What You Need To Know About The Google November 2024 Core Update

Google announced on X  and LinkedIn the release of the November 2024 core update last week. This is the third core update for the year and similar updates happened in March and August. This Google algorithm update started rolling out globally on 11th November and will take around two weeks to complete. The effects of this update can impact search results in all languages.

Like previous updates, this core update aims to improve the quality of search results by reassessing how content is evaluated. If this is your first time experiencing a Google core update, here’s what you need to know.

What is the New Google Update 2024

Google can often be quite vague when it comes to its initial core update announcements. In their post on LinkedIn about the November 2024 core update, Google said: 

“This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.”

This means that the update is a part of Google’s continued efforts to prioritise helpful, reliable, and user-focused content over content that was just written to rank well. 

Some of the main things to know about this update are:

• This is a Google SEO update that includes big system-wide changes that are broad and not targeted to specific websites or pages.
• It’ll take two weeks to complete the update
• It will affect all regions and languages 
• You can find more information about Google Search’s core updates here

What Happens if the New Google Core Update Affects My Site?

Core algorithm updates like the November 2024 core update can affect search engine results in all industries. This can result in a shift in rankings over the coming weeks and months. 

If your site experiences a traffic drop during the core update:

• Don’t panic! You’ll have to wait until the rollout is completed before you see the full impact of the update. This is typically within two weeks
•  Check Google Search Console Data to compare data before and after the update so you’ll be able to track changes in traffic or rankings.
• Look out for significant declines in rankings. While minor position changes (e.g. dropping from position 2 to 4) often don’t require you to take action, large drops in rankings of 20 or more positions will need investigating.

According to Google, as long as site owners continue to focus on creating engaging and helpful content that serves the needs of people and isn’t just for search engines, you won’t need to do much to prepare for the update. If your site already includes original, optimised content that serves the user well, the effects of the update should be minimal. You should continue to make quality improvements to your site. 

It’s worth keeping in mind that Google updates aren’t guaranteed to have a negative effect on rankings.  However, recovering from any negative impact caused by this latest update could take several months with no guaranteed outcomes.

Tips on Assessing and Improving Your Content

• Evaluate whether your site provides helpful, reliable, and user-focused content.
• Analyse your impacted pages and compare them with your competitors. This will help you to determine whether your competitors meet searchers’ needs better.
• Focus on meaningful, sustainable improvements and avoid “quick fixes”
• Only delete content as a last resort if it’s unhelpful and cannot be improved.

If you’re unsure how to improve your content or need help understanding how Google’s core updates might impact your site, SEM Consultants are here to support you. As a trusted digital marketing agency, our SEO services specialise in optimising websites to align with changes to the search algorithm so your content remains fresh, engaging and helpful to your audience. 

Contact us today to find out how we can start improving your online presence.