9 Major Google Updates From 2023 & 2024 SEO Predictions

Recap of Google Updates in 2023

Catch Up On Google Algorithm Updates
One of the most eventful years for Google Algorithm Updates
● February 2023 Product Reviews Update
● March 2023 Core Update
● April 2023 Reviews Update
● August 2023 Core Update
● September 2023 Helpful Content Update
● October 2023 Core Update
● October 2023 Spam Update
● November 2023 Core Update
● November 2023 Review Update

Which of these updates impacted your site the
most?

February 2023 Product Reviews Update
February 21st - March 7th, 2023
● This update was similar to previous review
updates, but it was more widespread and
impacted more languages than just
English.
● With some aggregate review sites
dropping in the rankings, you have an
opportunity to own more of the
conversation with reviews, and your
replies, on your own site

Google March 2023 Broad Core Update
March 15th - March 28th, 2023
● This was impactful update compared to
previous core updates in 2022.
● By providing strong and authoritative
content to your audience, you can prepare
yourself for any Google update.
● Learn more about responding to and
Preparing for Google Algorithm Updates
from our Guide.

April 2023 Reviews Update
April 12th - April 25th, 2023
● The second reviews update of 2023. This
update was significant because it
highlights a clear focus for Google and
shows there’s often more work to be done
after the initial update
● It’s an algorithm referred to by Google as
the “reviews system” that examines web
pages that recommendations of products,
services, destinations, games, movies and
more.

How To Write High Quality Reviews
Guidance provided by Google
● Google provided a guide to help us
understand how Google identifies high
quality reviews. Linked here
● Per Google, “Publishing high quality
reviews can help people learn more about
things they are considering”
● When writing reviews, focus on the quality
and originality of your reviews, not the
length

August 2023 Core Update
August 22 - September 7th, 2023
● This was a major update following a
summer of high volatility, we finally got an
official update from Google
● Shortly after the launch of the August core
update, Google updated its Search Central
documentation to include that it indexes
CSV files.
● Per usual, Google advised site owners to
focus on quality content as a response to
fluctuations in search rankings.

September 2023 Helpful Content Update
September 14th - September 28th, 2023
The September update brought about three
pivotal changes to the Helpful Content
System’s guidelines:
1. Loosened restrictions on A.I. generated
content
2. You’re responsible for all of the content on
your site, even if it comes from a 3rd party
3. Additional advice on what to do if a
website experiences traffic loss following
a Helpful Content Update

October 2023 Core Update
October 5th - October 19th, 2023
● This core update resulted in significant
SERP volatility and the impact was
widespread.
● When dealing with the fallout of core
updates, Google recommends reviewing
content, expertise, and user experience for
sites negatively impacted.

October 2023 Spam Update
October 4th - October 20th, 2023
● Google hoped to improve search results
for users worldwide with this spam update
● This update specifically targeted cloaking,
hacked, auto-generated, and scraped spam
● This update coincided with the October
2023 Core Update

November 2023 Core Update
November 2nd - November 28th, 2023
● A second core update in two months.
Again, one update is often not enough
● Most e-comm sites avoided huge drops
during the November shopping holidays,
while YMYL space continued to see Google
favoring government and academic sites

November 2023 Reviews Update
November 8th - December 7th, 2023
● This update continued the pattern that the
Google has been leaning on over the last
18 months of having a huge surge of
volatility after the completion date.
● This was the third update in 2023
specifically targeting reviews

Predictions for The World of SEO in 2024
Time to get out our crystal ball
● A.I. As a Tool, Not a Replacement
● E-Comm-ification of SERPs
● Emphasis on Performance Speed
● March’s Core Update Signals Volatile Year

A.I. As a Tool, Not a Replacement
● “A.I. won’t replace people, but people who
use A.I. will replace people who don’t”
● A.I. is one of the most powerful tools SEOs
have ever been given
● Example Use Cases
○ Writing scripts
○ Analyzing large KW sets
○ Generating content (that needs review)

Ecom/Amazon-ification of
Google SERP Will Increase
● Searches with a level of buying
intent trigger a Google SERP that
resembles an e-retailer website
(filters, ads, purchase focused
organic listings which look like ads)
● Frequency and intrusiveness of this
layout continues to increase
● Potential impact to branded terms,
some Conductor clients have seen
decreases of over 15% on branded
terms where “ecom” SERP layout is
now common
SGE SERP
Google SERP

Emphasis on Performance Speed
Time to get out our crystal ball
● Google is incorporating a new metric into
the Core Web Vitals, INP
● INP (Interaction to Next Paint) measures
the time from a click to a visual indication of
the result of the click
○ Ex. If you click a drop-down menu, how
long it takes for the menu to appear
● This is a signal from Google that your site
need to load fast and function fast
● It’s to get ahead on performance speed, like
it was time to get ahead of load times in
2015

Google Isn’t Finished
More Change and Volatility to Come via Recent Spam & Core Updates
● In the first week of March Google
announced separate Core Algorithm +
Spam Updates
● Helpful Content Updates are now
rolled into Core Update.
● Core update will take a month to roll
out (new standard?)
● All signs point to these being highly
impactful updates.
● Widespread reports of manual
penalties being enacted

9 Major Google Updates From 2023 & 2024 SEO Predictions

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9 Major Google Updates From 2023 & 2024 SEO Predictions