⏰

​On 5th March Google released two updates; a core update and a spam update. Google says these are more significant than previous updates and will take approximately one month to roll out.

🗑️

Google's definition of spam has been expanded to specifically include websites which are "created primarily to match very specific search queries". This likely means the AI-generated Q&A-type spam sites that have been popping up.

🪤

The updates also mention they will be taking action against "content at scale sites", even when human oversight of AI is involved. This clarifies Google is not just going after AI, it has all low-quality content in its sights.

⌚️

Google also clarified "Expired domains that are purchased and repurposed with the intention of boosting the search ranking of low-quality content are now considered spam."

⚠️

Google also issued a 2-month warning that they will be taking action against sites that host "low-value, third-party content produced primarily for ranking purposes, without close oversight of the website owner" from May 5th.

🔥

​Dozens of low-quality websites were completely de-indexed by Google following manual "Pure Spam" actions within hours of the update being rolled out, many featuring heavy use of low-quality AI content.

❌

​On 7th March, "Misleading content" manual actions started happening, in a possible "phase 2" that is impacting sites in News and Discover, with several examples popping up.

📊

​Originality.ai produced a report that showed all penalised websites they analysed showed signs of using AI, and 7 of the 14 penalised websites had over 90% of content likely written by AI.

📣

​Many people are also claiming to have received penalties on websites with no AI content. This is not unexpected, it is believed Google is simply going after low-value content, much of which happens to be AI.

📝

​Google's Quality Rater Guidelines have been updated to specifically say if a website mentions 'some articles' are generated by AI and may have errors or be out of date, the website should be given the lowest EEAT score.

🧑‍🔬

​Ian Nuttall has compiled a sheet of 49,345 websites that he is tracking the indexed status of, and has so far detected over 800 of these websites have been completely de-indexed.

🗺️

​Google Maps got a big AI update, with conversational map search, quick AI suggestions, immersive view, Lens in Maps, and photo-first results all being added.

🛍️

​Google appears to have rolled out the Shop with Google AI feature to some users after announcing it back in November. Shop with Google AI allows you to generate images of the item you're looking for and search for similar products.

Improving Site Quality Score

One of the things I do to help SEO is align other channels where possible. For instance, if we have video assets on TikTok, I will try and make the call to action “Search [brand] [keyword]”. Why? 🤔

Apart from being a natural action for users that’s easier than remembering a URL, Google already has patents for “Site Quality”, which includes measurements of when queries are specifically aimed at your website/brand (same with anchor text). These are all signals that your website is the place to go for that topic. It all helps! 😎

An analogy for link trust and authority

When it comes to links, trying to explain concepts of trust and relevance can be tricky. Here's how you can explain it ⬇️
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Think of links as recommendations. If 10 strangers recommended a restaurant to you, it would likely have some impact, but you don't know who these people are and they don't know anything about you or what you'd like.
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Now, imagine if your best friend recommended the same restaurant; you know and trust them, they have your best interests at heart and they probably know what you'd like! That single recommendation is worth way more to you. This is similar to how links work with search engines, links from trusted websites are worth more.
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In terms of relevance, think about if your car has trouble and you want to ask someone for help. Everyone has 'that friend' who knows about cars and they are likely who you will turn to, even over your best friend! Again, search engines will look at the relevance of links and a link from a website that is an expert in your topic can be more valuable to you than a random link from elsewhere.
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However, like friends - it's good to have a mix of all sorts!

Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines

Google maintains the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, which is a 170-page document which provides a framework for quality raters to perform their task. All SEOs should read this document.
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📜 While Quality Raters do not directly impact rankings, the document provides a clear steer for how a human can objectively rate a website, based on the kind of things Google is looking for.
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❗ The document was just updated (5th March), after the latest Core and Spam update, specifically they updated the characteristics of untrustworthy pages and added illustrative examples. These updates can be useful to glean even more information on how the latest updates way work.

What is the best long-term SEO strategy?

I think it’s a good time to remind people that the best long-term SEO strategy is one that aligns you with Google’s goals, which is why I recommend reading the Search Quality Rater Guidelines. 📰
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“Well, it works” is something you’ll hear from someone trying to justify why they’re doing something that obviously isn’t right. Of course, many of those things do work…. Until they don’t. 🔥
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Having worked in SEO for 20 years, I’ve seen these situations before and the companies that get lured in by these tactics always regret it in hindsight when they’re trying to rebuild their business, which can take years and a lot of money chasing the money you already spent. 💸
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If you’re always chasing the algorithm, you will by very definition, be behind. By building a strategy around desired outcomes, you’re setting yourself up with the best chance of being helped by, not hindered by, inevitable updates. 🏃‍♂️

Commonly missed things during site migrations

Here are some of the most common mistakes I have seen doing >100 website migrations:
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📉 Not setting up redirects for non-canonical URLs with backlinks (e.g. with marketing parameters)
📉 Not realising URLs are case sensitive and making broken redirects
📉 Migrating a global website to a ccTLD instead of gTLD
📉 Not migrating images
📉 Not migrating or redirecting assets with links (e.g. PDFs)
📉 Moving high-traffic pages 'down' in link structure on the new website
📉 Removing 'non-commercial' URLs that have great links and letting them 404
📉 and of course - going live with "noindex" still on

Top Core Updates referrer leaderboard

A big thank you to our top referrers, who have signed up over 10 people to the Core Updates newsletter, go follow them!

🥇 MJ Cachón Yáñez (LinkedIn / X)

🥈 Lidia Infante (LinkedIn / X)

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~Mark Williams-Cook