Google has been a dominant player in the search engine industry for a long time now. In an effort to provide the best possible user experience, Google regularly updates its search algorithms. On March 15, 2023, Google released a new core algorithm update that has been causing quite a stir in the SEO community. This update is the first major core update of 2023 and has been the most significant update in recent years the rollout tool 13 days to complete.
In this blog, we will analyze the new Google core algorithm update and what it means for website owners and digital marketers.
What Is Google Core Algorithm Update?
Google’s core algorithm updates are broad changes that affect the way Google’s search engine works. They are designed to improve the quality of search results by promoting websites with high-quality content and penalizing those with low-quality content.
The purpose of Core Updates is to keep the SERPs updated and relevant to user queries. Think of it as a menu of a restaurant. Updating the menu after some time is pretty much similar to the Copre Update to keep the list relevant to what users want.
The latest core algorithm update has been called the March 2023 Core Update. Let’s discuss some insights about this update.
What is Google March 2023 Core Update?
According to Google, the March 2023 Core Update is focused on providing users with more relevant, authoritative, and trustworthy content. The update aims to make sure that the websites that rank at the top of the search results are the ones that offer the best content and user experience.
The update has reportedly affected a large number of websites and caused significant fluctuations in search engine rankings and traffic. Some websites saw significant droppings in traffic, especially those with black hat SEO, while it rewarded other websites that follow E-A-T. However, the core update doesn’t target any specific pages, sites, or languages, according to Google.
This Core Update has also impacted different industries in different ways. According to AMSI Digital, websites in the health, wellness, and finance industries were the most affected by the update. On the other hand, websites in the travel and hospitality industries saw a boost in their rankings.
How Marketers Should Prepare Themselves for the New Core Update March 2023?
Whenever there is a new update, marketers start using various practices to get back the rankings and traffic. However, Google says if the Core Update has impacted your ranking, “don’t do anything wrong to fix.”
You can’t fix the rankings right after an update but keep on using the best practices that won’t affect your site in the future.
There are a number of steps that they can take:
1. Focus on Quality Content
You might be thinking that the previous updates were also about making content better so what’s new in this one? Whenever Google rolls out a new update, it rewards those websites with the best content. Therefore, we suggest offering the best website content if you want to improve your rankings.
This means creating content that is well-researched, informative, and most importantly not AI-generated. Google has always placed a high value on quality content, and the latest core algorithm update reinforces this.
2. Optimize for User Experience
Google has been emphasizing the importance of user experience for some time now. Website owners should ensure that their websites are easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and fast-loading. They should also avoid intrusive ads and pop-ups that can be annoying to users.
3. Improve Website Authority
Google uses a wide range of signals to determine the authority of a website. Website owners can improve their website authority by building high-quality backlinks, participating in social media, and promoting their content on other websites.
4. Focus on E-A-T
Focus on E-A-T — Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google considers these factors when ranking websites. Website owners should focus on establishing themselves as experts in their field, building authority, and creating content that is trustworthy and informative.
5. Make Sure the Website Looks Trustworthy
A user needs to trust your business. Your site must have fresh content and offer a great user experience to seem trustworthy to the users. Add statistics, logos, and client testimonials to add authenticity to your web pages.
April 2023 Reviews Update
The April 2023 Core Update is important for any website that publishes review content. Starting from April 2023, Google’s review system will include all types of reviews such as services, destinations, media (including games and movies), and any other reviewable topic. The change also involves the renaming of the “product reviews system” to the “reviews system,” which now encompasses every possible type of review.
As a result of this update, it’s crucial for websites that publish review content to monitor their organic traffic ranking closely. This change means that any type of review could potentially affect a website’s search engine ranking, making it important to maintain high-quality review content.
Conclusion
To sum up, the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update is a significant change that has impacted a large number of websites. It is designed to promote high-quality content and user experience and penalize websites with low-quality content. Website owners and digital marketers should focus on creating high-quality content, optimizing for user experience, improving website authority, and focusing on E-A-T. By following these steps, they can adapt to the new update and improve their search engine rankings.