How to Survive Google Core Update: 14 Expert SEO Tips

Do you, like every other site, wonder how to survive a Google core update? This is a burning question, as the most recent core update, which started on November 11, 2024, is now rolling out.

And you might not like the answer.

Although Google itself and various SEO service sites offer some guidance on how to stay afloat, the reality is that no one can guarantee what will work and what won’t.

However, who knows the closest-to-reality answer than true SEO experts? We compiled the top 14 actionable ideas for you to implement and go through this major hurdle with gains or, at the very least, minimal losses.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What Exactly Is Google Core Update?
3. Dire Consequences of Google Core Updates
4. Top 14 Tips to Survive Google Core Update
5. What Tools Can Help Analyze the Impact of a Google Core Update?
6. How Long Does It Take to Recover From a Google Core Update?
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What Exactly Is Google Core Update?
3. Dire Consequences of Google Core Updates
Show Full Guide
4. Top 14 Tips to Survive Google Core Update
5. What Tools Can Help Analyze the Impact of a Google Core Update?
6. How Long Does It Take to Recover From a Google Core Update?
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

What Exactly Is Google Core Update?

However, individual websites do get hurt. Some of them even die.

Dire Consequences of Google Core Updates

According to Search Engine Journal, Google’s March 2024 core update, which targeted low-quality content and spam, ‘killed’ more than 800 websites and completely deindexed them from search results.

According to Google’s official results estimates, the update helped to show 45% less low-quality, unoriginal content in search.

Guessing how Google’s algorithms work is a thankless task. Instead, you can try to ‘save’ your content by following some SEO expert tips that might help you outlast the update.

Top 14 Tips to Survive Google Core Update

1. Stay Calm & Monitor Update Completion

The first thing to do during an update is not to panic or make hasty decisions, said Sergei Prakapovich, SEO expert and founder of Mellow Promo.

He told Techopedia:

“It’s crucial to wait until the update is completed. Google usually announces when major updates are finished, but it’s better to monitor the situation yourself, as there have been cases where SERPs stabilized weeks before Google officially declared the update over.”

To monitor SERPs, you can use tools like Semrush Sensor, MozCast, or Algoroo.

2. Identify the Type of Update

“It’s important to understand the type of update happening, whether it’s a core update, spam update, helpful content update (HCU), or something entirely new,” said Prakapovich.

“Determine if it directly affects your site or if you can rest easy.”

Hanna Pazdniakova, SEO expert and founder of InDevApp, said:

“You need to figure out what the latest google update is mostly related to. It can be connected with low-quality backlinks, paid content on your website, or AI-generated texts.”

3. Assess the Impact of the Update on Your Site

Check what parts of your site have been affected (either negatively or positively) and try to find patterns, said Julio Alcolea Verdejo, Techopedia’s SEO expert.

“Don’t jump to potentially wrong conclusions. Analyze the impact of the algo update on your site properly before taking action. I wouldn’t suggest going crazy and trying to update all pages that could have been affected without a plan.”

4. Analyze Your Underperforming Pages

“In case your content starts performing badly and drops in positions, you need to make a list of pages that performed well before and analyze each page separately,” Pazdniakova said.

She suggested comparing each article by the main keywords within SERP’s current TOP 5 articles:

Alcolea Verdejo also pointed out the importance of doing some benchmarking. He said:

“Check if the algorithm update has affected your competitors as well and how. Review SERPs looking for patterns and if there have been changes in behavior. Check similar sites to see if they have been affected the same way as yours.”

Conducting a detailed analysis is a must.

5. Analyze Winners & Losers

Once the update is completed, you should analyze the winners and losers in your specific niche, Sergei Prakapovich suggested.

What differentiates the sites that performed well from those that didn’t?

“Global ‘winners and losers’ lists are also published after each update. I recommend reviewing these lists to understand which sites gained or lost rankings,” Prakapovich said.

A good resource for this is the Sistrix blog. Its early November 2024 core update analysis suggests:

“As of November 18, one week into the rollout, there has been very little change above normal levels, and this can be clearly seen when looking at the peak of the August 2024 Core Update. Each day is, however, bringing a higher level of change.”

Google Core Update Data: First examples from a very slow start in the November roll-out. https://t.co/fFgOkSr8Vx

— SISTRIX (@sistrix) November 18, 2024

Andrey Starikow, SEO expert and founder of an SEO agency, suggested you can add queries from different niches to track the performance of each query site after an update.

Starikow told Techopedia:

“Add queries from different niches: ‘best online casinos Singapore,’ ‘movers San Diego,’ ‘buy Bitcoin.’ After each update, keep track of which query sites are dropping and which are growing.

“By selecting falling and growing sites from different niches, you will be able to find common traits. For example, all the pages that dropped in position had less than 1,000 words. Vice versa, pages that had more than five links leading to them, or those sites that have more frequent branding started ranking higher.”

6. Review Emerging Studies & Learn From Successful Sites

Prakapovich also believes that learning from the consequences of the last update can help.

