Now that Google has finished rolling out its massive November 2023 Core Update, everyone should be prepared because there will be a new wave of turbulence in the search results.
It’s super important to keep up with the latest Google Core Update to stay ahead in the online game and ensure your website shows up well in search results. If you grasp the ins and outs of these updates and use smart SEO techniques, you can keep your website ranking high and even boost it.
This article explores the main things about this update, what it means for your site, and ways to make sure your website ranks well given these changes.
What are Google Core Updates?
Google Core Updates are changes made to Google’s search algorithms. These updates play a crucial role in determining how websites are ranked in search results. They aim to improve the overall quality of search outcomes by adjusting the criteria used to evaluate and rank websites.
Google makes important changes to how it searches the internet a few times each year. They usually let us know about these changes through announcements from Google Search Central.
(Source: Google Search Central)
Staying informed about these updates is essential for website owners and creators to understand how to optimize their content and maintain or enhance their visibility in Google’s search results.
For additional information, Google mentioned that in the future, they plan to regularly and continuously make their reviews system better. Because of this, they won’t be telling us about upcoming updates anymore.
Why is Google Pushing Out Core Updates?
Google’s Updates mainly aim to improve how the search engine works. They want to make sure users get the best and most useful search results. These updates specifically tackle things like fake links and tricks people use to manipulate search rankings.
Following Google’s rules, like creating high-quality content, showing expertise, and backing it up with good reviews (following Google E-E-A-T guidelines), helps website owners keep their rankings even as the search landscape changes.
In case you need more information about E-E-A-T, here we have broken down everything about it into a more digestible form. You can read more about it in our blog – What is Google E-E-A-T in SEO? Is It Really Important?
How Core Updates Impact Website Rankings
Google Core Updates can make website rankings go up or down. Some websites might become more visible, while others might become less visible. This happens because Google is always making its search system better to give users the best results.
If a website’s visibility drops after a Core Update, it could be because of different reasons like:
- The content isn’t good enough.
- Users don’t have a good experience on the site.
- The website isn’t considered trustworthy.
- The site doesn’t work well on mobile devices.
Websites that try to cheat the search system with spammy tricks will probably also see less visibility because of an update targeting spam.
Results & Data from Google Search Volatility Tracking Tools
Here we have compiled a list of data from SERP volatility tracking tools for your reference.
(Data is based on the day of writing – 8th November 2023)
As shown in the data from multiple sources, the SERP volatility is very high and will proceed for the coming days, weeks, and possibly months.
Understanding the November 2023 Core Update
The November 2023 Core Update is a big change to how Google decides which websites to show when you search. It’s all about making sure you get good and useful information.
To keep your website in good shape on Google, it’s important to know about these changes and adjust your content and strategies accordingly.
Key Characteristics
The November 2023 Core Update, also called a broad core update, is an improvement to previous updates. It wants to highlight valuable content from different sources and make sure the way they check content is better.
Instead of promoting content just to rank well in search results, this update wants to make sure you see information that’s helpful and trustworthy.
Impact on Google Search Rankings
This update caused some big changes in how websites show up in search results. Some websites went up, and some went down. This shows that Google’s way of ranking websites is always changing.
Solutions & Ways to Adjust to Google Core Updates
Based on the data we showed earlier, it’s clear that adjusting to the new Google search update isn’t too hard. Let’s simplify and look at the SEO strategies businesses need to use to keep or improve their website’s search rankings.
Make Regular Website Audits
Regularly checking your website is important. It helps find and fix possible SEO problems like technical errors, how good your content is, and the links pointing to your site.
This habit helps you stay current with the latest and best ways to do SEO. It also lets you make any needed changes to your website so it stays competitive and important when Google makes updates.
Optimize On-Page SEO Elements
Make your website better for search engines by improving on-page SEO elements like meta descriptions, title tags, headers, and internal links. This is important for getting your website to show up more in searches:
These things help search engines understand your content better and make your website more visible in searches.
Using the right keywords in your content also helps your website rank better, especially after a Google Core Update.
Understand What People Are Searching For
To do well in searches, it’s important to understand what people are looking for online. A good strategy for this is to think about and adjust your content based on what someone wants when they search.
There are four main reasons people search:
- Informational
People want information or answers to their questions.
- Navigational
People are looking for a specific website or page.
- Transactional
People want to buy something or complete a specific action.
- Commercial
People are researching products or services before deciding
Google looks at how people interact with search results and uses that to give the best and most reliable results for each search.
If you make your content match what people are searching for, it can help your website show up more and be more relevant in search results.
