Google’s Core Update of August 2024: what do you need to know?

On 15 August 2024, Google began rolling out the second Core Update of the year. Unlike the daily updates, the full roll-out of this Core Update took no less than 19 days, lasting until 3 September. The aim was to better align search results with users’ search intent. Do you want to ensure that your website or online shop can still be found easily, even after this update? We’ll explain how you can improve your content to maintain or even increase your visibility.

Small, independent websites back in the spotlight

A key aspect of this update is that Google is attempting to restore the former rankings of smaller websites featuring valuable and original content. The Helpful Content update of September 2023 had a negative impact on many smaller websites, but Google is now reversing this. John Mueller, Search Analyst at Google, emphasised this: “As always, we strive to show visitors on Google the highest-quality sites, including ‘small’ or ‘independent’ sites that create useful and original content for relevant search queries.” This does not mean that small websites will immediately rank higher, but it does mean that the playing field is becoming fairer. Whether this is actually the case in practice remains to be seen.

What does this mean for your website?

If search engine optimisation is important for driving traffic to your website, the Google Core Update can have significant consequences. Websites that focus primarily on ‘old-school’ SEO criteria rather than valuable content may rank lower in search results, whilst websites with unique, user-centred content become more visible. In addition, E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) is becoming increasingly important.

For example, Google assesses content not only on relevance and usefulness, but also on the author’s expertise and the website’s authority. That is why it is important to emphasise these factors on your website, for instance by clearly demonstrating your professional expertise and building a trustworthy reputation.

What you can do yourself

• Stay calm in the event of minor drops; above all, do not panic straight away, and wait at least a week after the update has been rolled out before analysing your website.
• Do not implement hasty and ill-considered changes, such as removing entire sections of text because it ‘would be bad for SEO’. Rash adjustments can do more harm than good.
• Focus on long-term improvements! Concentrate on smart and meaningful improvements for the user. Rewriting or better structuring your content can make it easier for visitors to understand your page.
• Removing content as a last resort: it is not something Google recommends, but removing content would only be an option if it were written purely for search engines.

In the latter case, removing content can have a positive impact on your site’s performance. With every new update, we see once again that Helpful Content is absolutely crucial!

Need help?

Are you unsure what this update means for your website? Don’t worry! Our specialists are on hand to help you. We know exactly what your website needs to keep performing well, even after this update. Please feel free to contact us.