Google has updated its guidance on core algorithm updates, providing more detailed recommendations for impacted websites.
The revised document, published alongside the August core update rollout, includes several additions and removals.
New Sections Added
The most significant change includes two new sections: “Check if there’s a traffic drop in Search Console” and “Assessing a large drop in position.”
The “Check if there’s a traffic drop in Search Console” section provides step-by-step instructions for using Search Console to determine if a core update has affected a website.
The process involves:
- Confirming the completion of the core update by checking the Search Status Dashboard
- Waiting at least a week after the update finishes before analyzing Search Console data
- Comparing search performance from before and after the update to identify ranking changes
- Analyzing different search types (web, image, video, news) separately
The “Assessing a large drop in position” section offers guidance for websites that have experienced a significant ranking decline following a core update.
It recommends thoroughly evaluating the site’s content against Google’s quality guidelines, focusing on the pages most impacted by the update.
Other Additions
The updated document also includes a “Things to keep in mind when making changes” section, encouraging website owners to prioritize substantive, user-centric improvements rather than quick fixes.
It suggests that content deletion should be a last resort, indicating that removing content suggests it was created for search engines rather than users.
