2024 Google algorithm updates
August 2024 core update
Aug. 15
◾ Took into account feedback following the September 2023 helpful content update, negatively impacting many small and independent publishers.
◾ Google updated its help page, including more in-depth guidance for those who may see changes after an update.
◾ Some sites hit by the September 2023 helpful content update saw some improvement, but not full recoveries.
◾ Rollout is expected to take about a month.
Deepfake ranking system update
July 31
◾ Updated its ranking system to help ensure deepfake content does not rank highly in Google Search.
◾ Google aims to show "surface high-quality, non-explicit content like relevant news articles when it is available" instead of deepfakes.
June 2024 spam update
June 20
◾ It is a general and broad spam update.
◾ Rollout completed June 27 (7 days).
Site reputation abuse
May 6
◾ Google said third-party content produced primarily for ranking purposes and without close oversight of a website owner would be considered spam, for example, a third party publishing payday loan reviews on a trusted educational website.
◾ Some SEOs refer to this practice as "parasite SEO."
◾ Google pre-announced this update as part of its rollout of the March 2024 core update and spam updates (March 5).
◾ Google will take both automated and manual actions. As far as known, this was not launched algorithmically.
March 2024 core update
March 5
◾ A more complex algorithm update, with multiple core systems getting updated and released, resulting in more fluctuations in rankings than a regular core update.
◾ Google said unhelpful content in Search would be reduced by 40%.
◾ The update will take up to a month to roll out.
◾ Google’s helpful content system was incorporated into its overall core ranking system.
March 2024 spam updates
March 5
◾ Scaled content abuse, producing content at scale to boost search rankings whether with automation, people, or a combination, was classified as search spam.
◾ Expired domain abuse, buying expired domains and repurposing them with the intention of boosting the search ranking of low-quality content, was classified as spam.
◾ Google started taking action against these new types of spam through algorithmic spam systems and manual actions.
◾ Rollout completed March 20 (14 days).
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