TLDR

  • Google Releases Spam Updates Along With The March 2024 Core Update.
  • 1) Everything You Need To Know About The Update
  • 2) Core Algorithm Update
  • 3) March Spam Update
  • 4) What Does The Core Update Mean?
  • 5) What Does The Spam Update Mean?
  • 6) After The Update Is Fully Rolled Out

In addition to the March 2024 core upgrade, Google has also released various spam updates, collectively referred to as the March 2024 spam update. These changes are intended to enhance search engine results and reduce the amount of content that appears to be clickbait.

Everything You Need To Know About The Update

The first core update of the year, the March 2024 core update, involves modifications to several systems and is more involved than other core updates. With this upgrade, Google will display more relevant search results without depending on a single signal or system.

With this algorithmic update, Google will keep up its efforts to present the most beneficial material on the internet in search results. Google started optimising its ranking systems in 2022 to lessen irrelevant and unoriginal content in search. According to Google representatives, the update and earlier initiatives should result in a 40% decrease in low-quality, unoriginal content in search results.

Google released 2 updates together on 5th March 2024

  • March 2024 core update which is expected to take up to a month to complete.
  • March 2024 spam update which is expected to take 2 weeks to fully roll out.

1. Core Algorithm Update

Reduces 40% of irrelevant results to improve search quality by giving beneficial information priority over clickbait.

Bigger Than Before: The March 2024 Core Update is bigger than any of the recent Core Updates.

Helpful Content Update: The helpful content system has now become a fully integrated part of the core algorithm.

2. March Spam Update

Google released a combined spam update along with the core update and updated its spam policy. The update targets three main spam issues:

  • Expired Domain Abuse
  • Scaled Content Abuse
  • Site Reputation Abuse

What it means: Two of these spam updates will result in both automated and manual actions this week. The third policy goes into effect 2 months from today.

What Does The Core Update Mean?

As this is a complex update, the rollout may take up to a month. There will likely be more fluctuations in rankings than with a regular core update, as different systems get fully updated and reinforce each other. We'll post to our Google Search Status Dashboard when the update is finished.

Google has been receiving a lot of pressure lately that its helpful content update systems don’t work, and that search quality has degraded in recent times.

What does it do: The Core Update tries to fix this problem by large-scale tweaking Google’s core systems and the way it identifies unhelpful content.

It aims to remove as much as 40% unhelpful content!

Do you know? This upgrade is anticipated to take almost a month to fully roll out, whereas most of the recent Core Algorithm improvements took about two weeks!

Key Takeaways - Core Update

  • It aims to remove at least 40% of unhelpful content.
  • Helpful content update is now part of core Updates.
  • Multiple core systems will be updated and released during the update, meaning you should expect a rocky month ahead.

What Does The Spam Update Mean?

Additionally, Google has strengthened its spam policies to prevent low-quality content from appearing in search results. It can take up to two weeks for the March 2024 spam upgrade to go live. The search giant will continue to rely on spam detection systems, such as its AI-based spam prevention system SpamBrain.

The Spam Update 2024 is the most interesting to watch out for!

Google has introduced a spam update, and updated its spam policy, to aid the March 2024 core update.

It targets the three most specific types of search spam:

  • Expired Domains
  • Scaled Contents
  • Site Reputations

1. Expired Domain Abuse

To promote low-quality, unoriginal content in search results and give the impression that the content is from an older website, producers occasionally buy and repurpose expired domains.

What it is: Buying expired domains to boost rankings by banking on the existing backlink profile of the domain name.

Example: Buying a domain previously used by a medical site and repurposing that to host low-quality casino-related content, hoping to be successful in Search based on the domain's reputation from a previous ownership.

2. Scaled Contents Abuse

To combat the exploitation of content created at scale, whether by humans, automation, or a combination of both, Google will tighten its scaled content policy.

What it is: Generating bulk pages through AI or Programmatic SEO, that add little to no value to users.

Example: Setting up an auto-blog with the help of AI, scraping non-English website feeds and translating and publishing an English feed, using a “page-generator” of sorts to create thousands of pages.

3. Site Reputation Abuse i.e. Parasite SEO

Some excellent websites disseminate low-quality content from outside sources to take advantage of the solid reputation of the hosting site. However low-quality third-party content created exclusively for search engine rankings is now seen by Google as spam.

What it is: Paying high authority websites to host your content, usually commercial or affiliate, hoping it ranks due to their domain authority.

Example: OutlookIndia.com peddling third-party affiliate links:

Key Takeaways - Spam Update

  • Using expired domains won’t give you a head start anymore.
  • Mass-published AI and SEO sites are done for!

It would be interesting to see how my own AI content project progresses.

  • Parasite SEO would become ineffective or won’t be cost-effective anymore.

What Should You Do?

Here is what you should do as the update rolls out:

  • Maintain your content schedule like nothing has changed.
  • Keep focusing on quality link building.
  • Keep improving your technical SEO.
  • Ensure your website loads lightning-fast.

Here is why

The Secret? User Intent

Because, no matter what someone says, with every update, Google aims to promote good content, on technically sound websites that load fast and have enough quality off-page signals (primarily backlinks).

As long as you keep the fundamentals perfect, you do not have to worry about this or any other update that may come in future!

After The Update Is Fully Rolled Out

Assess the impact: Have you been impacted? In a good or bad way?

Identify the reason: Examine your data and those of your rivals. Observe the things that were won and lost. Are you able to identify a trend?

Get to work: SEO is all about hard work, time and consistency!

Word of Advice

Never make any rash decisions or radical changes on your websites, especially until the update is fully rolled out. It is a core update, which means it tweaks different core systems and each may respond differently to your website.

So, anything done in a hurry may only end up harming your website's SEO impact. Rankings should be closely watched by experts for changes. Recovering from performance dips could require updating the material and waiting for the next release.

To learn how Hocalwire may assist in transforming your current codebase into a beautiful mobile experience, Schedule a Demo right away.