Improve Overall User Experience (UX)
Making your website better for visitors is really important for how well it shows up in searches. Search engines use how people interact with your site to decide how to rank it. To give visitors the best experience on your website, pay attention to things like:
- Making sure your site is helpful
- Easy to use
- Consistent in how it looks
- Safe and secure
- Accessible to everyone
- Seen as trustworthy
- Personalized to users
- Providing value
Keep in mind that Google recently made an update focusing on how important user experience is. They want to improve how people browse the web and give priority to websites that offer a great user experience.
Getting Different Types of Backlinks
Getting different types of links to your website is important for improving how it shows up in searches. This means having good links from important and related websites. To do this well, you should:
Focus on good links
Aim for quality links from trustworthy websites instead of just getting many links.
Create content that others want to link to
Make content that people find valuable and want to link to.
Connect with other website owners or bloggers in your field
Build relationships with people who have websites similar to yours.
Follow the best ways to make links
Stick to the right methods for creating links to keep things fair.
Checking your links often and removing any bad or spammy ones (In case you need a guide in removing backlinks, you may refer to this guide – Disavow links to your site) is a good idea. This helps make sure that Google’s updates don’t hurt how your website shows up in searches.
Paying Attention to Core Web Vitals and Speed
Google considers how fast your site loads and its overall performance. Keep an eye on Core Web Vitals, which are specific factors Google looks at, and optimize your site speed. A faster website often leads to a better user experience and higher search rankings.
For Core Web Vitals, there are three measures that check how fast a webpage loads, how interactive it is, and how stable it looks:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Measures how long it takes for the biggest thing on a page to show up. It should ideally happen within 2.5 seconds for a good user experience.
First Input Delay (FID)
Measures how quickly a webpage responds when someone interacts with it, like clicking a button. It should be less than 100 milliseconds for a smooth and quick user experience.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Measures how much the layout of a page unexpectedly changes as it loads. It should be less than 0.1 for a stable and predictable user experience.
These measures are crucial for making sure people have a great time on a website. Search engines, like Google, think these are important when deciding how to rank websites. So, improving these Core Web Vitals is a key part of any plan to make your website rank higher in searches and give visitors a better experience.
What to Avoid After A Google Core Update
When Google updates its core algorithms, it can greatly affect how well a website shows up in search results. Website owners and marketers need to be careful and make the right changes.
Here are some things to avoid and what to do instead:
1. Don’t Panic and Change Everything Right Away
Mistake: Quickly making big changes to your website if your rankings drop.
Solution: Take a moment to understand what Google changed and how it affected your site. Rushed decisions can make things worse.
2. Don’t Ignore Content Quality
Mistake: Not caring about having good, relevant content.
Solution: Create content that your audience finds valuable. Google likes content that helps users and answers their questions.
3. Don’t Forget About Technical SEO
Mistake: Ignoring technical stuff like how fast your site is, if it works well on phones, and if Google can understand it.
Solution: Regularly check your site for technical issues. Make sure it works on phones, loads fast, and Google can easily find your content.
4. Don’t Neglect User Experience (UX)
Mistake: Ignoring how people feel when they use your website.
Solution: Make sure your website is easy to use with clear navigation. Google looks at things like bounce rate and how long people stay on your site.
5. Avoid Keyword Stuffing
Mistake: Putting too many keywords into your content to try to rank higher.
Solution: Write in a natural way. Use keywords naturally and focus on providing useful information. Speak to your audience like you’re having a conversation.
6. Don’t Ignore Mobile Optimization
Mistake: Not making your site work well on mobile devices.
Solution: Check that your site looks good and works on phones. Google cares about mobile-friendly sites.
7. Don’t Disregard E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Mistake: Not showing that you’re an expert and can be trusted.
Solution: Prove your expertise and build trust. Show your credentials, back up your claims with reliable sources, and connect with your audience.
8. Avoid Neglecting Backlink Quality
Mistake: Only caring about how many links you have, not if they’re good links.
Solution: Focus on getting high-quality, relevant links. Get rid of bad or spammy links. A mix of different kinds of links is better.
9. Don’t Ignore Analytics and Data
Mistake: Not keeping an eye on how your website is doing.
Solution: Use tools like Google Analytics to see how your site is performing. Look at what users do on your site and use that data to make smart decisions.
10. Avoid Being Inflexible
Mistake: Not changing your strategies when search engines change how they work.
Solution: Stay updated on industry trends and changes in algorithms. Be ready to adjust your strategies based on new information and best practices.
Conclusion
To stay on top of the latest Google Core Update, it’s essential to grasp its details, keep an eye on how it affects search rankings, and adjust your SEO tactics accordingly.
To keep your website visible and valuable in the changing landscape of search engine optimization, concentrate on these key areas:
- Make Regular Website Audits
- Optimize On-Page SEO Elements
- Understand What People Are Searching For
- Improve Overall User Experience (UX)
- Getting Different Types of Backlinks
- Paying Attention to Core Web Vitals and Speed
