In early March, Google announced that they are rolling out a major Core Update, which was implemented over the course of the month. As with other Core Updates, which take place 2 – 3 times a year, Google aims to continue its quest to provide the most relevant, engaging content for those searching on their platform. But what does that mean for your business’s website and its search engine rankings?
What are Google Core Updates?
Google Core Updates are broad changes to Google’s search algorithm that aim to improve the relevance and quality of search results. Unlike small, targeted updates that address spam or other specific issues, core updates impact search engine rankings on a large scale, often affecting websites across various industries.
These updates are typically released several times a year and can cause noticeable shifts in website rankings, traffic, and visibility. Learn more about Google Core Updates here.
How Do Google Core Updates Affect Search Engine Rankings?
Each core update includes a change in Google’s algorithm, which is the complex system Google uses to retrieve data from its search index and deliver the most relevant results for a given search. When a core update rolls out, websites that have previously ranked high might experience a decline in search engine rankings, while others may see an increase.
How to Safeguard Your Website
While Google doesn’t give specifics on what exactly the core updates will entail, there are some things you can do to be proactive while the update rolls out over the next couple of weeks, including:
- Conducting a Content Audit
Review your website’s content to ensure it contains current, relevant information for your visitors. It’s a good idea to have a third party who aligns with your target audience look at your website to see if they can gather the information needed from your content to make an informed purchasing decision. Identify pages that need updating or repurposing to improve overall quality.
- Focusing on High Quality, Original Content
Google rewards websites that provide valuable, original, and well-researched content. During the content creation process, prioritize developing in-depth content that answers user queries effectively.
- Improving User Experience (UX)
Google also considers factors like page load time, mobile responsiveness, and ease of navigation when it determines which websites to put in the top spots of search engine results.
- Evaluating Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy
SEO tasks such as ensuring that meta titles, descriptions, and image alt text aligns with target keywords will help your website maintain a natural, user-friendly approach that Google prefers.
Also conduct a technical SEO audit to identify and fix crawl errors, broken links, and other issues that could negatively impact rankings.
- Monitoring Keyword Performance and SERP Changes
Utilize tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Ahrefs to track traffic and ranking changes and identify which pages may need further optimization.
When Google Core Updates go into effect, it can feel like a curveball trying to maintain your search engine rankings, but with the right strategy, we can turn these updates into an opportunity.
Our team is here to ensure your website stays ahead of Google’s evolving algorithms.
Contact us today!
