Your Ultimate Guide to Major Google Algorithm Updates & Penalties

​AI-generated spam content: With more content being produced by AI, some bad actors generate huge volumes of AI text stuffed with keywords, hoping to rank. Google’s SpamBrain surely evolved to catch AI spam that’s published without oversight. Sites doing this en masse could be severely hit.

Evasive link schemes: Spammers are always trying new link tactics – maybe 2025 saw an uptick in things like injecting links via widgets or PDF uploads for SEO. Google might have refined detection of unnatural link patterns. If your site’s backlink profile suddenly included a lot of links from dubious sources (perhaps a negative SEO attempt or an old link scheme coming to light), you might see ranking declines.

Cloaked malware pages: A perennial issue – some hacked sites show phishing or malware pages to users but hide from Google. The spam update likely continues to identify and demote any such compromised content. If your site’s security is lax and you got hacked without realizing, the spam update would treat those pages as spam and possibly impact your site’s overall rankings.

​Audit new content for quality: If you ramped up content production with AI, review those pages. Make sure they provide value and aren’t just fluff around keywords. Remove or improve low-value pages. Also, ensure AI content hasn’t introduced hidden spam (sometimes AI can generate odd outputs or base content on spammy sources).

Check your backlinks regularly: Use SEO SpyGlass or Google Search Console’s link report to monitor new inbound links. If you see a surge of links from irrelevant or low-quality sites, disavow them preemptively rather than wait for Google to possibly trust them less (which could indirectly hurt you). While Google is good at ignoring bad links, a spam update might recalibrate values and suddenly those bad links drag you down until they’re disavowed.

Secure your site (again): 2025 websites should all be on HTTPS and regularly scanning for vulnerabilities. If you haven’t, consider a security plugin or service. Google’s August 2025 update reminds us that even a few spam pages on an otherwise legit site can tarnish it. Schedule periodic security audits.

Follow content guidelines: If you’re not sure whether something might be seen as spam, refer to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines (now part of Search Essentials). For example, doorway pages (multiple pages targeting similar keywords to funnel to one destination) are a no-no – if you still have any, consolidate them. The same goes for keyword stuffing: ensure your content reads naturally, not like a string of search terms.

​Content stagnation: Sites that haven’t been updated or expanded in a long time risk falling behind sites with fresher, more comprehensive content. Google’s algorithms may favor content that is both high-quality and up-to-date, especially in niches where information evolves (tech, health, finance, etc.). A static site could see slippage.

Competitive landscape changes: A core update is like a re-ranking based on current conditions. If new competitors or existing ones dramatically improved since March 2025, June 2025 might have reshuffled rankings to reflect that. Thus, your site could dip even if you didn’t do anything wrong, but rather others did things better.

Edge-case content: Sometimes core updates target specific patterns. For instance, perhaps Google got better at understanding when content is borderline spammy vs. genuinely informational in certain query types. If you have content that sits on the fence (e.g., “SEO bait” content that is mostly fluff around a keyword), that might lose positions to content that directly answers the query.

​Embrace the latest search features: By 2025, Google’s search results often include AI-generated overviews (as part of Google’s Search Generative Experience), rich snippets, and more. While the core update doesn’t directly tie to those, sites that structure their content well (using schema, clear headings, concise summaries) may be more likely to be featured. In optimizing for core updates, also optimize for featured snippets and AI overview inclusion – e.g., have a brief paragraph that clearly defines or answers the primary topic question. This can help you both rank well and possibly get picked up by AI summaries.

User engagement focus: If available, use tools like Google’s Search Console Insights or behavior analytics to see how users interact with your content. High bounce rates on important pages might indicate the content isn’t meeting user needs as well as it should. Improving those pages (or providing a more direct answer sooner on the page) can both improve engagement and make the page more helpful, aligning with what Google wants.

Leverage community feedback: By now, you might have a community or readership. Listen to their feedback. Comments, forum discussions, or social media can reveal if your content has gaps or errors. Proactively fixing these not only makes your audience happy but also tends to improve your SEO. A well-maintained page that addresses user concerns can perform better after core updates.

Keep building authority: 2025’s landscape values not just what you publish, but who you are. Continue to build your site’s authority through ethical link-building, PR, and perhaps author reputation. If you have experts, have them publish under their own name with a detailed bio (Google can recognize author entities). A strong positive reputation can indirectly influence how your site is perceived (for instance, a medical site with content by accredited doctors will likely have an edge).

