Google’s August Core Update 2023: Everything You Need to Know

Here we go again. 

Google has officially wrapped up its August 2023 Core Update, marking the second major core algorithm update of the year, impacting search rankings across industry verticals. As we’re well aware, core updates tend to bring significant fluctuations in SERP rankings. Now that the rollout is done, what lies ahead?

• Was the August Core Update 2023 about something specific?
• What’s the major highlights of August Google Core Update?
• Is August 2023 Core Update the last of the year?
• Who all were impacted and is recovery possible?

Well, we have answers to most of your latest core update questions. In this blog, Upreports- the leading- online marketing firm in India– is here to share invaluable insights on August 2023 Core Update and also underline effective strategies for recovering from it.

Let’s start! 

Google August Core Update 2023: Highlights 

• This was the second core update of the year 2023.
• It started on August 22, 2023, and took 16 days to complete (That’s September 7, 2023)

• This update was indeed a big one and caused a lot of ranking volatility across many verticals in the Google search results.

• The update aims to improve the quality of its algorithm to ensure users receive the most relevant, accurate, and up-to-date search results. Pretty basic stuff. 

• August core update was a broad one and didn’t target specific industries, languages, or regions. 
• Google Search Central announced the completion of the August 2023 core update. After that, it was reported by search engine journal

• During the August core update rollout, Google started indexing CSV files.
• The early SEO industry chatter suggested this update was a fairly impactful update compared to previous core updates.
• Sites impacted registered traffic gains or losses from 20 to 80%

Biggest winners of August Core Update 

With every update, certain websites emerge as major beneficiaries. Check out the screenshot featuring the top winners from Google’s August 2023 core update

Biggest Losers of Google August Update 

Check out the screenshot showing websites that experienced a drop in their visibility index scores following the Google August 2023 core update:

Google March 2023 Core Update Recovery: Recommendations

It’s a given that every website has felt the impact, be it positive or negative, of this core update. Here’s your roadmap to better preparation and a faster recovery from the latest core update: 

• It’s important to understand that a drop in rankings doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your web pages.
• If you saw major volatility, then it’s time to review your website as a whole.
• Google advises websites to self-assess the content since the focus of organic search should be on delivering relevant answers and resources to users.
• Ensure that your pages and posts are up to date as Google has been quite clear about the fact that content ‘freshness’ is a way to determine relevance.
• Improve the relevance of your problem pages as Google outlines it’s the main purpose of core updates.

The key thing here however is to put quality at the heart of your new pages and posts; to ensure that any new content contains relevance and authority signals. 

Check out the official Google resource to recover from core updates. 

If you still can’t make the heads or tails of it, drop us an email at hello@upreports.com for a free consultation session. 

Recovery from Core Google Updates: Quick Steps

• Check your Search Console for manual action notification.
• Use tools like SEMrush to see how your competitors are doing.
• Identify which pages and keywords have been impacted the most.
• Review your backlinks profile to identify toxic links. 
• Review your website from content point of view to identify leakages.
• Review your site performance on tools like Page Speed to identify improvement areas.
• Shift content strategy to score high on EEAT and YMYL.
• Build better backlinks.

There is a high chance that your website will improve strongly in the next core update if you take care of all the above points but there are no guarantees in SEO. That said, these recommendations will put your best foot forward. 

2023 August Core Update: Final Thoughts

Turns out, there are no specific actions to take to recover. According to Google, a negative rankings impact may not signal anything is “wrong” with your pages but we do recommend keeping a watch on your Search Console for manual action notification. 

Broad-core updates tend to happen every few months. Content that was impacted in Search or Discover by one might not recover—assuming improvements have been made—until the next broad core update is released.

If your website has been impacted by the Google new update, then, we recommend partnering with us – the leading SEO company in India for faster recovery.

Got any queries to ask? Leave them in the comment section and get a quick reply from the experts.

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