Google August 2024 Core Update: Everything to Know 

Are you interested in learning more about the Google August 2024 Core Update? Then, this blog is for you. Gathering insights about the core updates can improve your content.

The Google August 2024 Core Update aims to improve Google’s evaluation and ranking of content. It helps the search engine provide users with more relevant content than low-quality SEO-driven content.

Read this blog till the end to learn more about the Google Core Update in August 2024. For a better understanding of the recent changes built upon the previous updates, refer to our analysis of March 2024 core updates.

Google August 2024 Core Update 

Google updates its algorithm regularly, but it may be different. Core updates are changes that impact the content’s ranking among multiple industries on a broader scale. They influence the way Google evaluates and ranks its content.

After the core update, Google processes and weighs its elements differently. This might shift Google’s value in different aspects of your site, leading to a change in ranking.

Every business does not experience a surprising impact. The ranking might change based on how the site matches its new criteria. The timelines of recent core updates are as follows:

• March 2024 Core update from 5th March to 19th April 2024.
• November 2023 Core Update from 2nd November to 28th November 2023.
• October 2023 Core update was released between 5th October to 19th October 2023.
• August 2023 Core update from 22nd August to 7th September 2023.
• March 2023 Core update from 15th March to 28th March 2023.

Brief About Google August 2024 Core Update

Refer to the table below to learn briefly about the August 2024 Google Core Update.

Date of Launch	15th August 2024.
Rollout	The update gradually rolls out. It might span for a month.
Target	This update aims to make searching more effective.
Global	This update affects global search results.
Penalty	It is not a direct punishment. Websites with lower rankings should optimize and reassess their content.
Impacts of the core update	There might be an increase or decrease in some website rankings. Website traffic reduction because of the change in search engine ranking. A website with lower rankings should focus on improving its SEO strategies and the quality of the content.
Features of the core update	There are significant updates in the Google Search Algorithm. It improves the search quality and relevance. There might be a change in search engine rankings.
Key points on the core update	It is a broad algorithmic change. Websites with high-quality and relevant content may benefit over time. The full impact of the update may manifest within several weeks.
Refreshes	Google’s algorithm constantly evolves, so the website should prepare for future updates and changes.

Details About Google August 2024 Core Update

The primary goal of the Google August 2024 Core update is to ensure pertinent and reliable search results. The update is broad and does not target only specific websites. Because of the change in criteria, your site might move up or down.

The Google August 2024 Core update mainly rewards high-quality content from small and independent creators. In the digital ecosystem, Google realizes the site’s significance and is working towards improving its visibility.

Using the core update of August 2024, Google can capture and reflect the site’s positive changes. As Google fine-tunes this algorithm, it might reward you for improving the content quality and user experience.

Before this core update, Google received feedback from creators and others over the past few months. After the September 2023 Core update, many sites hoped to see the improvement.

After the September 2023 Core update, the affected sites could not recover their search engine ranking. Even after the March 2024 core update, there were no recoveries. After the August 2024 Core update, the sites hit might look for their site recovery in a few weeks.

Refer to our article to learn more about search engine optimization.

Documentation Changes About Google August 2024 Core Update

Google has updated the core update help documentation. This document covers the following aspects:

• How core updates work
• How can you check that there is a traffic drop in the Search Console?
• How can you assess a large position drop?
• Things you can do to make changes.
• When can you see an effect in Search Results?

Let’s dive deep into the topics present in the document to understand the changes.

How Can You Check If There Is A Traffic Drop In The Search Console?

Using the Search Console, check whether the decline in website position coincides with a core update. If so, you need to check whether your website needs adjustments. Server Status Dashboard gives you information about the start and end date of the core update.

In Search Console, analyze your site after a week of the core updates’ completion. Compare it with your site position before the start of the core update. This will help you understand the changes precisely.

Check the site ranking drop before and after the core update rollout. When the site drop-in position is small, the site does not require drastic action. The content is performing well and does not require any changes.

Do a deep analysis when the site drop-in position is large. You should separately review different search types. This will show whether the drop was isolated to Google Search, Web images, Videos, or News.

If you want to know more about how Google Algorithm works, go through this article.

Assessing A Significant Drop In Position

If your site faces a large position drop, self-assessment can help you. You have to check whether the content is helpful and reliable. To access the position drop, you can try the following things:

• You should comprehensively evaluate your site by asking others to answer the assessment questions.
• Evaluate the pages that impact you. Analyze how other sites perform against the self-assessment questions. For example, check how other sites deliver the right content to searchers.

Things You Should Remember When You Make Changes

The things you should keep when you make the changes are as follows:

• Avoid quick-fix changes like removing elements, thinking they might affect your site’s SEO. Instead, try making changes that benefit users and allow your website to sustain longer.
• Consider meaningfully improving your content. For example, restructure or rewrite it to enhance readability and attract the audience.
• The last option might be deleting the content if you think the content is useless. You can delete all sections if you create the content only for the search engines. In this case, deleting such content can boost your good content.

How Long Do You Wait To See The Effect On The Search Results Page?

You will have to wait to see the changes in search results. Some changes might affect you within a few days. Our system takes time to confirm that the site’s content is helpful and trustworthy.

You may not observe any immediate change. You have to wait until the next update to see the effects.

Google March 2024 Core Update

After this update, Google reduced the 45% of low-quality and unoriginal content in search results. This core update did not achieve the expected outcomes, but the September 2023 Core Update had a significant and enduring effect on websites.

Algorithm Update Section

Google made some changes in the updated debugging search topic drops section. The new algorithmic update tells that Google updated its search ranking and serving algorithm. Google search results might change with core updates and other smaller updates.

You can see the changes in our system in our ranking updates page list. Your content might not be fundamentally wrong, but your site ranking might drop due to the algorithmic update.