​Sites with unresolved quality issues that might have survived previous updates by luck felt the sting. E.g., if your site still had a lot of thin pages or mediocre content, this core update might have been the tipping point for Google to demote those.

No major new targets were identified by Google publicly – it wasn’t like a new system introduction. But some SEOs reported that the March 2025 update didn’t seem as widespread in impact as some prior ones, suggesting it fine-tuned rankings rather than overhauled them. Thus, hazard mainly lies in how you compare to competitors. If a competitor improved significantly and you did not, you might have lost rankings even if your site didn’t “get worse.”

Stability for well-optimized sites: Many webmasters noted that if they had taken all the prior advice (improving content, etc.), March 2025 was relatively stable or even positive for them. So the hazard was primarily for those who hadn’t yet adapted fully to Google’s quality standards.

​Conduct a fresh content audit: It’s 2025 – content that was great in 2019 might be outdated now. Update or prune content that no longer serves users. Merge pages if you have overlap, to create one stronger resource. Tools like WebSite Auditor can list pages with low word counts or outdated optimization. Don’t forget to update things like title tags and meta descriptions if the page content has changed (to maintain relevance).

Review Google’s core update guidance again: Google’s documentation on “What site owners should know about core updates” is evergreen. Re-read their questions. For instance, they emphasize that a drop doesn’t necessarily mean a violation or problem – sometimes other content is deemed more relevant. The remedy is often to make your content even better. Look at the pages that replaced yours in rankings – analyze what they have that you don’t, and consider adding similar value.

Enhance user experience signals: While Google officially says core updates aren’t about things like Core Web Vitals or mobile-friendliness (those are separate algorithms), a poor UX can indirectly hurt engagement and thus perceived quality. By 2025, most sites have implemented the basics. But if you haven’t (secure your site with HTTPS, ensure mobile responsiveness, improve site speed), you’re behind the curve. Use WebSite Auditor’s Page Audit or Google’s PageSpeed Insights to catch any lagging technical issues.

Be cautious of AI content: With the boom of AI, ensure you’re not publishing AI-written content without human oversight. Google’s stance is quality, not the method of creation, but many AI-written pieces can sound generic or have factual errors. Continuously fact-check and enrich any content that started with AI assistance. If March 2025 made one thing clear, it’s that “helpful, reliable, people-first content” remains the north star

​Affiliate spam: Late in the year, spammy affiliate sites or coupon sites often proliferate. This update likely cracked down on those auto-generated “best deals” pages that provide little real value. If a site was churning out doorway pages for holiday sales or using scraped content to rank for Black Friday/Cyber Monday terms, it would be at high risk.

Cloaked content and link spam: Given its broad nature, any lingering cloaking schemes or link networks could have been taken down. By this time, SpamBrain was very advanced. If your site somehow benefited from a private blog network or paid links through 2024, this update might have neutralized those gains (or worse, penalized the site).

Hacked content injections: A spike in hacking and defacement can occur around holidays when webmasters are slower to respond. Google’s systems might have targeted hacked sites aggressively so that hacked pages (often filled with spam or malicious redirects) don’t rank. If your site was unknowingly hacked and showing spammy content, you’d likely see a sharp drop.

​Year-end audit: It’s wise to do a quick audit of your site at year-end. Look for any unusual new pages in Google’s index (site:[yourdomain]) that you didn’t create – a sign of hack. Check Google Search Console coverage and security reports. If anything looks off, fix it immediately (restore clean backups, remove injected code, etc.).

Reconfirm your link philosophy: If you engaged in any link buying during the year thinking it slipped under Google’s radar, assume it won’t slip past year-end. The December spam update was powerful; many reported significant ranking drops attributed to link issues. Use SEO SpyGlass’s Penalty Risk to identify links that might be causing trouble. It’s better to disavow a spammy link than to let Google possibly misattribute it to your SEO strategy.

User-first approach to affiliate content: If you run monetized content (like product roundups or coupon codes), make sure it’s truly useful. For instance, a coupon site should have only valid, updated coupons and maybe extra info like success rates or tips for saving – not pages of expired codes just for SEO. A product roundup should have genuine comparison criteria and perhaps personal testing notes, not just a rewritten manufacturer blurb for each product.