“Over time, studies will emerge analyzing what types of sites performed well or poorly in the update and identifying common patterns,” he said. “It’s important to review these findings and figure out what you can adjust on your site to feel more confident during the next update—or to recover from any negative impact from the current one.”

It’s also beneficial to study sites that consistently grow after every update.

“You can also learn a lot by finding a project that successfully recovered from a poor update and analyzing what it did to turn things around,” Prakapovich added.

7. Address Content Gaps & Plan Improvements

If you find a content gap and other issues, create a plan for improving the content, Pazdniakova said.

“Find new keywords you may rank for, analyze articles on TOP to see what keywords they are targeting, their content structures, and any FAQs you don’t have. Do they have more external links than you? In this case, Ahrefs is one of the best tools. And don’t forget about your internal linking strategy.”

Starikow also suggested experimenting with internal linking.

“Google evaluates internal links differently depending on whether they are placed in the text, header/footer, or a dedicated linking block. It’s possible that some pages lack sufficient link equity, while others might be leaking too much.”

8. Check AI Content Percentage

Always review the percentage of AI-generated content in your articles to ensure quality and originality. Fully AI-generated content doesn’t meet Google’s quality standards.

“Many websites advise against publishing AI-generated texts, especially if you’re preparing content for link-building purposes. Future Google Core updates may focus on AI-generated content and penalize websites that use it. A high percentage of AI-generated content can negatively impact your article’s ranking,” Pazdniakova said.

9. Improve User Behavior Metrics

Analyzing user behavior is also crucial, Pazdniakova noted.

“If your article is well-written but you still have a high bounce rate and low conversions, you need to think about how to improve these metrics. For instance, you can add more visual elements or come up with a new, catchy CTA.”

10. Address Technical Issues

It is no less important to check technical issues on your website, especially problems with site speed, experts agreed.

Low page speed due to layout problems or too heavy images can significantly decrease your page performance.

11. Pay Attention to External Optimization

After checking your content quality and comparing it with TOP Google, pay attention to your external optimization.

Hanna Pazdniakova told Techopedia:

“Check low-quality backlinks and outbound links, and disavow or delete them if needed, but do so carefully. Optimize your articles with high-quality backlinks, and create a link-building/outreach plan: identify the pages you want to improve, the list of anchors you want these pages to rank for, and the number of links you aim to acquire each month. For example, choose those which will appear natural and not be regarded as manipulative by Google.”

However, do not rush to disavow links, Andrey Starikow added.

“Google often recognizes a sharp disavowal of links after a drop in position as an attempt to manipulate the SERPs, which can result in further penalties for your site,” he said.

12. Diversify Your Link Profile

Starikow suggested to diversify your link profile:

“Perhaps, Google reduced the impact of a certain type of links, such as crowd links, in this update. As a result, the amount of inbound link equity to your site might no longer be sufficient.”

Don’t overlook the ratio of inbound links to the total number of pages on your site, Starikow added.

“If your website has 20 backlinks but 10,000 pages, the link equity won’t be sufficient to rank those pages effectively. Consider removing pages that generate no impressions.”

13. Build Evergreen Strategies

Speculating on how you can future-proof your content from the negative impact of Google core updates, Sergei Prakapovich said:

“One evergreen strategy that can help, even if an update impacts your site negatively, is brand traffic and diversifying your traffic sources. Ensure that the success of your project doesn’t solely rely on organic search traffic.”

Starikow echoes this view, suggesting pumping up your site’s branding.

“In addition to links, brand mentions are important in 2024. Google looks at the number of pages that have mentions and the number of brand queries from people.”

14. Execute the Recovery Plan

Ensure that your recovery plan addresses all the basics and strengthens all the weaknesses by offering quality content, verifying that your pages’ content aligns with user intent, and checking technical SEO vitals, said Techopedia’s Alcolea Verdejo.

Having executed the recovery plan, “make sure to track the changes/updates you are executing to identify at a later stage if the improvements are working or not.”

What Tools Can Help Analyze the Impact of a Google Core Update?

• Google Search Console: to monitor traffic and performance changes.
• Google Analytics: for deeper insights into traffic trends.
• Ahrefs: to track keyword rankings and backlinks.
• Screaming Frog: for site audits to identify technical issues
• ContentKing or OnCrawl: for real-time content and SEO monitoring.
• Semrush Sensor, MozCast, or Algoroo: to monitor SERPs.
• KWFinder: to search for keywords in specific countries.

How Long Does It Take to Recover From a Google Core Update?

Recovery can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. It will depend on the severity of the impact, the quality of implemented changes, and when Google rolls out subsequent updates to reevaluate your site.

The Bottom Line

Surviving a Google core update requires a calculated and calm approach. You can start by regularly monitoring the impact of updates with reliable tools to track your SERP changes.

It’s extremely important to future-proof your website by diversifying your traffic sources and constantly improving your content and user experience.

There are no secret cheat codes; Google algorithms will remain unpredictable. However, a flexible and adaptable approach might help you minimize losses and rank high.

FAQs