What is a Google Core Update?
Google Core Updates are kind of like search engine ranking shakeups.
They’re part of a wide range of algorithm changes Google continuously rolls out to help serve the best, most reliable websites to users searching for answers to their questions or products and services.
Some recent examples of these updates include:
- October 2023 Core Update
- October 2023 Spam Update
- September 2023 Helpful Content Update
- August 2023 Core Update
- April 2023 Reviews Update
Each time these updates occur, rankings typically shuffle erratically (both forward and backward). Google Core Updates are typically the largest updates and are often the talk of the SEO town whenever they roll out.
So if your website is suddenly ranking on the first page of Google after previously being on page five or six, it might be because of a core update! Oppositely, Google Core Updates can occasionally mean losing your hard-earned positions (bummer).
When do Google Core Updates Happen?
But, before that, there was nearly a six-month gap between April 2023 and August 2023.
Based on recent years’ averages, there are around 10 Google ranking updates per year. Out of those, there are usually two to three Core Updates.
And before you ask, no… unfortunately not, Google doesn’t typically warn websites that search engine updates will occur, but they will confirm on the Google Search Status Dashboard as they happen.
So if you notice changes in website traffic or a few keyword rankings jumping around, that’s a good place to start when you’re looking for answers.
Who will Google Core Updates affect?
Google Core Updates are usually global and can affect any language. So wherever your website is hosted, or whatever type of website you run, a Google Core Update can positively or negatively affect your positions online.
Why does Google release Google Core Updates?
As mentioned, Google Core Updates typically shake up search engine rankings. But why do they need to? Is it just to give everyone a turn in the top spot?
Not exactly.
“Core updates are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers.”
What that means is that Google Core Updates are designed to make sure the highest quality and most relevant results are being shown to users searching for answers or services.
But how do you prove your website’s the best?
How to prepare your website for Google Core Updates
Google is a search engine. The way it gauges which content should be listed first is by determining which pages are optimised for users to find the information or service they need quickly and effectively.
The best way to prove to Google that your website deserves that top spot is to check these boxes with SEO.
How SEO helps with Google Core Updates
In order to give your website the best chance of success for when Google Core Updates occur, it’s important to make sure your website is built with SEO in mind and that your content is too.
Our Beginners Guide to SEO has a handy outline to help you make sure your website has the basics down-pat. But, if you’re on the fly, here are the essentials:
- Make sure your website is fast and responsive.
- Keep your content SEO-focused (use the right keywords and keep them where they should be!)
- Make your content accessible to everyone (make sure your website is designed for all devices and all users with mobile web design).
- Share your website with the world and score relevant backlinks to verify your authority.
Make sure you’re prepared for the next update
Five by Five builds results-driven digital strategies to help businesses grow and scale. We’ve been in the web design industry for nearly two decades, and our SEO services are dedicated to helping businesses succeed online. That means making sure websites are designed and maintained with the latest SEO requirements in mind.
Our goal is to make sure websites are future-proof. Part of that means making sure websites are search engine optimised and built to move forward instead of backward each time Google updates their algorithms.
If you’re not sure whether your current website is optimised for the next Google Core Update, feel free to contact us. You can also fill in the Digital Strategy Scorecard to find out more about how your digital marketing game stacks up to the latest standards.