Stay secure and up-to-date: Keep your CMS, plugins, and libraries updated to prevent hacks. Use secure passwords and enable 2FA for critical accounts. Google can penalize you for spam even if you didn’t put it there (hacked spam), so prevention is key.

​Sites that saw gains in November might have seen partial reversals or further gains. Because November and December were likely targeting different aspects, it’s possible a site could uptrend in one and downtrend in the other. For example, maybe November rewarded your content quality, but December adjusted something about link signals which you were weaker in (or vice versa).

Sites that panicked or made hasty changes after November: If someone radically altered their site in the week between updates (not that there was much time), those changes might not have the intended effect, or could even hurt if they misdiagnosed the issue. It’s a reminder that knee-jerk reactions to one update can be risky.

Ecommerce and holiday sites: The timing right before the holidays meant e-commerce sites were concerned. If an online store dropped in rankings in mid-December, that’s painful. The hazard here might be if a site had thin product pages or auto-generated descriptions – core updates can affect those. Google historically doesn’t love doing big updates in late December, but this one was done by Dec 18, presumably to minimize Christmas week disruptions. Still, any site with weaknesses in content or technical SEO during the crucial season could have been impacted.

​​​​​​Don’t double-count issues: If you were hit in November and again in December, carefully identify if it’s actually two separate things or just one prolonged issue. For instance, check if different sections of your site were affected in each update. November might have hit your blog content, while December might have hit product pages (or vice versa). Use analytics segmentation (by directory, by content type) to spot patterns.

Maintain course on quality: Google launching another update so soon reinforces that their direction didn’t change – they are simply fine-tuning. So, do not revert any quality improvements you made. Instead, look for additional enhancements. Perhaps the December update wants to see better internal linking or improved meta information (since it was so quick, some theorized it might relate to how sites interlink content or something less content-heavy).

Monitor external factors: It’s possible the December update also calibrated how sensitive the rankings are to factors like user engagement or backlink freshness. Keep an eye on your link profile – LinkAssistant can help discover new link opportunities to strengthen your site’s authority if you suspect you’re lacking there. Similarly, ensure your content remains fresh if appropriate (don’t let key pages become outdated).

Learn from competitors who consistently rank: By end of 2024, identify any competitor site that seems to weather all these updates well. Study their site: content depth, site architecture, new content frequency, etc. They are doing something right in Google’s eyes across multiple updates. Emulate the good (not by copying content, but by adopting successful strategies).

​​Content that “feels made just to rank.” If your site had any remnants of content that exist solely for attracting search hits – maybe old clickbait articles, or pages targeting obsolete keywords with no real value – those would be prone to drop.

Sites resting on laurels: If you hadn’t updated your site or content in a long time, other sites that have been actively improving might have outranked you. Core updates often reassess comparative quality, so a competitor’s steady improvements can result in your relative decline.

On the positive side, websites that diligently focused on user satisfaction likely saw gains. If you saw users responding well to your content (e.g., more sharing, more direct traffic, better retention), that often correlates with core update improvements.

​​​Review Google’s own statement: The quote above basically tells you what to do – make content that people find genuinely useful. It may help to occasionally step back and critique your site as if you were a user. Is there something more you’d want from an article? Are your pages answering all common questions on that topic? Using tools like Content Editor can reveal popular questions or subtopics (from People Also Ask boxes, etc.) that your content might be missing.

Holistic site quality: By this point, you should assume Google looks at site-wide signals too. The presence of some thin pages can be a drag on overall site quality perception. If you haven’t already, remove or improve any low-quality pages. Perhaps run a Website Auditor crawl for content quality – look at word count, duplicate content flags, and low PageRank (internally) pages. This can pinpoint sections of the site to either prune or polish.

Stay updated on guidelines: In late 2024, Google’s documentation and guidelines had seen updates (e.g., a refreshed Search Quality Rater Guidelines adding the “Experience” factor, turning E-A-T into E-E-A-T). Ensure your knowledge is current. For instance, the additional “Experience” criteria means first-hand experience content is valued. If your site can incorporate more real-life examples, case studies, or personal experience, do it.

