Google Rolls Out March 2024 Core Algorithm Update
Google released ambitious enhancements to search quality as part of their core update, along with multiple spam updates. The update, which includes the Google helpful content update, aims to reduce unhelpful content within search by 40%.
On March 5, 2024, Google announced the core update, designed to improve the quality of Search by reducing clickbait and increasing the visibility of useful content. New spam policies were also introduced to better handle practices that could negatively impact Google’s search results. More details about the update and the spam policies were provided for creators.
Google expressed their belief that these updates would reduce the amount of low-quality content in Search and direct more traffic to helpful and high-quality sites. Based on their evaluations, they expect that the combination of this update and their previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.
Google states:
“We believe these updates will reduce the amount of low-quality content in Search and send more traffic to helpful and high-quality sites. Based on our evaluations, we expect that the combination of this update and our previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.”
Confirmation of the latest core algorithm update was provided by the Google Search Central and Google SearchLiaison accounts.
Elizabeth Tucker, the Director of Product for Search at Google, stated that they were making algorithmic enhancements to their core ranking systems to ensure they surface the most helpful information on the web and reduce unoriginal content in search results.
Understanding Google’s March 2024 Core Algorithm Update & Highlights
Algorithmic Enhancements
One of the main focuses of the March 2024 Core Update is to enhance Google’s ranking systems. The company is making algorithmic enhancements to its core ranking systems to ensure it surfaces the most helpful information on the web and reduce unoriginal content in search results.
The company has been working on reducing unhelpful and unoriginal content since 2022 and the March 2024 update builds on those efforts. The refined ranking systems will better understand if webpages could be more helpful, have a better user experience, or seem to be created primarily for search engines rather than people.
Google expects that combining this update and its previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.
Revised Spam Policies
Google is strengthening its policy against using automation to generate low-quality or unoriginal content at scale to manipulate search rankings. The updated policy will focus on the abusive behavior of producing content at scale to boost search ranking, regardless of whether automation, humans, or a combination of both are involved.
Focus on Content Quality
Google’s March 2024 Core Update has a significant focus on improving the quality of content surfaced in search results. This includes a policy against using automation to generate low-quality or unoriginal content at scale with the goal of manipulating search rankings.
Scaled content abuse
Google is strengthening its policy against using automation to generate low-quality or unoriginal content at scale to manipulate search rankings. The updated policy will focus on the abusive behavior of producing content at scale to boost search ranking, regardless of whether automation, humans, or a combination of both are involved.
Google states:
“For example, a third party might publish payday loan reviews on a trusted educational website to gain ranking benefits from the site. Such content ranking highly on Search can confuse or mislead visitors who may have vastly different expectations for the content on a given website.”
Sites involved in Site Reputation Abuse have been given fair warning of these changes with two months to prepare for the changes.
“We’re publishing this policy two months in advance of enforcement on May 5, to give site owners time to make any needed changes.”
Addressing Site Reputation Abuse
Regarding site reputation abuse, Google gave an example where a third party might publish payday loan reviews on a trusted educational website to gain ranking benefits from the site. Such content ranking highly on Search can confuse or mislead visitors who may have vastly different expectations for the content on a given website. Sites involved in Site Reputation Abuse were given a two-month warning to prepare for these changes.
Expired domain abuse
Google states:
“Expired domains are purchased and repurposed with the primary intention of boosting search ranking of low-quality or unoriginal content. This can mislead users into thinking the new content is part of the older site, which may not be the case. Expired domains that are purchased and repurposed with the intention of boosting the search ranking of low-quality content are now considered spam.”
Conclusion
The March 2024 Google Core Update is a significant step towards improving the quality of search results and reducing spam. By enhancing its core ranking systems and updating its spam policies, Google aims to provide users with more helpful and relevant content, thereby improving the overall user experience.
