notice only a small drop in position (e.g., from position 2 to 4), it may not require drastic action. However, a significant drop (e.g., from position 4 to 29) may indicate that a deeper assessment is needed.
• nalyze Different Search Types: A Break down your analysis by search type (e.g., web search, image search, video search, etc.). This can help you identify whether the drop is specific to a certain type of search, which may require a more targeted approach to recovery.

Steps to Recover from the August 2024 Core Update

If your site has been negatively impacted by the August 2024 Core Update, it's essential to approach recovery with a clear and strategic plan. Here are some steps you can take:

• Avoid Quick Fixes: Resist the temptation to make hasty changes in an attempt to quickly recover lost rankings. For example, removing certain page elements or making superficial tweaks without understanding the underlying issues could do more harm than good. Instead, focus on making meaningful, long-term improvements that enhance the user experience.
• Improve Content Quality: One of the most effective ways to recover from a core update is to focus on improving your content. This could involve rewriting or restructuring your content to make it more engaging, informative, and easier to navigate. Ensure that your content is tailored to meet the needs of your audience rather than just being optimized for search engines.
• Evaluate and Refresh Existing Content: Take a critical look at your existing content. If some of it is outdated, irrelevant, or of low quality, consider updating it to better serve your audience. In cases where the content cannot be salvaged, it may be worth considering removing it, especially if it was originally created primarily for SEO purposes rather than for providing value to users.
• Focus on People-First Content: Google has consistently emphasized the importance of creating "people-first" content. This means prioritizing the needs and interests of your audience over the demands of search engine algorithms. Content that is genuinely helpful, reliable, and authoritative is more likely to perform well in the long term.
• Monitor and Wait: After making improvements, it's important to monitor your site's performance over time. Recovery from a core update can take several months, as Google's algorithms need time to reassess your site's content and overall quality. Patience is key, as immediate results are unlikely. If you've made significant improvements and still don't see changes, it may be necessary to wait for the next core update to see the full effects.

Reference

• https://developers.google.com/search/updates/core-updates
• https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/08/august-2024-core-update