UPDATE - Oct. 1, 2024:
As reported last month, Google’s August 2024 core update started on Aug. 15, 2024, and completed 19 days later on Sept. 3, 2024. The anticipated relief for sites negatively impacted by the September 2023 helpful content updates didn’t really seem to materialize. Most of those sites did not see enough traffic rebound to make a difference.
The first four days of the August core update also included a big search ranking bug that was fixed four days later. You should disregard any movement you saw during those first four days or so.
According to a recent informal poll by Search Engine Land, most websites experienced little to no recovery from recent updates, with many seeing further declines or remaining stagnant. At Rooted Rock Marketing, we’re pleased to report that our clients’ SEO rankings were minimally impacted. If you're seeking a reliable SEO partner to navigate core updates, boost your online visibility, and enhance brand awareness, we're here to help!
ORIGINAL POST - September 1, 2024:
On August 15th Google announced the August 2024 Core Update had begun and is expected to take about a month to fully roll out. This update has been anxiously awaited by many of the small and independent publishers who were impacted by the September 2023 Helpful Content Update and have yet to recover.
What can we expect from this update?
More support for small and independent businesses
According to John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google, “This latest update takes into account the feedback we’ve heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high quality sites, including ‘small’ or ‘independent’ sites that are creating useful, original content on relevant searches. This is an area we’ll continue to address in future updates.” In support of this, Google has posted several updates to its help page about core updates, including more in-depth guidance for those who may see changes after an update.
A focus on made-for-human-consumption, useful content
“The update,” according to Mueller, “ is designed to…improve the quality of our search 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.”
What to do if you are negatively impacted by this update?
According to Google, “There’s nothing new or special that creators need to do for this update as long as they’ve been making satisfying content meant for people.” Here at Rooted Rock, this is music to our ears. We believe that an ethical and customized approach to SEO is the best way to mitigate the risk of negative impacts from Core Updates. We have seen time and time again how formulaic SEO agencies crank out short-term results leading to long-term implications with their one-size-fits-all approach.
If you think you have been impacted by an algorithm update and are not sure what to do, contact us! We would be happy to take a look at your traffic and come up with a customized plan to help you increase your visibility.
About the Author
Paula Keck is head of Agency Operations and Project Management at Rooted Rock Marketing. She is passionate about industry innovation and uses her expertise to guide her teams to success.
About the Editor
Shelly Cihan is Founder and Lead Strategist at Rooted Rock Marketing. For over a decade she has dedicated her professional career to learning, executing, and speaking about SEO and Digital marketing.