{"id":61231,"date":"2023-11-06T08:29:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T08:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clickintelligence.co.uk\/what-you-need-to-know-about-googles-august-2023-core-update\/"},"modified":"2023-11-06T09:56:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T09:56:12","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-googles-august-2023-core-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-uk.clickintelligence.com\/us\/what-you-need-to-know-about-googles-august-2023-core-update\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Need to Know about Google’s August 2023 Core Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google loves to keep SEO professionals on their toes! The search engine giant officially announced the rollout of the newest core algorithm update on 22<\/span>nd<\/span> August 2023, at 12:39 pm, to be precise. Much like previous updates, with the most recent being in March 2023, this update focuses on improving the quality of its algorithm. After all, by conducting regular updates, Google can ensure every user receives the most up-to-date, relevant, and accurate results. <\/span><\/p>\n

But what does this mean for SEO professionals and website owners? We explore more below. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Aim of the Update<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Google’s core updates, as touched on above, focus entirely on creating the best user experience. Google wants every search user to receive the best result for their query, so the core updates aim to improve the accuracy and relevancy of what it shows for each question. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google states:<\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/span><\/i>Core updates<\/span><\/i><\/a> are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Luckily for site owners and SEO experts, the core algorithm updates <\/span>do not<\/span><\/b> target specific websites. So, right now, there is no reason for anyone to worry about suddenly facing penalties or being de-indexed! <\/span><\/p>\n

As always, however, that’s not to say sites won’t see any changes, especially regarding their search engine results pages (SERPs) rankings. In fact, this update could be very advantageous for any highly relevant, high-quality sites that Google may have overlooked in the past. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, after this update, previously low-ranking sites may see significant improvement and a boost higher up the SERPs. This improvement could conspire that sites that were hitting the high spots might see their place slip down as the low-ranking site exhibits more relevant content. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google Updates in 2023<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

So far, in 2023, there have only been 2 updates to Google’s core algorithm \u2013 this one and one in March. Additionally, there have been 2 review updates \u2013 one in April and a significant product review update that started in February and finished rolling out on 7<\/span>th<\/span> March. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before 2023, Google last updated the core algorithm in September 2022, but this update created less of an impact than any previous updates. <\/span><\/p>\n

While some SEOs claim they saw evidence of August’s update several days before the official announcement, the implementation process will (as usual) take a few weeks at least. The claims do point, however, to the fact that the rollout of the update began secretly at least 1 week before the announcement. Whether it started before or on the official date, after the update’s implementation is complete, Google will update its <\/span>ranking release history page<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

During these crucial weeks, site owners and SEOs need to keep one eye closely on their ranking and another on analytics. <\/span><\/p>\n

Remember:<\/span><\/b> Your site may not be affected by this update in any way, so there’s no reason to panic! <\/span><\/p>\n

So, What Does It Mean for Your Site?<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Of course, one of the most worrying aspects of a Google update is whether it will affect your site’s current SERP position and cause it to fall back down the list. After all, we put hours of energy and effort into moving sites up the list, only for an update to halt our path! <\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike other Google updates (we’re looking at you, <\/span>Link Spam Update<\/span><\/a>), the core algorithm update does not show that your site has an issue with URLs, internal links, website, or spam\/quality of links. <\/span><\/p>\n

Core algorithm updates focus on the best experience and search results for every user, ensuring the most relevant and up-to-date results are shown. <\/span><\/p>\n

If your site does experience a significant change after such an update, it doesn’t necessarily point to the fact you were flagged due to keyword spam or technical issues (such as duplicate content or crawling errors). It could instead boil down to the fact that another site’s content is simply more high-quality and relevant to the searcher. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google explains: <\/span><\/p>\n

“There’s nothing wrong with pages that may not be performing as well as they were before a core update. They haven’t violated our spam policies, nor been subjected to a manual or algorithmic action, as can happen to pages that do violate those policies.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2021. A few years later, in 2024, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The list will change, and films previously higher on the list that move down aren’t bad. There are simply more deserving films that are coming before them.” <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How Does Your Site Recover?<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

First, remember <\/span>E-E-A-T<\/span><\/b> to ensure your site doesn’t experience a drop in rankings. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness \u2013 these aren’t just buzzwords. These are the crucial aspects your content must focus on to hit the top spots. Google’s quality raters prefer content demonstrating first-hand experience, such as ensuring you have evidence that you’ve actually used a product that you’re giving a high review. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, if you still see a drop in rankings, even though there is nothing ‘wrong’ with your site, <\/span>Google has provided questions<\/span><\/a> that you can use to improve the quality of your content. <\/span><\/p>\n