November 19, 2024
Monday November 11th, Google announced that they’re rolling out their next core update. A rollout that’s announced to take about two weeks. Without any specifics on targeting and goals from Google, we’ve been monitoring chatter, and are now ready to draw some first conclusions. Let’s dive in!
Google updates in 2024
What's changing this time around
The November Core update seems to be a non-targeted broad core update. Where the past few updates' releases were accompanied with a specific goal briefing from Google Search liaison, this update got none such label. This time around, it seems to mainly include some general under-the-hood improvements to the core of Google's search algorithm.
One interesting take-away from the past few months doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon though: there still seems to be a growing overlap between organic search results and the website that are being cited in Google's AI overviews. Though it's a bit early to call, the latest core update doesn't seem to be changing up this trend.
Who this update will impact the most
As mentioned, there are no announcements to suggest any specific niches that can expect to be impacted. That said, the first week of the rollout is showing strong signs of sites in the gaming and entertainment spaces gaining ground again, after taking some heavy blows throughout the previous few updates.
And in the gaming and entertainment space, I'm seeing some huge gains for sites that have been hit hard in the past. Some in the recent past btw... They are still down compared to where they once were, but this is a very good sign for them. One I am very familiar with, and I hope… pic.twitter.com/BtAeVBSdR7
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) November 16, 2024
What to do during the rollout
As per usual, there's not much more to do than just wait out the effects of the Core update on your sites. But in this particular case, do keep the following in mind:
- With an expected rollout of about two weeks, this is a relatively short core update rollout time, which usually is accompanied with a highly volatile SERP. That's exactly what we're seeing this time around. As of November 16th, sites are starting to show sudden drops, and SERPs seem to be shifting rapidly.
What to do when you get hit
You got hit! Now what? Well, first of all: don't panic just yet. Wait for the November Core update to be fully rolled out (and then some) before taking drastic action. With a highly volatile SERP as this, big drops can subsequently result in big gains, and vice versa. So just hang tight for a few weeks, and ride out this latest update wave.
If you got hit by the latest update, and have not seen any improvements though, this might be the time to start bettering your ways, by focusing on helpful content.
We've all seen them before, I even mentioned these in my previous core update blog, but let's put the most important content quality factors in a list for you again:
- Consider the reader: make sure that your content is written with your users in mind. What is your reader looking for, what questions drive them, why are they looking for these answers in the first place?
- Make sure your content is original: Google doesn't like regurgitated content, and honestly, neither does your audience! If you're just going to repeat the different pointers that the competition already wrote about, without adding any input or insight of your own, you're better off not writing anything at all.
- Focus on quality, not on speed: Sloppiness is spelling errors are bad… for users AND for your rankings! Yes, Google cares about spelling and grammar, so let's hope that you paid attention back in school.
- Google recognizes authority: Google cares about who is producing your blogs, guides, cases, and pages alike! Use structured data for your author profiles and start building up some nice authority for the authors in your company. And yes, Google does some basic background checking if people actually exist, so don't go making up any AI writers, my friends.
Conclusion
The key takeaways from this core update as of now:
- November Core update will take about two weeks to roll out, finishing up around the 25th of November.
- The entertainment and gaming industries seem to be gaining some ground, after taking hard hits in previous updates.
- Keep calm, and don't start updating your money-pages while the rollout it still happening.
Corporate Marketing Manager
Niels Krikke is the Corporate Marketing Manager at Seeders Zwolle. With a background in strategic marketing and a sharp attention to detail, Niels is committed to creating successful marketing campaigns that deliver results for our clients. Focusing on data-driven strategies and a love for innovation, Niels plays a crucial role in the development and implementation of marketing initiatives that assist our clients in reaching their business objectives.
