Google announced a large-scale core algorithm update this past month. These routine updates are necessary to ensure the overall health of ranking algorithms—a collection of minor tweaks that aren’t noteworthy individually. However, something notable about this update is that it seems to have exacerbated the changes made to sites affected by the September 2023 Helpful Content Update. Approximately 22% of the sites that noticed changes in their traffic due to that previous update have experienced another 20%+ change in their traffic numbers. While this has generally resulted in an upward spike for some, many others have seen their decreased traffic exacerbated even further.

Whenever Google updates its search ranking algorithms, your site’s performance in search results can improve or decline. Knowing when Google makes these updates helps us determine whether changes to your site or adjustments to Google’s ranking algorithm are responsible for the shift. The best response to these updates remains the same as always: follow SEO best practices to maintain an organic ranking that is less susceptible to algorithm volatility.