Key Changes and How to Protect Your Rankings
Staying on top of the Google algorithm updates in 2024 is vital for any business that relies on online traffic. In 2024, Google made major changes to how websites are ranked, focusing on rewarding helpful, well-written content while reducing the visibility of sites using low-quality or spam-driven tactics. These updates had a noticeable impact across many industries, with some websites seeing sharp drops in traffic while others gained ground by following best practices.
If you have seen changes to your rankings or want to make sure your website is ready for the year ahead, it is important to understand what changed and how to adapt. Below, we give a full breakdown of the key Google updates from 2024 and what they mean for your SEO strategy moving forward.
Key Google Algorithm Updates in 2024
Over the past year, Google continued its goal of improving the quality of its search results. It introduced a series of core and spam updates that focused on cutting out weak content and promoting websites that offer real value to users.
March 2024 Core Update
Google began the year with one of its biggest core updates to date. This update focused on removing poor-quality, AI-generated, and unhelpful content from the search results. Websites offering unique, informative, and expert-led content gained the most from these changes.
Impact:
- Thin content with little real value dropped in rankings.
- Websites with original content, created by people with proven knowledge, improved in visibility.
- Sites that relied on recycled, low-quality posts were affected the most.
March 2024 Spam Update
Shortly after the core update, Google launched a spam update to target large-scale content abuse and the misuse of expired domains. This aimed to stop websites that used mass-produced, low-value content from manipulating search rankings.
Impact:
- Spammy sites using bulk content creation lost ranking positions.
- Websites using clean, honest SEO practices maintained stable performance.
August 2024 Core Update
Google’s second core update of the year focused on refining the work started in March. This update rewarded people-first content and improved how Google measures expertise and authority within a page.
Impact:
- Websites that improved their content after the March update often regained or grew traffic.
- Those using basic SEO tactics without improving content saw little benefit.
November 2024 Core Update
This update focused on promoting relevance and authority in search results. Google refined its systems to better understand the intent of a page and the quality of the information provided.
Impact:
- High-authority sites with strong, trusted content improved.
- Sites using SEO tricks without offering real value were hit hardest.
December 2024 Core and Spam Updates
Google finished the year with back-to-back updates. These focused on tackling spam, low-quality backlinks, and doorway pages, while improving the visibility of well-structured, trustworthy websites.
Impact:
- Websites with natural backlink profiles and clear site layouts performed best.
- Spammy link-building schemes and fake doorway pages lost effectiveness.
Changes in Google’s Ranking Signals
Throughout 2024, Google placed greater weight on several key areas:
- Content Quality: Original, helpful, and expert-written content became the foundation of strong rankings.
- User Experience: Site speed, mobile performance, and layout became more important for search visibility.
- Backlink Quality: The focus shifted from the number of backlinks to the quality and relevance of the sites linking back.
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust): Google increased the value placed on content created by people with proven experience and knowledge in their field.
These shifts mean that the old ways of trying to “trick” search engines no longer work. The best way forward is to build a website that gives users what they want in a clear, helpful way.
How SEO Strategies Have Shifted
Many businesses have had to change their SEO strategy in 2024 to keep up with these updates. Successful websites now focus on:
- Creating Helpful Content: Writing clear, useful, and original content that serves real needs.
- Showing Real Expertise: Sharing knowledge and experience in a way that builds trust with users.
- Improving Website Structure: Making sure the site is easy to use, fast to load, and works well on all devices.
- Building Natural Backlinks: Gaining links from other trusted websites through high-quality content rather than link schemes.
- Cutting Out Spam Tactics: Removing keyword stuffing, hidden links, doorway pages, and other outdated tricks.
