Google August 2024 Core Update - Summary and Key Takeaways

Sep 20 (edited) in Algorithm Updates & SEO News

Summary:

The Google August 2024 Core Update introduced several significant changes to its search algorithm, focusing on promoting high-quality content and demoting SEO-focused material. Here are some key points from expert analyses:

- **Objective and Impact**: The update aims to treat smaller independent publishers on par with authority websites, emphasizing useful and original content over SEO-driven content[1][3][4]. It is designed to improve the relevance and quality of search results by rewarding sites that provide genuine value to users[2][5].

- **Rollout and Analysis**: The update began on August 15, 2024, and completed by September 3, 2024. Experts recommend waiting until the rollout is complete before assessing its impact on search rankings[2][5].

- **Recovery and Guidance**: Google updated its guidance for sites affected by ranking drops, emphasizing substantive content improvements over quick fixes. Recovery may require waiting for future updates even after implementing changes[2][4].

- **Feedback and Adjustments**: The update considers feedback from publishers affected by previous updates, aiming to better capture site improvements and showcase the best of the web[3][6].

Overall, the update reinforces Google's focus on user-centric content, urging publishers to prioritize value for readers rather than solely optimizing for search engines.

OK now for my two simple but key takeaways…

#1 - this core update is using new capabilities with user click data to help confirm which pages and content are actually helpful around a theme or a user query combined with hyper local sensitivities. Content that was written, purely for SEO will be very damaging to website reputation and trust. Content produced for humans that draws clicks, dwell time and engagement will start to really pay huge dividends.

#2 - Identify your key website pages that you want to rank or are already ranking for target queries, then invest some money in either real human click through or CTR campaigns. Be very, very careful in CTR campaigns… use them sparingly and at a very slow pace. Queries plus click through with just a few to a few dozen engagements with dwell time will have significant impact. if using CTR software and not real humans from unique devices and IP, be very cautious with the software or technology being used. If the proxy set up is not executed properly, the footprint will be very evident to google.

Sources

[1] August 2024 Google Core Update: 9 Things We Know - Surfer SEO https://surferseo.com/blog/google-august-2024-core-update/

[2] Google's August Core Update Rollout Completed https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-august-core-update-rollout-completed/526070/

[3] Google August 2024 Core Update Begins - uSERP https://userp.io/news/google-august-2024-core-update-begins/

[4] Inside the Google August 2024 Core Update - CMSWire.com https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/inside-the-google-august-2024-core-update/

[5] Google's August 2024 Algorithm Update Is Here: What We Know https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/news/google-august-core-update-complete/

[6] Google August 2024 Core Update Helpful Content Surge Charts https://www.seroundtable.com/google-august-core-update-helpful-content-surge-charts-37970.html

[7] Google August 2024 core update rolling out now... : r/SEO - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1esyew7/google_august_2024_core_update_rolling_out_now/

[8] Google's August 2024 Core Update: A Content Marketer's Guide https://contentwriters.com/blog/google-august-2024-core-update/

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