Google released its November 2024 core update to Google Search last November 11.
According to the tech giant, this update is designed to continuously improve the quality of search results by showing more helpful content, rather than content created solely to perform well.
However, the announcement was met with predominantly pessimistic feedback, as previous updates did not bode well for content creators.
Today we released the November 2024 core update. We'll add it to our ranking release history page in the near future and update when the rollout is complete. For more on core updates: https://t.co/43pVoYH8k7
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) November 11, 2024
During Google’s recent Web Creator Summit, many spoke out about how Google updates affect their website traffic.
CMSWire reports that the latest update is a response to the Helpful Content Update (HCU), which was a major topic of discussion — and frustration — at the summit.
Many attendees reportedly expressed their dissatisfaction, with website owners reporting significant drops in search engine rankings and traffic.
According to PPC Land, Google engineers could not determine the reasoning behind the under-performance.
Google Updates: A Cautionary Tale
Despite reassuring website owners not to worry about core updates, Google Search Central released several warnings and checklists in case of a noticeable drop in traffic. Users were asked to:
- Confirm that the core update has finished rolling out by checking the Search Status Dashboard.
- Wait at least a full week after a core update is completed before analyzing your site in the Search Console.
- Assess how your top pages and queries are ranking before and after the core update. A small drop needs no action, while a large drop requires a deeper assessment.
- Analyze search types separately to help you fully understand the drop.
The most recent update follows hot on the heels of Google’s most volatile core update yet. Rolled out in August, it was meant to improve the quality of search results based on creator feedback.
While some updates seem to disrupt rankings in hopes of improvement, others enhance functionality and access to new technologies.
In September, Google introduced another major update to its Photos app, enabling users to edit videos with AI.
