Blog / Google March 2024 Core Update: What you need to know

Google threw a curveball on the 5th of March when the search engine launched its latest Core update, sending the internet into a frenzy.

This particular update aligned with two other actions on Google’s part, namely a change to the spam algorithm and implementation of manual penalties across the World Wide Web, resulting in a trifecta of chaos for content producers and SEOs alike.

What Google’s Core Update entails

The goal of any Google Core Algorithm Update is to improve the quality of search for end-users, giving them the most accurate and relevant information at their fingertips, and not, as many feel, to punish search engine optimisers. Elizabeth Tucker, Director of Product for Search at Google emphasised this when she recently stated: “We’re making algorithmic enhancements to our core ranking systems to ensure we surface the most helpful information on the web.”

Stephan Marais, Head of SEO at Somebody Digital adds, “This particular update revolves around decreasing the amount of spam on the internet, a crusade the search engine has been on since at least 2022.”

The update aims to both reduce unhelpful and duplicate content on search results, as well as keep low-quality content out of search. This means that content created only to match specific search queries in an attempt to manipulate rankings may have been de-indexed or manually penalised in the recent purge, as were expired domains that have been repurposed as spam repositories.

“Google is sending a very particular message with this update, and those who have not been following SEO best practices will be forced to respond,” notes Stephan. “Google has indicated that the March 5th launch is just the start and that the core update will take at least a month to roll out, with the aim of reducing unhelpful content by as much as 40%”.

What Google’s Core Update Means for Websites

“Many sites have already been affected by the change,” says Stephan “It’s up to SEO experts to help content producers and clients ensure they are following Google’s E-E-A-T principles.”

If you’ve not heard of it before E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, and it’s how the search engine measures and evaluates content for credibility. Sites that are heavy with spam-like content are unlikely to be adhering to the E-E-A-T principle and thus are being penalised by the SERP.

“If the goal of this Google Core Update is to improve high-quality results, a content producer or SEO need only make sure that they are generating good, original content with links to authoritative pages, original images, expert quotes and human-centric insight.”

Besides this, focussing on technical SEO optimisation will also send the right signals to Google. Revising old site content to make sure it is still relevant, gaining citations from reputable sites and sticking to long-term SEO goals that align with Google’s approach will help.

“Keep a close eye on your Google console over the next few weeks,” advises Stephan, “If you see any changes that you’re worried about, reach out to an SEO agency or begin to assess the type of content you’re currently hosting on your site. Being penalised in the current update could cost a lot in reputational damage as well as website traffic, and ultimately revenue.”

Need help with your SEO efforts? Get in touch with our experts today.