GOOGLE launched the March 2024 core update and the spam update on March, 5, 2024.
The search engine declared war on spam content and vowed to change multiple core systems.
The spam update lasted 14 days and 21 hours before it ended on March, 202, 2024.
The core update lasted a record 45 days before it ended on March 19.
However, Google did not inform publishers that the rollout had finished until March 26.
How to recover from a Google algorithm update
Google’s algorithm updates can have a huge impact on your website’s visibility and rankings.
If your site has been hit negatively, you need to:
- Wait for the algorithm update to roll out
- Identify exactly what the algorithm update is targeting
- Identify the pages that have been impacted
- Review your content
- Increase the relevancy of your content
- Build authority with links
- Analyse competitors
- Make Technical SEO improvements
We go into more detail about this in our step-by-step guide on how to recover from an algorithm update.
How long will it take to recover from an algorithm update?
The time it takes for a website to recover from an algorithm update can vary depending on the impact it has had.
Once you have fixed the reasons for your drop in rankings and visbility – it can take several months to recover.
TRAFCK’s team of SEO specialists have decades of experience in helping websites recover from Google algorithm updates.
Contact us at hi@trafck.co.uk.
When will the next Google algorithm update be?
Google rolled out nine algorithm updates in 2023 and 10 in 2022.
You can keep up to date with all of the updates on Google’s Search Status Dashboard.
The last core update, prior to the one that started in March, was in November 2023.
It lasted 25 days and 21 hours and was rolled out alongside the November 2023 reviews update.
What you need to do before May 5th 2024
Google have stepped up their mission to eradicate spam content from search results by targeting third-party content.
Websites that use third-party, low-value content have until May 5th to “make any needed changes”.
Should they fail to do so, it is likely they will fall foul of Google’s strict spam guidelines.
Google will punish them accordingly – which will result in a drop off in organic website traffic.
Google analyst Gary Illyes said: “The only reason the owners of these micro-sites rent the sub-spaces is to manipulate search results.”
The search engine do not want to surface content that feels like it has been made purely for the sake of getting clicks.
Instead, Google understandably want to prioritise helpful, reliable, people-first content.
If you want to take the risk and try and integrate the third-party content with your website TRAFCK SEO agency can help. Contact us at hi@trafck.co.uk.
Read our full step-by-guide to lower the risk of your site being negatively impacted on May 5th.
What should you do if you receive a manual action?
Any website that breaches Google’s policies and guidelines are at risk of receiving a manual action.
A manual action can lead to a decrease in website traffic and online visibility.
In the worst cases, your website can be completely deindexed and removed from Google’s search results.
Google have stated: “Ever since there have been search engines, there have been people dedicated to tricking their way to the top of the results page.
“This is bad for searchers because more relevant pages get buried under irrelevant results, and it’s bad for legitimate websites because these sites become harder to find.
“For these reasons, we’ve been working since the earliest days of Google to fight spammers, helping people find the answers they’re looking for, and helping legitimate websites get traffic from search.”
You can appeal against a manual action.
- Expand the manual action description panel on the report for more information.
- See which pages are affected.
- See the type and short description of the issue, and follow the “Learn more” link to see detailed information and steps to fix the issue. (You can find the detailed information for each action below on this page).
- Fix the issue on all affected pages. Fixing the issue on just some pages will not earn you a partial return to search results. If you have multiple manual actions on your site, read about and fix all of them.
- Be sure that Google can reach your pages; affected pages should not require a login, be behind a paywall, or be blocked by robots.txt or a noindex directive. You can test accessibility by using the URL Inspection tool.
- When all issues listed in the report are fixed in all pages, select Request
- Review in this report. In your reconsideration request, describe your fixes. A good request does three things:
- Explains the exact quality issue on your site.
- Describes the steps you’ve taken to fix the issue.
- Documents the outcome of your efforts.
- Reconsideration reviews can take some time (see below). You will be informed of progress by email. You will get a review confirmation message when you send your request, to inform you that the review is in progress; don’t resubmit your request before you get a final decision on your outstanding request.
This appeal can take several days or weeks.
Monitor your emails as Google will send you confirmation when the request is received.
How do I know if I have received a manual action?
You can find out if you have received a manual action by checking the Manual Actions report and in the Search Console message centre.
A count of manual actions against your site can be seen at the top of the report.
Remember, a manual action can be against a single page of your site or your entire site.
There are several types of different manual actions that are used by Google, including:
- Spammy free host
- Site-abused with third-party spam
- User-generated spam
- Structured data issue
- Unnatural links to your site
- Unnatural links from your site
- Thin content with little or no added value
- Cloak and/or sneaky redirects
- Pure spam
- Cloaked images
- Hidden text and/or keyword stuffing
- AMP content mismatch
- Sneaky mobile redirects
- News and Discover policy violations
- Site reputation abuse
How can TRAFCK help you recover from the March 2024 core and spam updates?
TRAFCK are experts at all elements of SEO from technical to on-page, backlink building and mobile optimisation.
We have worked closely with a number of worldwide clients to help them bounce back after an algorithm update.
Our team of experts can analyse your site and find the issue that has been penalised by Google.
Once we have identified the problem, we can fix it.
We will implement a long-term SEO strategy to ensure your website is not permanently punished.
TRAFCK can sort the Manual Action appeal for you in order to get the action lifted as quickly as possible.
If you have any questions or are keen to know more, reach out to us at hi@trafck.co.uk