Plan for resilience: Given another core update was coming a month later (unexpectedly), the lesson is to always be ready. Keep a habit of continuous improvement – core updates favor those who iterate and enhance their sites regularly, not just in reaction to ranking drops.

Sites with genuinely useful content that were previously under-valued might have gained (which is a good thing), but conversely, sites that gained in Sept 2023 by perhaps removing tons of content or heavily altering their strategy might have seen some adjustments. In other words, if someone over-pruned content to recover from Sept 2023, August 2024 might have readjusted rankings once quality improved across the web.

Thin affiliate sites or AI-heavy sites that survived up to 2024 could have been hit here if they hadn’t been caught earlier. Every core update is another chance for Google to identify patterns of low-quality content.

No single niche was called out, but given the mention of small publishers, there’s a suggestion that some previous bias against certain smaller sites was corrected. If your site is smaller but high-quality, you may have gained; if your site is large but coasting on authority with mediocre content, you might have lost some ground.

​​​​Quality and balance: If you removed a lot of content due to earlier updates (to eliminate unhelpful pages), consider if you can add new, high-quality content to fill any gaps in your topical coverage. Google likes to see sites continue to be relevant and comprehensive in their field. A news site, for example, that cut down on thin articles should start publishing well-researched articles to regain “freshness” and depth.

User feedback and engagement: One form of “feedback” Google might indirectly use is how users interact with sites post-update. Monitor metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and scroll depth. If Google’s tweaking how it values content, better user engagement will be a positive signal that your content is truly helpful. Use Google Analytics or behavior analysis tools to find pages where engagement is low and improve them (maybe the content isn’t meeting expectations set by the title, etc.).

Stay the course with E-E-A-T: Continue showcasing your experience and expertise. If August 2024 rewarded some sites that were previously hit, it could be that Google got better at recognizing truly expert small sites versus fluffy content on big sites. So, if you’re a smaller site, don’t be discouraged – double down on demonstrating your niche expertise. If you’re a bigger site, don’t rely only on your domain authority; make sure every article is as expert and trustworthy as it can be.

Technical health check: It never hurts, with any core update, to ensure technical issues aren’t holding you back. Run a crawl with WebSite Auditor to catch broken links, orphan pages, slow load times, etc. While core updates are mainly about content, a technically healthy site ensures your great content can be found and appreciated by Google.

Websites that host deepfake videos or images without clear context or disclaimers could be negatively impacted. For instance, a site that shares doctored videos as clickbait might find those pages unable to rank.

Content farms that pump out AI-edited media (e.g., altering images of public figures or generating bogus audio clips) for traffic could see a decline. Even if their SEO (titles, tags) was good, Google is explicitly trying to filter such content.

On the flip side, legitimate sites that expose or discuss deepfakes (like fact-checking websites) might get a boost. If your site deals with news or facts, not being mistaken for a deepfake source is crucial.

Avoid misleading uses of AI content: If you use AI-generated images or voiceovers, always provide context. Don’t present them as real. Mark them clearly (e.g., “Illustration generated by AI”). For example, if you have a history blog and you create an AI-generated image of a historical figure for illustration, say so. Transparency can help both users and search algorithms trust your content.

Don’t engage in deepfake sensationalism: Some sites might be tempted to share trending deepfake videos or images for quick traffic (e.g., a fake video of a celebrity doing something shocking). This may have worked before, but now it’s risky. It’s better to either not share such content, or share it only in the context of debunking it, citing credible sources.

Monitor image/video SEO: Keep an eye on how your multimedia content is performing. If you notice drops in image search or video search traffic around August 2024, audit those files. Ensure you’re not accidentally getting flagged. For instance, an AI-generated stock image on your site might be fine, but if Google misidentifies it as a harmful deepfake, you might need to use a different image or add more descriptive alt text and surrounding text to clarify its nature.

Leverage authenticity signals: If you produce original videos, consider using techniques like watermarks, logos, or even embedding metadata that assert authenticity. Google hasn’t said it uses such signals, but anything that distinguishes your real content from potential fakes could be beneficial. In written content, linking to authoritative sources and being factual will help you be seen as a reliable result, even in queries that might be affected by deepfakes.

Websites with spammy user-generated content (UGC) could be hit. If your site has forums or comments that aren’t moderated, Google’s improved systems might more aggressively downrank those pages or sections. For example, a Q&A site filled with spam answers or a blog with comment spam might see impacts.

