Google, the world’s leading search engine, has officially released its November 2023 core update, marking the second major change to its search algorithm in as little as two months. This rapid succession of core updates is indeed a rare occurrence in the tech giant’s history, and it has raised questions and curiosity among website owners and digital marketers.
Core updates, as explained by Google, are periodic adjustments made to the algorithms that govern its search results. The primary goal behind these updates is to enhance the relevance and quality of the web pages displayed in response to user search queries. In this case, the November 2023 core update is focused on improving a different core system compared to the October 2023 update. Despite the differences in the core systems being addressed, Google’s guidance for handling these updates remains consistent.
The October 2023 core update was the previous significant change that website owners and SEO specialists had to adapt to. It’s worth noting that while core updates are standard occurrences, having two major updates back-to-back is unusual. Google has provided some guidance for website owners in response to these updates, emphasizing the importance of creating helpful, reliable, and people-first content.
Google’s official statement regarding the impact of core updates on website owners is clear: “Chances are, there’s nothing to do for most creators who have already been working to create helpful, reliable, people-first content.” This advice suggests that websites that have consistently followed best practices for content creation and SEO should not be overly concerned about these updates.
Today we released the November 2023 core update. We'll update our ranking release history page when the rollout is complete: https://t.co/hgjEkfpbA2
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) November 2, 2023
Related to this, we’ve posted a Q&A on Google Search updates as a refresher about how updates work: https://t.co/N5p3KsJ0ta
However, Google recognizes that some website owners may experience fluctuations in their website traffic or rankings due to these updates. To address common questions and concerns, Google has published a Q&A that delves into the intricacies of how search updates work. Some highlights from this Q&A include the distinction between core updates and ranking systems, the fact that thousands of updates occur annually but only a select few are publicly announced, and the assurance that a website’s decline in performance post-update does not necessarily mean it is being penalized for spam-related issues.
Google also acknowledges the timing of these core updates, as the company tries to avoid releasing major updates during the busy holiday shopping season, although this isn’t always feasible.
To assist website owners and digital marketers who may experience issues during core update releases, Google encourages them to post questions in the Google Search Central community forums. The company’s search specialists actively monitor these forums to identify potential problems arising from the updates.
In summary, the November 2023 core update is the second major algorithm change Google has introduced in a short period. This year has seen four core updates from the tech giant, with each involving multi-week rollouts. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, website owners are advised to stay informed and focus on producing high-quality, valuable content to maintain their online visibility and rankings in Google’s search results.