The most recent update from Google, implemented on March 5, 2024, has brought forth significant alterations to its search algorithm, impacting the criteria by which websites are assessed and presented in search results. This March 2024 Google Core Update primarily focuses on combating spam.
Key takeaways for creators:
- Focus on user-centric content: Google emphasizes creating content that is genuinely helpful and informative for users, rather than solely focused on acquiring clicks.
- No specific actions required: Creators who are already producing high-quality content need not take any specific actions in response to this update.
- Resources available: Google encourages creators to refer to their “creating helpful, reliable, people-first content” help page for guidance.
- Removal of Websites from Index: Google’s primary objective remains the delivery of high-quality search results for every user query. The emphasis is on minimizing the presence of unhelpful, irrelevant, or derivative content in search results. This initiative aims to eliminate up to 40% of websites offering low-value information and subpar user experiences – particularly those pages engineered solely to align with specific search queries.
Websites found in violation of Google’s guidelines or employing questionable SEO strategies face not just penalties but complete removal from both search results and the search index. - Immediate Penalties: A notable aspect of this update is the swift imposition of penalties. To ascertain whether your website has been affected by the Google update, simply search for your website on Google using “site:website.com” and observe its presence in the search results. Algorithmic updates occur automatically, and Google does not issue notifications to site owners regarding negative or positive impacts resulting from such updates.
- Combatting Scaled Content Abuse: Scaled content abuse refers to the production of substantial volumes of low-quality or duplicate content spread across multiple pages with the primary aim of influencing search rankings. Given Google’s focus on promoting useful, trustworthy content that prioritizes users, websites relying on scaled content manipulation are likely to suffer repercussions from this update.
- Examples of scaled content abuse include, but are not limited to:
- Using generative AI tools or other similar tools to generate many pages without adding value for users
- Scraping feeds, search results, or other content to generate many pages (including through automated transformations like synonymizing, translating, or other obfuscation techniques), where little value is provided to users
- Stitching or combining content from different web pages without adding value
- Creating multiple sites with the intent of hiding the scaled nature of the content
- Creating many pages where the content makes little or no sense to a reader but contains search keywords
- strative examples include, but are not limited to:
- Examples of scaled content abuse include, but are not limited to:
- Addressing Expired Domain Abuse: Expired domain redirects involve acquiring defunct domains with existing backlinks and redirecting them to a target website to enhance its link profile and search engine rankings. Despite potentially offering a short-term SEO advantage, this strategy contravenes Google’s guidelines and industry best practices. Google’s algorithms are increasingly proficient in identifying and penalizing manipulative tactics such as expired domain redirects, particularly when the redirected domains lack relevance to the content of the target website.
- Illustrative examples include, but are not limited to:
- Affiliate content on a site previously used by a government agency
- Commercial medical products being sold on a site previously used by a non-profit medical charity
- Casino-related content on a former elementary school site
- Illustrative examples include, but are not limited to:
As an SEO specialist, maintaining a strong online presence is imperative. In light of the March 2024 Google Core Update, proactive measures must be taken to ensure that your website is adequately prepared to either maintain or enhance its search engine ranking.
Conducting a comprehensive review of your website’s content should be among your initial actions.
In Conclusion Following Google’s recent core update, certain key principles should be prioritized to remain competitive in search engine rankings. Foremost among these is the recognition that high-quality content – content that is meaningful, informative, and valuable – has become even more indispensable. This necessitates ensuring that your content is original, pertinent, and user-focused to align with the objectives outlined by this update. Essentially, it entails understanding and catering to user intent effectively. What are users seeking? How can you address their inquiries or offer solutions to their problems more effectively than others? This encapsulates the essence of good content. By comprehending and fulfilling user needs adeptly, you can craft compelling content that not only satisfies users but also contributes to improved search engine rankings.