Cloaking and sneaky redirects continued to be a prime target. A general spam update often means Google found new ways spammers were cloaking content or redirecting users, and adjusted the algorithm. Sites inadvertently using outdated practices (like showing Google a keyword-stuffed page but redirecting users to a cleaner page) could be caught in the net.

Spam in different regions/languages: Google keeps extending its spam handling to be truly global. If some languages or countries had unique spam practices slipping through, June 2024 likely addressed more of those. For instance, if a certain link network was primarily affecting a non-English market, this update might have neutralized it.

Moderate user content: If you allow users to post on your site, invest in moderation tools or personnel. Remove spammy posts and links promptly. Consider using nofollow or ugc attributes on user-submitted links automatically, to avoid any association with spam links.

Review site sections separately: It’s possible to have parts of your site flagged as spam while others are fine (for example, a blog that’s great but a neglected forum that’s pure spam). Use Google Analytics or Search Console to segment performance by subfolder. If one section’s traffic drops in late June 2024, investigate that section for spam signals.

Keep technical SEO clean: Ensure there’s no cloaking on your site – serve the same content to Googlebot and users. Don’t hide text or links in your HTML (e.g., using white text on white background, or zero-size text). These tricks are old, but some sites still have remnants of them which could trigger spam flags.

Educate editors and contributors: Sometimes well-meaning content creators might add unnecessary keyword-stuffed paragraphs or scrape a definition from another site thinking it helps. Make sure everyone involved in your site’s content knows to produce original, valuable text and to avoid any form of plagiarism or keyword stuffing.

Scaled content abuse: Mass-producing content (via automation or cheap labor) with the primary intent to manipulate rankings, not help users.

Expired domain abuse: Purchasing expired domains with established authority and repurposing them solely to host low-quality content for SEO gain

If you built a network of sites or bulk pages with thin, keyword-stuffed content (perhaps using AI or spinning to scale up), Google can algorithmically identify this pattern as “search spam” now. Even if the content isn’t a classic virus or trojan, the mere fact that it’s produced in bulk for SEO can trigger penalties.

If you acquired an expired domain (maybe a once-legitimate site) and put unrelated or low-quality content on it to piggyback off its old backlinks, that domain likely lost its remaining value. Google made it clear that without the original site owner’s oversight, such third-party content on a previously authoritative domain is considered spam.

General spam tactics (cloaking, hidden text/links, etc.) continued to be enforced, so all prior hazards from spam updates remain (hacked content, link farms, etc.).

Don’t pursue quantity over quality: Resist the temptation to create 100 micro-sites filled with mediocre content. One authoritative site is far better than many thin sites. If you manage multiple domains, ensure each has a unique purpose and valuable content. Quality control is key – even if content is written by AI or multiple authors, have an editorial process to maintain standards.

Be cautious with expired domains: There are legitimate uses for an expired domain (like redirecting it if it’s a close variant of your brand, or reviving a truly relevant site). But if you do use one, rebuild it with extremely high-quality content that serves the audience that domain was known for. Also, disclose changes (so users aren’t deceived). If your intent was solely to leverage its backlinks or authority without providing value, you’re better off not using the domain at all.

Continue general best practices: Use SEO SpyGlass regularly to spot any spammy backlinks (which might increase if spammers create scaled content linking to you – a negative SEO attempt). Monitor Google Search Console for manual action notices, since Google mentioned both automated and manual actions would be used for these spam types. If you get a warning about “spammy content” or “unnatural links,” address it immediately by removing or disavowing the problematic elements.

Educate your team or clients: If you’re an SEO agency or have content freelancers, ensure everyone knows about these updated spam definitions. Sometimes spam occurs not out of malice but ignorance (e.g., a well-meaning content team might start mass-producing AI articles thinking more is better). Make sure the focus stays on helpful content creation, not just volume.

Google incorporated its Helpful Content system more deeply into the core ranking process, and aimed to reduce low-quality or unoriginal content in search results by 40% (a goal which they later updated to 45% during the rollout).

Several spam-related policies were introduced alongside (and as part of) this update – Google launched new spam definitions for “scaled content” and “expired domains” abuse on the same day, and a parallel March 2024 Spam Update (covered next) rolled out together.

