In March 2024, Google rolled out a significant update to its search algorithm, which has important implications for businesses and website owners across the globe. This update focuses heavily on enhancing the quality of search results by prioritising high-quality, user-friendly content, while penalising low-quality, spammy content more harshly than before. Understanding these changes can help you optimise your site to perform better under the new rules.

Key Features of the March 2024 Update

The March 2024 core update is designed to improve how Google assesses content quality, with a strong emphasis on reducing unhelpful, unoriginal content by as much as 40%​. It targets websites that employ manipulative tactics, such as using expired domains to repurpose low-quality content and implementing aggressive spamming techniques​. We have seen here in Cyprus that individuals with very basic knowledge “discovered” ChatGPT and have gone ahead and created large numbers of low-value content so that they can get some extra rankings on Google.

What This Means for Your Website

If your website has benefited from previous updates, or if it has not yet been impacted by Google’s strict measures, it’s important to note that this update could change your site’s standing. Websites that showcase deep expertise, originality, and trustworthiness will likely see a positive impact from the update​. Of course, this is easier said than done. Someone must have the necessary knowledge in a specific field to write such content. This is why a content writer does their research, including speaking with domain experts for every industry, prior to the creation of the content.

Best Practices for Adapting to the Update

This is how our in-house team of Web Theoria’s SEO experts benefits from this update and why our clients’ websites have seen an increase in rankings:

Focus on quality content: At Web Theoria, we ensure our content is original, useful, and provides value to your readers. We create content with the intent to help users, not just to rank well on search engines​.

Improve user experience: We place a strong emphasis on user experience, in line with the latest update. Our websites are designed to be easy to navigate, quick to load, and fully responsive, ensuring they are accessible on all devices.

Regular audits and updates: At Web Theoria, we audit websites regularly for SEO health, checking for broken links, slow loading times, meta-data improvements, and technical issues including any crawl errors. Moreover, we update our content frequently to maintain its freshness and relevance​.

AI is another great tool, but not a replacement: While Google is cracking down on low-quality AI-generated content, we use AI responsibly to analyse user behaviour and improve content relevance and engagement on our websites. Therefore, using AI conscientiously can be advantageous under the updated Google algorithm, but misusing it can damage your SEO efforts.

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SEO Long-Term Strategy

The SEO landscape is continuously changing, and keeping up to date is essential for effectively managing future updates. Investing in training and resources to stay informed about Google’s changes, and focusing on a long-term strategy that emphasises user experience and content quality, are key to success. At Web Theoria, we integrate these strategies with our expertise in SEO and content marketing, ensuring our approaches are always current.

The latest Google algorithm update serves as a reminder that the best way to approach SEO is not through manipulation or shortcuts, but by committing to providing the best possible content and experience for users. By understanding and adapting to these changes, your website can survive and thrive under Google’s new guidelines.

At Web Theoria, we continuously strive to integrate the latest SEO best practices into our strategies to enhance user engagement and content value while staying in line with Google’s algorithm updates. Contact us today to explore how these insights can be tailored to your specific needs to improve your online presence.

Published on April 25, 2024