Google’s September Core Update: What to Know
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September 25, 2019
The most recent in Google’s long list of core updates, September 24th saw the rollout of a new, content-oriented update. Google has ensured webmasters in their announcement that no specific pages have been targeted and that “there’s nothing wrong with pages that may perform less well in a core update.” Self-assessment is advised for webmasters of pages that may see lower rankings, as is a visit to Google’s advice on how to build a high-quality website.
If yours is a website that has suddenly dropped in the rankings, or even if you might want to see your website get higher rankings, Google has provided some updated advice for how to achieve that. This includes:
- Ensuring your site has original content
- Providing comprehensive coverage of the topic
- Providing an in-depth analysis of the topic
- Making sure you do not just copy and paste from your sources, and that you cite sufficiently
- Your headlines and title pages should relate to the content, not exaggerate it
- If you were just stumbling onto your website, would you trust its information based on its sources, author, and website’s “About” page?
- Making sure all your facts are true and verifiable
- Making sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes
- Ensuring the web design is pleasing
- Avoiding mass-produced content
- Developing the webpage with mobile in mind
- Comparing the content to other content that might appear in the same search
Keeping up with Google’s core updates can be a challenge, but producing good and original content is a safe way to stay high up in the rankings. For a comprehensive guide on how Google rates quality content, feel free to examine their Search Quality Rating General Guidelines. For a less comprehensive guide (Google’s is 167 pages), check out some of our content-focus pieces here and here, or contact our team and we can talk about how to optimize your webpage.