Google March 2024 Core Algorithm Update: New Spam Policies
Recently in March 2024, Google made a big update to its search algorithm system called the “Helpful Content Update.“ This change was meant to make search results better by showing higher-quality content and making sure it reduces the visibility of low-quality content.
Highlights of the update:
- Adding new spam rules to improve the search rankings in SERP. These new spam rules are meant to stop abuse of scaled material, site reputation, and expired domains.
- Only focusing on user-centric content
- The update means a 40% reduction in the number of low-quality search results
Google said “We believe these updates will reduce the amount of low-quality content in Search and send more traffic to helpful and high-quality sites. Based on our evaluations, we expect that the combination of this update and our previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.”
Improving Search Quality with the Core Update from March 2024:
The March 2024 core upgrade seeks to enhance search quality by providing users with more relevant and useful content. Google has improved its fundamental ranking algorithms by adding new signals and techniques to more effectively detect irrelevant webpages, poor user experiences, and content produced with the intention of manipulating search engine results.
With this move, content creators will give priority to creating content that connects to people, rather than concentrating just on ranking. This also ensures the information is truly useful, fits user needs, and adds value.
Here are a few important things to do for a better search quality ranking:
- Create valuable, informative, and user-centric content which serves the niche market.
- Incorporate your primary, secondary, and LSI keywords, and make sure it is optimized for search engine indexing and crawling.
- Improve the user experience, navigation, breadcrumbs and structure of your website.
- Optimize your website loading time to improve user experience and decrease bounce rates.
- Build quality backlinks for a high domain authority score and utilize only relevant websites.
| Benefits from the March 2024 Core Update | Implications for Marketers |
|---|---|
| Improves search results quality for users | Focus on creating valuable content |
| Improved website user experience | Optimize website structure and navigation |
| More users seeing helpful and relevant content | Strategic keyword optimization |
| Negative impact on spammy and other practices | Build high quality authority backlinks |
New Spam Policies from the March 2024 Core Update:
The March 2024 update’s spam rules are focused on three key areas:
Expired domain abuse: Google now specifically bans the purchase of expired domains for the sole purpose of hosting content of poor quality on the domain.
- Site reputation abuse: Poor content posted on reliable websites only to increase their ranking strength. Content created without monitoring and mainly for search engine rankings will be regarded as spam.
- Scaled content abuse: Publishing huge quantity of low-value, unoriginal content by human, AI, or a mix of both is considered as spam.
“By cracking down on expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse, Google is working towards a search landscape that prioritizes quality and user satisfaction.” said Google.
The Impact of the Core Update on Websites:
- Fluctuations in search rankings: The update was more complicated than usual, causing bigger changes in search rankings as various systems got updated and worked together.
- Focus on helpful content: It’s crucial not to worry if your rankings temporarily go down, as these ups and downs are usually a regular part of the updating process. Google no longer tells us about individual “Helpful Content Updates” because they’ve included the idea into the main ranking system
Future updates to stay informed:
Search Status Dashboard: After the complete core update rollout, Google will update the Search Status Dashboard. and Google aims to collect user feedback by opening a feedback form following the update’s completion.
Do I need an SEO agency to help me get over this?
Regarding core updates, while SEO agencies may not yield immediate results, they possess the expertise to navigate the technical intricacies of algorithm updates. They optimize websites to align with core update guidelines swiftly. These updates primarily focus on a website’s overall relevance and content quality. To stay current with algorithm changes, consider Blufig. Develop relevant content, establish high-authority backlinks, optimize keywords, and implement technical SEO and content marketing strategies in the right direction.
