October Google Updates Complete: What Everyone Should Know

When Google dropped not just 1 update in October but 2, it is fair to say many were worried about what this would mean for their website and their hard work up until that point, particularly as a big update in September had already rocked boats.

On October 4^th, Google released the Spam Update, which finished on October 20^th, taking 15 days and 12 hours. The latest Google Core Update released on October 5^th took 13 days and 23 hours, completing on October 19^th. Now that these have finished rolling out, we can summarise just what impact these 2 updates have had, including whether or not there has been a decline in rankings for some. We will also uncover if anyone has benefitted from them and what web admins need to do moving forward.

Before we jump into all that, everyone must understand why these 2 updates occurred in the first place.

Why Did We Get These Updates?

Google doesn’t just release updates because they are bored. They always have a purpose, mostly revolving around giving their users a good experience when searching for what they need. After getting more than one spam report, Google directed its attention to spammy, low-quality linksHyperlinks, also known as links, are the connection points on a webpage that take you to other webpages.. As Google is keen to protect their users and improve the quality of results, this Spam Update focused on reducing how much spam content appears in the search results.

Meanwhile, the October 2023 Core Update was no different than any other Core Update. It revolves around making significant changes to their search algorithms and systems to give users a better online experience, giving them more valuable and reliable results.

What Impact Have These Updates Had On Your Site?

If you have followed Google’s spam policies, you might not be affected by Google’s latest spam update as much as the Core Update. However, those who have violated any part of this may find themselves subject to manual actions. If you have or do any of the following, you could be at risk of facing penalties:

• Distracting ads
• Hidden text and link
• Thin content with little to no value
• False claims
• Article scraping
• Doorway pages

If, since this update, you have dropped in rankings or been removed from the search engine results pages, you likely have received a manual update (which you can view in Google Search Console).

Regardless of whether you’ve been affected by this update, it should have a lasting impact on all to remember to follow their spam policies and other guidelines.

Compared to the spam update, the core update wasn’t designed to give out penalties but rather to reward the better pages. This meant that for many, the core update still resulted in a drop in rankings, but this isn’t because you’ve done something wrong. As Google’s core updates focus on improving their algorithms, making changes to improve how they assess content, it is possible that certain under-rewarded pages could move up the rankings now. Therefore, if competitors moved up, it is simply because they have content that Google now views as more helpful for their users.

Remember, new content comes out all the time, and with recent changes made to their algorithms, Google can better recognise when a deserving page needs to be moved up higher.

Although the Core Update started on the 5^th, significant movement didn’t occur until the 9th and 10th, and the final week of the update saw even more. Google has so far not released exactly how many were affected, but like many of the previous core updates, it is likely far and wide.

How To Recover

If you have had a drop in keyword rankings because of these updates, it is possible to recover. The key is not to panic. You can and will recover so long as you follow the top advice out there. The best thing you can do is to focus on getting high-quality content on your website, following the top SEO practices and Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. When you produce more original, engaging content on your website that offers visitors practical, helpful, and valuable information, you ultimately improve the user experience. This is what Google wants, and they will reward sites that do so rather than those that try to take shortcuts. We recommend that you also have an SEO audit completed so we can assess any old content that could be improved to better meet the updated algorithm assessments.

Key Takeaways

Spam Update: You need to be following their latest Google’s Guidelines on producing content – thin content isn’t going to cut it!

Google Core Update: Conduct an SEO audit on your entire website to uncover which pages are not at the standard Google now wants to provide you with an idea of where to focus your attention.

When Will You Bounce Back?

Providing everyone with an exact answer is impossible, as everyone’s unique situations can mean different timelines. However, upon having a consultation with an SEO expert, you can get a better idea of how long it will take to recover and what you can do to ensure that the next update doesn’t see history repeat itself. Book a call free strategy call today – you can reach out to our team of SEO experts on a day and time that best suits you.