Google regularly makes significant, broad changes to its search algorithms and systems several times a year. These are known as core updates, and we announce them on our Google Search ranking updates page. Core updates aim to enhance our ability to deliver helpful and reliable search results. This page provides detailed information on how core updates work and offers guidance on assessing and potentially improving your content.
How Core Updates Work
Pages that may see a decline in performance after a core update have not necessarily done anything wrong. They haven’t violated our spam policies or been subjected to manual or algorithmic penalties. Core updates do not target specific pages or sites. Instead, they aim to improve the overall assessment of content. As a result, some pages that were previously undervalued might perform better in search results.
Think of a core update like updating a list of the top 100 movies from 2021 in the year 2024. Naturally, the list will change as new, excellent movies that didn’t exist before are now contenders. You might also reassess some older films and realize they deserve a higher ranking. The list changes not because the older films are worse, but because there are now more deserving films ahead of them.
Assessing Your Own Content
Pages that see changes after a core update might not have any specific issues that need fixing. However, we understand that those affected may feel compelled to take action. We recommend focusing on creating the best possible content, as this is what our algorithms aim to reward. Our help page on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content offers questions to guide your content assessment.
Consider auditing the drops in performance you’ve experienced. Identify which pages were most affected and for what types of searches. Compare these pages against the self-assessment questions. For instance, other pages might be more helpful to searchers due to their first-hand knowledge on the topic. You might also seek honest feedback from trusted, unaffiliated individuals.
Recovery from a Core Update
Broad core updates typically occur every few months. Content impacted by one core update might not recover-assuming improvements have been made-until the next broad core update is released. However, we continuously update our search algorithms, including smaller core updates that we don’t always announce. These smaller updates can also lead to content recovery if warranted by improvements.
Remember, improvements made by site owners do not guarantee recovery, nor do pages have a fixed or guaranteed position in our search results. Content that deserves to rank well will continue to do so according to our systems.
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