August's Core Update: What We're Seeing So Far, HCU Recoveries, Ranking Issues (Bug) & More...
SEO TL;DR #36 - 19/08/2024
Core Update
August 2024 Core Update: What we Know so Far
On Thursday the 15th, Google rolled out their latest Core Update, five months after their first update of the year.
It focuses on “useful content” and marks a significant shift in Google's approach to search rankings, especially concerning small and independent publishers.
It aims to reduce the visibility of content created just for SEO purposes and acknowledges feedback from smaller publishers who were hit hard by September's helpful content update (HCU).
Google states:
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 update is part of Google's ongoing efforts to refine its search algorithm to better serve users with high-quality, relevant content, particularly from smaller and independent publishers.
Keep your focus on creating valuable content, and watch for changes in your site's performance as the update continues to roll out!
HCU Ranking Recoveries
It’s early days, but there have been some hopeful signs of recovery; for example, below with one site I’ve been following:
It’s a tiny spike in visibility, and they have a long way to go to make it back to pre-HCU levels.
Glenn Gabe also posted some recovery screenshots on LinkedIn:
A number of HCU(X) sites are surging back from the dead. It's early, and we don't know where all of this will land, but it's great to see a number of sites in my list of 380+ seeing nice increases so far.
An “Unrelated” Ranking Bug
The day after the core update started rolling out, John Mueller announced that Google was having some issues with its systems that were unrelated to the core update.
As of the morning of the 19th of August, the issue is still ongoing - you can check the status of this issue here.
Your site might experience volatility throughout the update, especially with this bug, so it’s advised to wait until it’s fully rolled out before taking any drastic action. You can check on when that is here.
Updates to Google’s Core Update Documentation
There were also some updates to Google’s core updates documentation, which explain how to identify if you’ve been hit by an update and what to do.
I’ll not paraphrase the whole document, but basically they advise:
Waiting at least a full week after a core update completes before analysing your site in Search Console.
Comparing this week with a week before the core update started rolling out.
Assess how your top pages and queries were ranking before and after the core update:
A Small drop in position (dropping from position 2 to 4): There's no need to take drastic action (avoid making changes to content that's already performing well).
Large drop in position (dropping from position 4 to 29): Do a deeper assessment.
For me, two notable changes to the documentation line up with exactly what the August Core Update is trying to achieve.
Consider how you can improve your content in meaningful ways.
Rewriting or restructuring your content could make reading and navigating the page easier for your audience.
This validates techniques SEOs have been preaching for years: break up long pages into manageable chunks, add clearly defined headings (in line with keyword research), introduce a table of contents, include rich media etc.Deleting content is a last resort (if you think it can't be salvaged)
If you're considering deleting entire sections of your site, that's likely a sign that those sections were created for search engines first, not people. Deleting the unhelpful content can help the good content on your site perform better.
If your site has a large amount of low-quality content (e.g. it’s dated, is factually incorrect, has spelling errors, low engagement, doesn’t rank for anything, has garnered no backlinks, etc.) - then you might be best off removing it.
AI
Google Expands AI Overviews in Search
Google is rolling out updates to enhance AI Overviews (AIO).
New Features: A right-hand link display on desktop (accessible via site icons on mobile)with links directly within the AI Overview text.
Early results show these changes are driving higher-quality traffic to websites:Global Expansion: AI Overviews are being introduced in six new countries and are available to Search Labs users in over 120 countries.
Search Labs Updates: Users enrolled in the “AI Overviews and more” experiment can now save AI Overviews for future reference and simplify complex language with a single tap.
These updates aim to connect users with a wider range of sources, driving more valuable traffic to publishers, businesses, and creators.
Google Showing AI Overviews in Incognito Mode
As reported over at the Search Engine Roundtable, Google is quietly testing AI Overviews for users who are not signed in, including those using Chrome in Incognito mode.
Google has confirmed that AI Overviews are being shown to signed-out users in the US. However, the "AI Overviews and more" feature in Search Labs still requires opting in and signing in.
Technical SEO
Does Google Search Console Really Only Show 35% Of Your Data?
Last week, I covered the new GSC Recommendations, which showed a recommendation stating how it “only shows 35% of your performance data”.
John Mueller clarified that most users will not see this recommendation, and it’s only shown when there’s a big enough difference. He also stated:
Most sites see all / most of their data. Also, there's nuance: even when not all data is shown individually (individual rows), the graph on top is fine.
John also advised how you can use the likes of Search Analytics for Sheets, a Google Sheets plugin, to get you more data if this is the case.
SEO X PPC
More Shopping Ads Showing in Mobile Search
As reported over at the Search Engine Roundtable, Google has confirmed it is testing showing up to 18 ads in the Google Shopping ad box.
This test was spotted by Saad AK, who posted this screen recording:
Google say, “This is a small experiment exploring different configurations for shopping ads to promote greater discovery.” Which is Google for “we want to monetise as many clicks as we can”.
Even if you’ve secured the number one organic spot for, in this case, “women’s american eagle jeans”, it pays to be featured in paid results too. The more exposure you can get across all channels, the higher the chances customers will find you and potentially convert.
SEO Trends
What SEO Pros Are Prioritising in 2024
The latest State of SEO Report from Search Engine Journal reveals key insights and trends that have defined SEO over the past year. Here are the top takeaways:
Algorithm Updates: 22.2% of SEO professionals now view algorithm changes as the top challenge, up from 8.6% in 2023.
Budget Struggles: Budget constraints are the biggest obstacle, with 19.4% of respondents citing it as their primary barrier to success.
AI Influence: 29.0% predict AI will drive the most significant changes in the SEO industry.
For a deeper dive into these trends and more, check out the full report by Angie Nikoleychuk and the SEJ team here.