The August 2024 Google core update was rolled out on August 15th and completed on September 3rd. This update, like other core updates, aims to refine the search engine’s content evaluation and ranking processes.
One significant change was an effort to reward smaller, independent publishers who produce useful content while deprioritizing spammy pages that provide little value. So, what does this mean for law firms?
1. New Rank Signals
Google’s algorithm updates regularly tweak search results and improve the overall quality of searches. Each update refines the system by adjusting various ranking factors and highlighting pages that offer value for users. While there are many types of algorithm updates, core updates are more comprehensive and impact a broad range of ranking factors.
The August 2024 core update began rolling out on August 15 and completed 19 days later on September 3. The change aims to elevate content that benefits users while lowering the visibility of content created solely to rank in search. It also takes into account feedback received after the March 2024 core update, which negatively impacted smaller content creators.
While some sites experienced major volatility in search traffic following the core update, others have made a full recovery. In fact, some saw their rankings and traffic increase significantly. However, the search engine’s latest move could be a wake-up call for anyone relying on short-term tactics.
John Mueller, Google’s senior search analyst, addressed concerns over the product reviews update by confirming that the bug was unrelated to the core update. Instead, he suggested that site owners focus on creating high-quality and authoritative content that meets the company’s guidelines. This is an effective strategy for maintaining visibility in search and ensuring your business stays relevant to users’ needs.
2. More Focus on Quality
As with any core update, the August 2024 Google algorithm shift places a renewed emphasis on content quality. The update is intended to “enhance our algorithms to better prioritize content that people find genuinely useful and surface it higher in search results.” Google also intends to crack down on scaled content abuse, which can harm a site’s reputation.
The update focuses on improving the receptiveness of Google’s ranking signals to improvements made by sites penalized in previous updates. The update was influenced by feedback from users and creators, which Google has incorporated into the updated algorithms. Additionally, the update is designed to give more visibility to small and independent websites.
This is one of the main factors driving the volatility seen in SERP rankings during this update. Health and medical sites, for example, have experienced notable volatility in the months following this update’s rollout. This is likely due to the fact that this update places a greater emphasis on high-quality, authoritative content across YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) verticals.
This update serves as a wake-up call for marketers who may have been relying on short-term tactics and superficial optimization. In order to succeed, law firms must now focus on creating and optimizing high-quality, user-focused content that adheres to SEO best practices. This will help them compete with other legal brands that prioritize the same practices and stay up-to-date with Google’s evolving algorithms.
3. New Features
In addition to the standard E-E-A-T principles, this latest core update focuses on boosting content from smaller and independent publishers. Google has listened to feedback since the March 2024 broad core algorithm update that negatively impacted many small creators, and this new update aims to give them more visibility in relevant searches.
This August 2024 core update also improves the receptiveness of the Google algorithms to improvements that website owners make following a penalty. It is also designed to better surface reviews from diverse sources, such as local search results and aggregated review platforms.
Like most core updates, this one will take some time to roll out. During this time, SEOs should be ready to monitor the impact on their organic traffic and keyword rankings using tools like Ahrefs and Semrush. Identifying the impact of the core update can be difficult because fluctuations in rankings are also often a result of other factors, such as changes in competitor’s rankings or even manual penalties.
This latest core update also focuses on the quality of reviews, with the aim of surfacing useful and honest information. Reviews should be clear, detailed, and provide balanced perspectives, highlighting both the benefits and drawbacks of a product or service. Reviewers should be familiar with best practices, including avoiding writing the same review across multiple platforms and only considering products or services that they have used themselves.
4. More Disruption
Often, the biggest changes introduced by algorithm updates can be difficult to understand. While core updates are meant to adjust the way Google evaluates and ranks content, this can affect a wide range of ranking factors. For webmasters and SEO professionals, this can be challenging as it may require a significant shift in strategy.
The August 2024 core update was the second major algorithm change of the year and brought with it a few changes. In particular, it focused on elevating content that benefits users and pushing down pages created solely to game the system. This could benefit smaller publishers who have been impacted by previous updates.
This update also addressed the issue of artificially generated content (also known as deepfakes). It involved adjusting the ranking algorithm to prevent non-consensual explicit deepfake images from appearing in search results. It was announced on the same day as the core update and took a week to fully roll out.
As always, it is important to remember that while algorithm changes may seem disruptive, they are not intended to punish websites. Rather, they are a way for Google to ensure that they deliver search results that align with user intent. Staying up to date with these changes is crucial for maintaining visibility and ensuring that your content is aligned with the latest guidelines.