TLDR: 2024 Google Core Update impacts ad-heavy and affiliate sites; big brands benefit. Internal communication gaps at Google and complexity in algorithm updates noted.
This article is a summary of a You Tube video “Google Core Update 2024: Winners & LOSERS Revealed” by Julian Goldie SEO
Key Takeaways:
- Delayed Announcement of Core Update Completion: The core update finished rolling out on the 19th, but Google only announced it on the 25th, which sparked various theories, including potential delay due to a pending earnings call.
- Internal Communication Issues at Google: The conversation suggests that there might be poor communication within Google’s teams (SEO, PPC, Spam, etc.), implying a disconnection that might affect the execution of updates.
- Impact on Websites: Websites like Michael Denich’s, which was featured in Google’s case studies for monetizing content, experienced severe penalties and traffic drops post-update.
- Complexity of Google’s Algorithms: The multitude of overlapping patents and algorithms at Google makes it impossible for anyone, even within Google, to fully understand the ranking formula.
- Rollbacks and Adjustments: Google might make adjustments or rollbacks based on feedback from manual quality raters who evaluate websites for specific keywords.
- Impact on Different Site Types: The update negatively impacted ad-heavy sites and affiliate sites, while big brands and platforms like YouTube and Pinterest seemed to benefit.
- Upcoming Site Reputation Abuse Update: Speculation about the next update includes more manual action penalties, particularly targeting directories that misuse their domain reputation.
- Role of Live Streaming and Engagement: Live streaming is gaining importance as a more engaging and trustworthy format than traditional content delivery methods.
- SEO Strategies and AI Content: Recent updates have shown that Google’s algorithm updates are less about the nature of the content (AI-generated vs. human-written) and more about the overall SEO strategy employed.
- SEO and Trust: Building trust, especially for high-stake transactions like selling diamonds, can be more effectively achieved through interactive platforms like Facebook Live.
