The August core update is here! Google’s documentation on core updates has changed significantly. Let’s take a look at what has changed.
Here’s the archived version of the previous document.
The purpose of this update is to show more content that people genuinely find useful
Google’s announcement of the core update says that they are improving results by “showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.”
Most important to know
- Most sites don’t need to worry about core updates.
- The point of this update is to show more content that people find genuinely useful.
- The changes don’t target specific sites or individual pages.
- A drop of 1-2 positions is likely nothing to worry about. A larger drop warrants a deeper assessment. (Here’s my calendar if you’d like me to help here or contact me to request a traffic drop assessment.)
- Your drop may be because “there may be other pages on the web that are doing a better job of helping the searcher.”
- Rewriting or restructuring your content to make it easier to read and navigate may help.
- You may not need to wait till another core update happens to recover. Google says some changes can take effect in a few days.
Added to the documentation: Most sites don’t need to worry
They’ve added this part: “In general, most sites don’t need to worry about core updates and may not even realize one has happened. However, if you have questions about a change in traffic that correlates with a core update, this page is for you.”
This part was removed:
“There might be nothing wrong with pages that may not be performing as well as they were before a core update. They haven’t violated our spam policies, nor been subjected to a manual or algorithmic action, as can happen to pages that do violate those policies. In fact, there’s nothing in a core update that targets specific pages or sites. Instead, the changes are about improving how our systems assess content overall. These changes may cause some pages that were previously under-rewarded to do better in search results.”
Added: Changes don’t target specific sites or individual pages
“Core updates are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers. These changes are broad in nature, and don’t target specific sites or individual web pages. As content on the web changes, we assess and update our systems to keep pace, as a whole.”
They’ve changed the description of how to imagine core updates.
It used to say,
“One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2021. A few years later in 2024, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before.
The list will change, and films previously higher on the list that move down aren’t bad. There are simply more deserving films that are coming before them.”
It now says,
“One way to think about a core update is to imagine that a friend asked you for your top food recommendations. While you do have a list of your 20 favorite restaurants, things have changed since you initially wrote it in 2019. Some new restaurants that didn’t exist before are now candidates for your list. You might reassess some restaurants and realize they move to a higher spot on the list, given how many consistently positive experiences you had there, or to account for your friend’s preference for -friendly restaurants. The list will change, and restaurants that move down aren’t necessarily “bad”; there are just other restaurants that make your top 20.”
My thoughts on this change. The movie example always confused me. I mean of course, the best movies are going to change between 2021 and 2024. The restaurant example makes more sense. As more information becomes available and as more people share what they are finding helpful, your idea of what the best restaurants are is going to change.
Added: Check if there’s a traffic drop in Search Console
For a deeper assessment they link to their page on creating helpful content to help you self assess your site overall. They make a point of saying “not just individual pages.”
But then they do tell us to evaluate the pages that were most impacted. This part feels important to me: “For example, there may be other pages on the web that are doing a better job of helping the searcher.”
How can Google determine if content is helpful?
Google has consistently harped on the importance of helpfulness for two years now. It was almost exactly two years ago that they announced the helpful content system which is now a part of the core systems.
If you are struggling to understand how an algorithm can determine if something is helpful, I’d recommend reading this article I recently wrote on Navboost. Google has used this system for years. It stores every query searched along with the actions that a searcher took. Did they quickly return to the search results? Did they stay on that page a long time before coming back? Or did they not return at all?
They have been learning for years to use those signals (and likely others) to determine which content people are likely to find helpful. I don’t believe these are direct signals. It’s not like they say, “Ah, lots of people click on this therefore it’s probably the most helpful.” Rather, if lots of people click on a result they can use it as an example of a helpful page that can then be used to fine-tune the machine learning systems that predict helpfulness.
With the March 2024 core update, Google shared that they brought new signals into the core algorithm. There is no longer just one helpful content system. Rather, with the March core update, the system evolved making helpfulness a component of the core algorithm. I expect that the August core update moves them further along in their abilities to predict what a searcher is likely to find helpful.