This update was so broad that it didn’t target one specific niche; it was a sweeping quality improvement across the board.

Low-quality content of any kind: If your site had pages that were merely rehashing others or created just to target keywords, this update likely hurt them. Google explicitly said after this update that users would see significantly less unoriginal content in results.

AI-generated content that isn’t up to par: By early 2024, many webmasters were using AI tools to create content. Google’s stance was that AI content is fine if it’s helpful. This core update, with its helpful content integration, would downgrade AI or auto-generated content that failed to meet the quality of “leading websites” on the topic. Sites relying heavily on unsupervised AI content may have seen drops.

Sites affected by previous helpful content updates: Google indicated this update took into account feedback from the September 2023 helpful content update. Many small publishers hit hard in Sept 2023 saw some recovery in March 2024 – conversely, sites that didn’t improve after Sept’s hit might have been hit again or further in March.

Double down on content originality: Ensure every piece of content on your site has a reason to exist. Can you say it’s unique, thorough, and genuinely useful compared to what's already out there? If not, consider merging it with other pages or improving it. Use Content Editor in Website Auditor to compare your content against top competitors – it will suggest missing topics and help gauge if your content is thin or over-optimized.

Embrace E-E-A-T fully: March 2024 reinforced that Google is seeking quality. Update your site to highlight author expertise (add author bios, credentials), user trust signals (HTTPS, privacy policies, customer service info for e-commerce, etc.), and real experience (case studies, original research, images of your work, etc.). The better you demonstrate E-E-A-T, the more likely Google’s core algorithms will favor you.

Watch out for spam indicators: With spam policy rollouts alongside, make sure you’re not inadvertently tripping spam filters. For example, if you bought an expired domain and repurposed it, Google now may algorithmically view that as spam if the content is low quality. Ensure any such domains are filled with great content and not just used for redirects or link-building schemes.

Be patient and monitor recovery: This update took a long time to roll out. If you made positive changes (like removing a bunch of duplicate pages or improving content) during the rollout, the effects might not be seen until it was complete. In some cases, you might need to wait for the next core update for a full recovery. Use Google Search Console and analytics to monitor gradual improvements in indexation and ranking.

Any remaining thin or template-like reviews on your site could cause trouble. For example, if an e-commerce site hosts user reviews, a pattern of very short, generic reviews might collectively hurt the site’s review content quality.

Websites built entirely on low-value reviews (like certain affiliate sites with just a collection of brief product summaries) may have seen further drops. Google’s ongoing improvements mean the bar was raised even higher for what counts as a “helpful review.”

Overlap with the core update means some sites might mistake core-related drops for review-related drops. But if your non-review pages held steady and only your review pages fell, that’s a sign you were hit by the Reviews Update specifically.

Embed reviews in a broader content strategy: Standalone review pages are fine, but consider adding more value – e.g., comparisons (“Product A vs Product B”), top 10 lists with detailed analysis, or guides that incorporate your review findings. This creates richer content that can perform well even without standalone “review” labels.

Encourage substantive user reviews (if applicable): If your platform allows user-generated reviews (like a forum or product comments), encourage users to leave detailed feedback. You might prompt them with questions (Was the product as described? What did you use it for? etc.). High-quality user reviews can augment your content’s value in Google’s eyes.

Use structured data appropriately: While not a direct ranking factor, adding proper Review Schema markup for your reviews can enhance how Google displays them (and ensure Google understands which parts of your page are reviews). Just avoid any schema abuse (like marking up fake reviews), as that could incur a manual penalty.

Sites on the edge of Google’s quality thresholds: A site that barely survived the October update might have been pushed down in November if another ranking factor (like backlink trust or semantic relevance) was recalibrated.

Sites with poor internal diversity: Some reports noted that this update aimed to ensure more diverse results. If your site had multiple pages ranking for many of the same queries (especially if they were of middling quality), Google might choose only the strongest and drop the rest, favoring diversity in search results.

Overlap with the Reviews Update (Nov 2023) means if you had a lot of review content, you needed to meet both core and review criteria (high quality, plus depth in reviews).

Improve content depth and uniqueness: Strive to make each page on your site the single best resource for its topic. If Google is refining different parts of its system (like understanding synonyms, intent, or link signals), it’s doubling down on rewarding truly stand-out content. Enrich your pages with unique insights, up-to-date information, and multimedia where appropriate.

