The SEO community is buzzing with discussions about Google’s latest August 2024 core updates. These updates have had a significant impact on a large number of websites, limiting their organic reach algorithmically and resulting in manual action penalties. Recovering from these penalties can be a time-consuming process, taking several weeks or even months.

While these updates are still ongoing, there is a misconception that search engine optimization should provide immediate results. However, patience is crucial in this field.

Understanding Google’s August 2024 Core Update

Google’s core updates are major adjustments to its search algorithm that affect how pages are ranked on search engine results pages (SERPs). The primary goal of these updates is to prioritize content that is informative, useful, and aligns with user intent.

The August 2024 core update is the latest in a series of algorithm changes aimed at improving the relevance and quality of search results. Previous updates include spam updates in March and June 2024.

These close succession updates have made it challenging to determine which specific changes have impacted websites.

Understanding Google's August 2024 Core Update — Understanding Google’s August 2024 Core Update

Google’s June 2024 spam updates targeted manipulative and deceptive practices that violate Google’s webmaster guidelines. Some of the specific ways Google tackled spam in this update include:

Reducing low-quality results that add little or no value, including webpages designed solely for search engine manipulation.
Combating the use of AI to generate low-quality content at scale for better search rankings.
Addressing the practice of parasite SEO, where low-quality content is hosted on reputable websites for unfair ranking advantages.

“Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those.”
– Google blog update, August 2024

It’s important to mark the date of these updates and note that they primarily focus on content quality rather than link manipulation.

Recovering from Google’s August 2024 Core Update

Recovering from a Google core update, similar to the recovery process for the Helpful Content Update, is possible. However, it’s essential to understand why the penalties occurred in the first place. Most commonly, websites violate Google’s content policies, resulting in degraded rankings, manual penalties, or algorithmic deindexing.

To address these penalties, you’ll need to rebuild trust with Google through the following steps:

Fix the mistakes that led to the penalties.
Show Google that your website can be trusted.
Demonstrate your long-term commitment to following Google’s guidelines.

Common issues you may encounter during the recovery process include:

Algorithmic Deindexing: Google’s algorithms automatically deindex websites that fail to meet specific criteria. Although this is not a manual penalty, it indicates a lack of compliance with Google’s standards.

Manual Penalties: A manual penalty is a deliberate action taken by Google, often accompanied by a notification in Google Search Console’s manual actions tab.

Steps to Recover from Google’s Core Update Penalties

To recover from penalties resulting from the August 2024 core update, or any other penalties, follow these three steps:

1. Erase Unhelpful Content

High-quality content is essential for ranking on search engine results. Eliminate any unhelpful content, including:

Thin content that lacks depth and fails to meet search intent
Weak content designed solely for ranking purposes without providing valuable information
Scraped or manufacturer-provided content
AI-generated content created to manipulate search rankings
User-generated spam

Review your website’s search performance report in Google Search Console to identify pages that have not attracted meaningful traffic or ranked well. Delete these pages and consider consolidating well-written pages that target similar keywords. Redirect old pages to your main page for those keywords.

If you have generated a substantial number of low-quality pages using AI tools, it’s time to prune them. Remember, Google does not oppose AI-generated content as long as it provides valuable information instead of simply drawing clicks.

2. Consider a New Domain

If you have been using expired domains to boost your rankings, be cautious. Google’s March 2024 update crack downs on the practice of purchasing expired domains and repurposing them with low-quality content.

If your content is irrelevant to the original domain’s theme (e.g., a government or educational site) or you’re misusing its authority for low-quality content, it’s time to acquire a new domain.

Using a 301 permanent redirect may still be seen as an abuse of the previous domain’s ranking power. Therefore, starting fresh with a new domain is often the best solution (if necessary).

3. Address Black-hat Techniques

In 2024, black-hat SEO tactics should have no place in your strategy. Avoid practices such as:

Cloaking: Showing different content to search engine crawlers compared to users, which manipulates search engine rankings and can lead to penalties.
Redirects: Deceiving search engines by displaying different content to users versus their crawlers, compromising search result integrity.
Parasite SEO: While not inherently a black-hat tactic, using reputable websites to host lower-quality content is considered spam.

Timeline for Core Update Recovery

Google releases core updates every few months, and if your content has been affected, it may not fully recover until the next broad core update. However, improvements can be recognized by Google’s search algorithms as they evolve over time.

Key Takeaways

Follow Google’s content policies closely to avoid penalties. Providing high-quality, informative content is essential.
Regularly audit your website for spammy practices and eliminate them to maintain trust with Google.
Stay updated with Google’s guidelines, as they may change and impact your site’s ranking.
Consider the risks of using expired domains for SEO benefits, as this can lead to penalties under the new update.
Recovering from a core update requires patience and adherence to Google’s best practices. Immediate improvements may not be visible until the next update.

Conclusion

Recovering from Google’s August 2024 core updates requires a strategic approach. By adhering to Google’s guidelines, optimizing your content, and consistently demonstrating your commitment to high-quality practices, you can improve your website’s rankings over time.

For the best group buy SEO tools to support your optimization efforts, consider utilizing the services of Best SEO Tool. With their wide range of SEO tools, you can stay ahead of the game and achieve long-term success.