How can you make your content more helpful? Put yourself in the shoes of a searcher. Look at the search results. What would you click on and find satisfying and helpful? How can you offer something that people would choose to click on and engage with?
Added: Assessing a large drop in position
Google says that a drop of a couple of positions likely is not something to worry about. A drastic drop could be a sign that the core update did not treat your site well.
Google says:
- Don’t just look at individual pages. Assess your site overall.
They suggest we use their guidance on creating helpful content to help assess your site. (Probably the document I’ve spent the most time studying over the last couple of years!)
There’s also advice to avoid doing quick fix changes like removing page elements that you heard were bad for SEO.
- “Focus on making changes that make sense for your users and are sustainable in the long term.”
- “Consider how you can improve your content in meaningful ways.” – they recommend rewriting or restructuring to make it easier for the audience to read and navigate the page. That’s interesting! I’ve always maintained that “skimmability” is important.
- Deleting content is a last resort. Deleting entire sections can be a sign that those sections were created for search engines first and not people. In that case they do recommend deleting that content and say it can help the good content on your site perform better.
Changed: How long does it take to recover?
They changed “how long does it take to recover” to “how long does it take to see an effect in Search Results”.
This part is really interesting! It used to say “Broad core updates tend to happen every few months…” But now they say, “If you’ve made improvements, it may take time to see an effect in Search results: some changes can take effect in a few days, but it could take several months for our systems to learn and confirm that the site as a whole is now producing helpful, reliable, people-first content in the long term. If it’s been a few months and you still haven’t seen any effect, that could mean waiting until the next core update.”
My thought on this wording change:
This is exciting. I think there are two ways a site can be impacted by a core update:
1) The entire site has been judged as less likely to be helpful. If this is the case, it’s likely not considered for ranking unless it’s really clear that it is the choice people want. If you have a huge drop in conjunction with the August core update, you may have issues with E-E-A-T. I’m not talking about author bios. Rather, the public’s perception and Google’s prediction of what is helpful may have shifted to prefer authoritative sites, or perhaps businesses with a real-world presence. Recovery in this type of situation may be difficult (but not impossible as I’ve seen many sites recover following a broad core update impact.)
2) Google’s predictions on what content is likely to be helpful have shifted somewhat. If you have a drop on just some pages, or a drop of just a couple of ranking positions, then this is something you likely can fix. You will need to figure out how to make your page truly more helpful than what Google is currently ranking.
If your traffic has dropped, you can use this link to book a traffic drop assessment and have me review your site and provide recommendations for improvement.
Also new:
FAQ
If you make changes to your content now, will it “count” in this new core update?
Previously, I would have said no! Historically with core updates, you need to wait until another core update happens until you see an improvement again. However, Google’s wording indicates that their systems are dynamically changing and learning what content people are likely to find helpful.
Their document says that some changes can take effect in a few days. If you have a large drop in traffic you may still need to wait until a core update happens though.
How can you tell if your site is improving/impacted by the core update?
It’s difficult to determine whether you’ve been impacted until a few days have gone by. Google suggests waiting for a week before deciding if you have been impacted. In my experience with previous core updates most sites that are impacted feel the impact strongly on the day it rolls out. But we will see if that is the case with this one.
Once a week or so has passed, if you’re a ChatGPT user, you can try this GPT I created which will make a scatter plot of your keyword rankings. Prompt “How do I use this?” for instructions.
When will the update be finished?
Google says the August core update will take up to a month to complete. This means it should be finished around September 15, 2024.
Are any sites impacted by previous updates or the September Helpful Content Update recovering?
We will see! I will be watching closely 🤞.
Hopefully this update treats you well! It will be interesting to see how this one rolls out.
Marie
Resources
Buy my book on Amazon: SEO in the Gemini Era: The story of how AI changed Google Search or as a Google Doc you can make a copy of and edit as you work through it.
My course will help you understand RankBrain, DeepRank, Navboost, Instant Glue and more.
Have me assess your traffic drop.