Monitor your backlinks and brand signals: Since this could involve another “core system,” ensure your off-page SEO is solid. Disavow any spammy links (in case Google’s link valuation changed) and build your brand reputation (mentions on authoritative sites, good PR, etc.). A strong, trusted backlink profile can help signal your site’s authority in the niche.

Patience and analysis: Because the rollout was long (nearly a month), you might have seen rankings bob up and down. Don’t react impulsively to mid-rollout fluctuations. Instead, once it’s done, use Rank Tracker’s SERP Analysis to see how your rankings settled vs. competitors. If certain competitors consistently outrank you post-update, study what they do well – page experience, content length, use of schema, etc. – and consider adopting similar best practices.

Some sites might have experienced compounded effects (e.g., a slight core-related drop made worse by a spam-related drop). If a site saw a big hit in early October, it could be suffering from both: overall content relevance issues (core) and some spam signal (spam update).

The core update itself, in isolation, appeared to be a standard broad update. Sites that noticed ranking declines without any spam issues likely had content that was outperformed by competitors after Google’s re-ranking. This could include pages that lacked comprehensive coverage of a topic, had poorer user engagement, or didn’t match the user intent as well as others.

Sites that saw gains were often those that had been investing in content quality and freshness, suggesting the October core update rewarded those improvements, even as it penalized others.

Assess content quality anew: If you experienced a drop, perform a competitor analysis. Who replaced you in the rankings and why? Tools like Rank Tracker can help identify which pages gained while yours lost. Compare your content side-by-side with the new top performers. Is your article missing key subtopics? Is the format less user-friendly? Update your content to close those gaps.

Check for spam flags: Since a spam update was simultaneous, review your site for any spammy elements (as noted above for the spam update). It’s possible a site could recover from the core update part but still languish due to a spam issue, or vice versa.

Wait for stabilization: Because two updates overlapped, Google’s advice was essentially to wait until both rollouts finished before making major changes. If by late October you saw no rebound, then proceed with improvements. Always document your changes and monitor their effect on rankings over subsequent weeks and months.

Cloaking and hacked content: Sites that show different content to Google than to users, or that have been compromised to inject spammy pages/links, are a major focus. Google said this update improved handling of cloaking, hacked content, and scraped/auto-generated content.

Link spam and unnatural links: Although this was not a dedicated “Link Spam Update,” sites with egregious link schemes (buying or selling links, PBN participation) often see drops during spam updates. Google continues to nullify credit from unnatural links as it did in December 2022, so manipulative link profiles remain a hazard.

Spam in multiple languages: If your site has multilingual content, ensure all versions meet guidelines. Google’s improved language coverage means non-English web spam is now caught more reliably. For example, techniques that might have “slipped through” in languages like Turkish, Vietnamese, or Hindi are now under the spam algorithm’s lens.

Audit your backlink profile: Use SEO SpyGlass to check for toxic backlinks to your site. Remove or disavow links that are clearly manipulative or from spammy domains. The tool’s Penalty Risk metric can highlight links that might be devalued or harmful.

Avoid black-hat tactics: If you have engaged in any link schemes, cloaking, doorway pages, or scraped content, cease immediately and clean up where possible. For instance, remove auto-generated pages or spun content. Adhere strictly to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines for quality.

Improve site security: Since hacked content is a target, secure your site. Keep your CMS and plugins updated, and monitor Google Search Console for any security alerts or sudden appearance of unfamiliar pages. Promptly fix any hacking issues to minimize damage.

Leverage LinkAssistant for safe link-building: Instead of buying links, use LinkAssistant (part of SEO PowerSuite) to find legitimate link opportunities. It can help you organize outreach for guest posts or resource page links, focusing on white-hat link-building techniques that provide real value. By sticking to earned links and quality partnerships, you’ll avoid penalties during spam updates.

Sites with lots of aggregated or AI-generated content that wasn’t genuinely helpful. The improved classifier could more effectively catch content farms or sites pumping out articles just to rank.

“Parasite” content on otherwise reputable sites: Google indicated that hosting large amounts of content from others (e.g., guest posts or sponsored content) purely for SEO gain could be considered spammy. This means even high-authority sites could be dinged if they opened their doors to low-quality third-party content.

