On 5th March, Google’s major algorithm update announcement shook the world of creators and online businesses. The biggest news is that Google is launching two updates simultaneously – one core algorithm and another spam policy update. Whatever the update is, it took the SEO world by storm.
Since the announcement, many industrialists, experts, and content creators have been worried about the impact of this vital update and whether it will affect their business or social media following. However, it’s only been a few days, and it’s hard to give any future speculations now. What we can do is know and understand Google’s March 2024 Core Algorithm update and try restructuring our marketing or content creation practices.
What is the March 2024 Core Algorithm Update all about?
When Google launches an update, it means Google is making a major change to its existing algorithm, which determines web page ranks on the search engine results pages (SERPs). And the March 2024 update is a significant one. The primary intent of this algorithm update is to remove content written solely to fulfill SEO requirements rather than boost the user experience.
Recently, Google has already given more importance to websites that work on helping users. It was clear that in the last helpful content update released in September 2023. And with the March 2024 update, Google has proved that user experience matters the most! We believe that this was a much-needed update since many online portals are not creating engaging or informative content to actually help visitors.
So, before you panic about SEO being dead, look at the exact wording of Google’s announcement, which stated that this is intended to enhance the quality of search by displaying more content that people find helpful and less content that seems like it was created to get clicks.
By displaying more content that people find useful and less content that seems like it was created to attract clicks, this is intended to improve the quality of the search.
So, it’s finally time to say no to clickbait titles and abide by what one promises to offer. Every online marketer should focus on improving user experiences by providing meaningful content. Therefore, you can still follow the best SEO practices and create SEO-optimized articles and blogs. However, don’t forget to add value to your audience. In short, the Core Algorithm Update is an improved and extended version of the earlier Helpful Content Update.
In the March update document, Google stated that the team will use multiple systems to identify the web pages offering reliable information rather than focusing on getting more visitors through bad SEO practices. Google’s search engine will implement diverse, innovative and intelligent signals and methods to show more helpful search results.
Here are some key points you should focus on in your upcoming content marketing techniques.
- Google repeatedly emphasizes the words “helpful” and “users” in its updated documentation. It clearly indicates you should start creating more informative and helpful content to boost user experiences. If you were already practicing such approaches, you are one level up already. Congratulations on that!
- The “helpful” content approach or signal combines various systems and signals integrated into Google’s core.
- Wondering why some web content does not rank well? It may be because of the presence of unhelpful content on your site. Perform a thorough website and content analysis to look for loopholes and fix them right away before they launch the update. You have about 4 weeks to do that!
Google’s New Spam Policies
Besides the Core Algorithm Update, Google has also announced the March 2024 Spam Update. The site signals will identify websites doing spammy activities solely to increase their SERP rankings and get more clicks. So, Google will penalize them for their malpractices.
Therefore, avoid Black Hat SEO practices, such as keyword stuffing, writing clickbait titles, sharing malware, phishing, adding unnecessary buying links, and cloaking content so that search engines and users see different content.
Google’s March 2024 spam update has added three new spam policies that content developers and digital marketers should avoid.
- Expired Domain Abuse: There are instances where individuals or businesses purchase an expired domain name to repurpose it for manipulating SERP rankings. These websites usually add no value to user experiences, as they contain low-value content.
- Scaled Content Abuse: It occurs when someone generates web pages primarily for manipulating search ranking rather than improving user experience. A scaled content abuse practice generally focuses on developing huge chunks of unoriginal, AI-generated, and unhelpful content that offers little to no value to the audience.
- Abuse of the Site Reputation: This problem occurs during the creation of some third-party pages with almost no first-party involvement. Again, this is done to manipulate search results and to take advantage of the first party’s good web page ranking signals. These parties may include advertising partners or sponsors, who work independently without involvement or oversight of the host website.
The good news is that Google has given these site owners ample time until May 5th to remove any unhelpful or harmful content that could be an example of site reputation abuse. After that, Google will block such sites from Google Search. If your content violates any of the above spam policies, you will receive a manual action notification from Google. Work on fixing that well before the March 5th deadline.
FAQs
Q. 1. When will the March 2024 Core Algorithm update be launched?
The rollout of the March 2024 update may take up to a month. Don’t worry; Google will inform you once the update is complete on their Google Search Status Dashboard.
Q. 2. Will the new update affect my rankings?
We won’t lie about this, but yes, businesses and content creators might face some alterations in their rankings. It is likely because of certain system upgrades that would take place on Google’s end. It may take some time for content marketers to get used to this new update and implement the changes required to improve their rankings. But soon, you will get the drill.
Q. 3. How do you check if your content is helpful to users?
You can self-assess your web content using Google’s help page on “Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content”. Alternatively, you can also use reliable content analysis tools to check the quality and helpfulness of your published content.
Conclusion
Google’s goal is to make continuous improvements in providing more value to its users and fighting spam policies. In today’s highly competitive market, it’s necessary to abide by Google’s algorithms and recommended marketing approaches to stay afloat. So, both experienced marketers and startups need to buckle up now and work towards creating and publishing more informative and original content.
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