You can analyze your top pages to check whether you want to modify your site.  Determine whether there was a minor or significant decline in your site position. The positions are not static. In a small position drop, your traffic reduces by a meager amount without a huge impact.

There might be small fluctuations in position. You can avoid making drastic changes to the system that is functioning effectively. If there is a large position drop, you should check for the quality of your content. Position changes can happen over time.

Spam Issue Section

Google altered Policy violations and manual actions as Spam Issues. Google started detecting websites violating search spam policies through manual and automated methods. The content may rank lower or disappear if it does not satisfy the spam policies.

Due to the policy violation, there might be a drop in site ranking. You should check that there is no violation of the practices which our system can detect.

Google August 2024 Core Update SEO Expectations

Google focuses on rewarding sites that prioritize the users, not high-visibility sites. It benefits the sites resonating with the audience and ignores the content that games with SEO metrics. John Mueller of Google points out the effort to showcase useful material, not hollow SEO content.

Their updated guidelines guide post-update changes and encourage high-quality content across the web. You should not panic if your sites take a hit. The recovery might be slow, but you can achieve it by providing valuable content.

Optimizing For Mobile-first Indexing

To improve your site’s search engine ranking,  you should fully optimize the site for mobiles. Your site should offer a top-notch user experience to mobile users. You should analyze the layouts and check whether your site fits smoothly on mobiles.

You should check for the site’s loading speed on the mobile network. If there is a delay, the user might reach a competitor site. You could use Moz and Pro to optimize the content with keywords to improve your search engine rankings.

Enhance User Experience Signals

After the Google August 2024 Core Update, you should look into the new guidance to improve user experience signals. Use the Search Console to find the drop in traffic or fall in rankings.

You can make big changes instead of small adjustments. You have to wait patiently, and success does not happen overnight. The core update help document provides the actionable steps. You can follow SEO News platforms to stay updated on the latest SEO trends.

AI And Changes In Machine Learning Adaptability

To rank better, you should adapt to AI and changes in machine learning. A glitch in the latest Google update temporarily impacted site rankings. The core algorithm elements do not address this issue.

According to Search Engine Journal, they were planning to fix the issues within 12 hours. However, you should not panic, as the glitch might cause a sudden drop or spike in ranking.

Focus On Creating High-Quality Content

Google’s Core update help documentation can guide you when you focus on creating high-quality content. Quality content can help you achieve greater visibility. You will not make quick fixes.

You must provide deep and enriched information on your site. Content should be deep and detailed, whether you are updating old content or creating new content. Search Console can find where your traffic drops and why your ranking shifts.

The search console tool helps to understand each page’s performance after the update. You must be patient because ranking boosts do not happen overnight.

Improving The Loading Speed Of The Site

Improving the site’s loading speed is essential. Google ranks fast-loading sites better. This update focuses on displaying quality content, even from small creators.

The quick-loading site is at the top of search results because Google values user experience. Optimize the images and minify the code to make your site rank high after the core update. It will not compromise the content quality but reduce the site loading time.

There might be a position drop because your site could not adapt to evolving standards. To recover post-update, you should improve the quality by offering reliable and user-friendly content.

Prioritizing Secure Website Features

Your website’s features must be secure because this helps it gain trust and rank high on Google. HTTPS encryption is important to protect user data and boost the rank in search results.

Sites with a safe browsing experience get higher ranks. To securely encrypt users’ information on any platform, you should get an SSL certificate. Update software and plugins to avoid vulnerabilities like hacking that affect your website’s SEO.

Cybersecurity professionals suggest some tools to audit a website’s security measures. This helps to gain user trust and retain the ranking after an update.

Understanding The Impact Of The E-E-A-T Principle

The latest Google Core Update Guidance provides new ideas for sites experiencing search ranking shifts. Use the Search Console to analyze traffic drops and drastic position changes. When you improve your content, make meaningful changes.

Ranking alteration does not happen immediately when you implement the changes. Google is fixing a glitch that they were not prepared for.

Leverage Structured Data Implementation

You have to make use of the structured data. Updates like Helpful Content and Link Spam in 2022 emphasized quality over SEO tricks. For the search engine’s better understanding, you can use structured data to organize the content.

Imagine making your site speak Google language. During the big algorithm update, it helps you and makes you appear in everyday searches. For example, if you sell products online, Google gets information from structured data tags about prices and blogs.

The indexing process is simple, making your site visible in search results. No to the tactics since these practices penalize your sites. Your site must be authentic and add value through structured data strategies.

FAQs

Is Google penalizing AI content in 2024?

It depends on the AI-generated content. The AI content should be original, informative, and valuable to the reader. You should be cautious about using AI that generates low-quality, spammy content that might cause a drop in the site ranking.

Is SEO in demand in 2024?

Google's latest core update leverages AI and machine learning to enhance its comprehension of language and context. In search rankings, Google prioritizes websites with fast load times and exceptional user experiences.

Will SEO exist in 5 years?

SEO will exist by adapting to tech trends and user preferences. The fundamental rules of search optimization will guide adequate online visibility. It will continue to exist by continuous adaption.

Is Google retiring Gmail?

No, Google has not officially announced the shutdown of Gmail. Unconfirmed reports suggested that Google might discontinue it, but Google explicitly denied this.

When was the last Google Core update?

Google launched the recent Core Update on 5th March 2024. The update rolled out for 14 days and 21 hours.

Conclusion

The Google August 2024 Core Update rewards high-quality, informative content and devalues SEO-manipulated low-quality content. The update prioritizes delivering users useful and trustworthy search outcomes.

A website with original content prioritizing the overall quality and user experience saw potential benefits. However, sites with poor content or excessive SEO tactics might experience negative impacts.