Misleading freshness: Some sites attempt to game rankings by frequently updating the date on articles without substantially improving the content. The documentation updates suggested Google is aware of this tactic. Such manipulative date changes or content swaps can now be recognized by the helpful content system.

Audit your content for true value: Comb through your site and identify pages that might be “fluff.” Ask the hard questions Google provided – e.g., “Does this page answer a question that actually has no answer?” or “Is this content mostly a rehash of what others have said?” If yes, either improve it significantly or consider removing it. It’s better to have a smaller site with truly helpful, original content than a large site full of filler.

Be transparent and authentic: If you accept guest posts or user-generated content, vet them for quality. Ensure any content on your site meets your standards and serves your audience. Also, avoid mass-produced content (even if using AI) unless you thoroughly edit and add originality to it. Google explicitly took a stance against content produced at scale for SEO purposes in its spam policies around this time.

Leverage Website Auditor’s Content Editor: The Content Editor can help you optimize content while keeping it human-friendly. It analyzes top-ranking pages and can suggest if your content is straying into “search-engine-only” territory (for instance, by flagging keyword stuffing or lack of depth). Use these suggestions to rewrite any pages that might be borderline unhelpful.

Sites with outdated or stale content lost some ground to fresher, more relevant pages. This suggests Google may have placed more emphasis on content freshness and ongoing usefulness.

Websites that had previously “coasted” on old authority but hadn’t updated in a long time might have seen declines (anecdotally reported by some webmasters).

As always, pages with persistent quality issues (poor mobile experience, slow loading, lots of thin pages) were at risk.

Keep content up-to-date: Review your top content periodically and update it if necessary. August 2023’s relatively mild impact on regularly updated sites suggests that freshness and relevance are important.

Use Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines as a compass: While these guidelines don’t directly determine rankings, they reveal what Google values. Ensure your site demonstrates experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness in its topic area. This might involve citing trustworthy sources, having detailed “About” pages, and getting credible backlinks.

Monitor your site’s metrics: Use Rank Tracker to watch for any traffic or ranking drops around the update dates. The tool can overlay update dates on your performance graphs, helping you see if the August 2023 Update correlates with a change in your SEO metrics. If you spot a correlation, prioritize that area for improvement (content quality, link profile, etc.).

Thin affiliate websites with generic service reviews or travel destination “reviews” that were not based on real experience could be hit.

Websites that previously weren’t affected (because they didn’t have product reviews) but had other review content (like movie review blogs or local business review roundups) might have seen impacts if those reviews lacked substance.

Spammy or AI-generated reviews became more dangerous to use, as Google’s system now evaluates all review content similarly to product reviews.

Maintain authenticity and depth: Whether reviewing a product, a service, or a piece of media, ensure the content reflects personal expertise and genuine analysis. For instance, a software review should include your hands-on experience, pros/cons, comparisons to competitors, and who it’s best suited for.

Follow Google’s review guidelines: Google’s 15-point checklist for reviews (originally for products) is now relevant to all reviews. Questions like “Did I provide evidence such as visuals or metrics to substantiate my conclusions?” or “Did I discuss comparable options?” are important for any review content.

Edit or remove shallow reviews: Audit your site for any reviews that don’t meet these standards. It’s better to improve them or remove them if they provide little value. For example, a 100-word movie “review” that just says “It’s great, I liked it” won’t cut it post-update.

Identify pages with thin content or high bounce rates and improve them by adding depth, useful information, or multimedia.

Ensure your site is technically sound – fix slow-loading pages, mobile usability issues, or any Core Web Vitals problems.

Consider the search intent your content serves. After core updates, pages that best satisfy user intent tend to rise. Update your content to better answer the queries it targets (monitoring People Also Ask and related searches for hints).

Provide in-depth, authentic reviews: Ensure your reviews contain original research, pros and cons, comparisons, and evidence of hands-on testing or expertise. If you run a multilingual site, apply the same quality standards across all languages.

Add supporting details: Include photos, videos, or audio of the product in use, and links to multiple sellers where appropriate (Google explicitly recommends this). This demonstrates that your content is created to help users, not just to rank.

Use expert knowledge: Reviews written by enthusiasts or experts carry more weight. Make sure the author’s expertise is clear to both users and search engines (for instance, through author profiles).