Understanding How the Google March 2024 Core Update Affects You
2024 has seen Google unleash a variety of updates which have kept SEOs and digital marketers on their toes. Perhaps there has been none bigger or more significant than the major algorithm update aimed at further “surfacing the most helpful information on the web” - namely, the March 2024 Core Update.
A Snapshot of the Google March Core Update
As this update affects everybody using Google, examining data fluctuations and patterns will prove crucial as your strategy may have to adapt slightly. For all the metrics and data that SEO experts can leverage to improve organic performance, Google core algorithm updates can often boost or hinder all progress made, despite the search engine’s good intentions with their rollout.
Google itself has called this groundbreaking update an “evolution in how we identify the helpfulness of content”. Coinciding with this update is a spam update taking aim at persistent forms of low-value, spammy content that Google wants to expunge and eliminate and, instead, reward its users with high-quality, truly helpful content that satisfies search queries.
This isn’t a new direction for Google at all, however, with the search engine giant (now encompassing 8.5 billion daily searches) having provided incremental updates to the first Helpful Content Update (HCU) as far back as August 2022. That said, Google positions the March 2024 Core Update and the spam update as far more complex and revolutionary which look to shake the foundations of web content. Google pledged that the updates will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content by 45% (but results actually saw a 45% decrease by the update rollout conclusion) and, while tangible results are quite difficult to correlate and conclusively assess at present, this ambitious update seems to be accomplishing its job so far.
Spam factories and authoritative websites using black-hat SEO tactics, however, can be viewed as clear targets in Google’s cleansing of spammy content. Another factor to consider in Google’s continued competitiveness with emerging generative AI trends is how to make content feel authentic, which many marketers will already be well aware of.
However, as we know, Google is a complex search engine to figure out, with digital marketers often finding its proverbial goalpost moving quite cumbersome and difficult. The impact of this update is going to continue to affect sites across sectors and specialisms, whether you’re in eCommerce, publishing, lead generation, healthcare, finance, or any other field, this update should definitely be on your radar if you rely on organic traffic to generate leads and business. Consider the executive summary below to ascertain what this March 2024 Core Update means for you and your digital marketing efforts.
What is Google Targeting with this Update?
The overarching aim of this core update is to give credence to helpful, original and high-quality content while demoting low-quality content that demonstrates characteristics of:
Scaled content abuse: Given Google’s longstanding policy of penalizing automated low-quality and unoriginal content generated at scale to manipulate search engine rankings, nowadays, scaled methods are more sophisticated using generative AI making it hard to detect. Their policy has now been strengthened and adapted to address these techniques and take more decisive action.
Site reputation abuse: Websites that have their own content may also host third-party content of low value aimed at capitalizing on the hosting site’s strong domain authority. Such content may be confusing or misleading to searchers, meaning that Google will consider low-value, third-party content produced primarily for ranking purposes.
Expired domain abuse: Some expired domains are purchased and repurposed to boost search rankings for low-quality or unoriginal content, misleading users into thinking the new content is part of the older site, when that may not be the case. Expired domains that meet this criteria are now considered spam.
So in essence, Google is trying to make it much harder for low-quality sites to rank through excessive AI generation, aggressive keyword targeting, posting on a reputable site purely to earn link equity, or piggybacking off an established domain. The question many SEOs have had since this update was announced is whether Google would be able to execute this accurately and how deeply it would scrutinize content. There are still fears that smaller, high-quality niche sites could get penalized while larger sites with more substantial budgets find workarounds.
There is also a perennial concern that lots of good sites will be unfairly hit as collateral damage when Google tries to negatively target one type of site. Many SEOs have, however, been in this cycle before where big algorithm updates aimed at improving quality end up rotating the types of sites that get priority. That said, Google has been telegraphing the importance of "helpful content" for years now through the HCU and therefore, clearly views this as a key long-term priority.
While the update has only recently finished rolling out, marketers should expect to see results fluctuate over time, whether this specific update can be deemed a successful one or not.
How to Adapt to Google’s New Updated Algorithm
Whatever skepticism exists, the reality is this update will cause major ranking shake-ups across the web. Any website owner and marketer focused on a customer-led growth journey should assess their current content strategy and determine whether it’s truly hitting the ‘helpful content’ boxes Google is clearly prioritizing. Here are some key areas to focus on:
1. Conduct a content audit
Evaluate all your existing content to see whether it genuinely offers value to users or serves as a purely keyword-ranking resource. Content lacking in depth or substance, that is duplicated from elsewhere, or that uses excessive affiliate links may be more likely to be deemed spam. Underperforming content should be revised or removed.
2. Prioritize in-depth, unique content
It’s wise to maintain a ‘quality over quantity’ ethos, creating rich and insightful content that draws on your first-hand knowledge and expertise. Google wants to see content that explores a topic comprehensively in a way that builds authority and leaves users feeling educated and informed.
3. Don't forget E-E-A-T
Google's E-E-A-T criteria (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) should guide your content approach. Establish author bios showcasing credentials, cite reputable external sources and be transparent about potential biases, conflicts, or conclusions.
4. Embrace multimedia content
Written content alone is vital, but it’s important to look for opportunities that complement it. Enhance topics with original videos, images, graph, infographics, interactive tools and other multimedia to offer a more immersive, engaging experience. This will keep users hooked and reinforce your expertise.
5. Use AI tools wisely
AI writing tools can be helpful for drafting, editing and idea generation. However, Google has made it clear that AI-generated content at scale is not deemed high-quality. As such, you should use these tools to enhance your efficient human writing and research processes, not to automate content production entirely.
6. Always put the user first
The core aim underlying all of Google's advice is to define what is truly best and most helpful for your users and deliver content that accomplishes these goals. If you’re not prioritizing delivering value to your human audience, it’s unlikely to satisfy Google’s ranking factors either.
What to Take Away From This Guide
Google’s recent Core Update represents a huge step towards creating a more helpful, immersive and useful search engine that dispenses helpful content over keyword-heavy and low-value writing purely created to manipulate rankings. While some skepticism remains about the update’s long-term effectiveness, it’s evident that Google wants to build a better, more personable web for its users. Site owners and marketers who ignore this update will risk falling behind and seeing all their progress stunted.
The way forward is to invest healthily in content that establishes value for your users and authoritativeness for your brand. Combine your expertise with an optimal user experience and your content will be best placed to thrive in the post-March Core Update search landscape.