Google Rolls Out March 2024 Core Update

Multiple systems are expected to be updated and released during this update. Further, unlike a few previous core updates, this one focuses on updating and enhancing several components of the overall core system. As such, expect more rankings fluctuations than regular core updates.

According to Google, this update refines how it understands which webpages have a poor user experience, have unhelpful content, and feel like they were created just for search engines, not people.

See more: Can Generative AI Replace Search? Users Certainly Believe So

Helpful Content Updates Are Incorporated Into Core Updates

The search engine giant will also stop announcing helpful content updates separately, as the helpful content system will now be part of the core update system. While the September 2023 affected many websites, the March update may hopefully bring some relief to them.

So, what should companies do if their rankings are impacted due to the core update? Simple!! Write helpful content for people and not for search engines. Further, as long as they have been creating original content that helps people, they shouldn’t worry too much.

Google Releases Spam Updates Along With Core Update

Google is also releasing a few spam and spam policy updates along with the March 2024 core update. Two of these updates are expected to lead to both manual and automated actions. The site reputation abuse spam update will be rolled out two months later. The two updates leading to manual and automated actions are:

1. Scaled content abuse search spam

This is an update to the earlier “spammy automatically-generated content” policy. The update now includes any method of creating content at scale for the sole purpose of ranking in search. Basically, Google will now consider generating content at scale using manual, automation, or a combination solely to boost rankings, as against its guidelines.

Examples of such spam are pages that pretend to have answers to popular searches but don’t provide helpful content, i.e., pages that start off saying they will answer a particular question but lead the audience on with low-quality content and never answer the question.

1. Expired domain abuse spam

Google will now consider the practice of purchasing expired domains and repurposing them just to boost search engine rankings of low-quality content, also referred to as expired domain abuse, as spam. This update focuses on curtailing this practice. Google will start taking action against this abuse through both manual actions and algorithmic spam systems this week.

1. Site reputation abuse

Google is also developing a policy for site reputation abuse or “parasite SEO,” where websites host low-quality content from third parties. This is done to piggyback on the ranking factors of those third-party websites.

The new policy considers third-party content created and published primarily to rank high without close oversight of a site owner as spam. However, all third-party content won’t be considered a violation. Only the content hosted without close oversight and intended to manipulate Search rankings will be considered spam.

See more: Like a Black Cat Melting into the Night: A Search Engine’s Guide to Text Tricks

How you should prepare

SEO professionals and organizations should keep a close eye on the core update, as you may experience volatility in rankings. That said, if you have followed Google’s guidelines, there isn’t much to worry about. If not, it is high time for you to refrain from abusive practices and focus more on creating helpful content and delivering value to the audience.

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