Today Google have announced their November 2024 core algorithim update.
Core updates to Google’s search algorithm are not uncommon, they tend to happen several times throughout the year.
Each update will have a certain aim, but they’re all underlined by the goal of improving the quality of results that appear on Google’s search engine result page (SERP).
What Is The Aim Of The November 2024 Core Update?
Google wrote the following on their LinkedIn account:
This update is designed to continue or work to improve the quality of search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.
How Long Will This Core Update Take?
It’s expected to take around two weeks (wrapping up before Black Friday), however we know through experience that these algorithm updates can take longer than originally anticipated.
While it’s great to monitor your search performance while an algorithm is going on, we would advise on waiting until it’s complete to analyse the impact and begin making changes.
To know when the rollout is complete, check in on Google’s Search Status Dashboard.
What Do I Do If My Rankings Drop?
Google has stated previously that if you are hit by an algorithm update, there isn’t any specific lever you can pull to improve your rankings again. Meaning, there isn’t a quick fix. Moreover, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your pages either.
Google has offered a list of questions to consider about the content on your site:
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
- Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide additional value and originality?
- Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
- Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking in nature?
- Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
Naturally, not all of these questions are going to apply to your website, but it provides and insight to the way Google engineers are thinking about content, and the role it should play.
