Unpacking The October Updates: What To Know About The Latest Core And Spam Updates

It is well known that Google releases many updates throughout the year, but it is rare for two big ones to drop within just two days. Rare has become a reality this year. On October 4^th, 2023, the Spam Update – one of the largest spam-fighting updates in recent years – dropped, and the next day (October 5^th), the October 2023 Broad Core Update began rolling out. These come mere weeks after the September Helpful Content Update, so naturally, many web admins and businesses trying to climb the search engine rankings to get more traffic are nervous about what impacts these updates may have so soon after the last.

If you are feeling anxious, we are here to help ease panic and stress and provide useful guidance on what you can do to ensure these updates don’t negatively impact you.

Why These Updates Have Happened?

Before assessing what these updates might mean for your site and what you should be doing, take some time to learn more about their purpose.

• Core Update

There is always an aim for each update. This is important to understand. However, Google does not always release information about updates, which is exactly what happened with the October 2023 Core Update. The reason can often be due to them making many improvements to the algorithm, making it more difficult to explain what they’ve done. They generally only share the most notable.

Despite not releasing exactly what changes they are making, John Mueller of Google did Tweet that this is a new core update. What we know is that it looks at all content types and will impact all regions, likely rewarding websites with high-quality, relevant, and informative content. This is because it enables their users to find the information they need even faster.

• Spam Update

Unlike the Core Update, we know more about the aim of the Spam Update. This October, Google is all about targeting low-quality (in other words, spammy), auto-generated, deceptive content, wanting to clean up the spam they see in various languages. They want to reduce as much spam content as possible in Search worldwide to give users a better experience. This update will penalise websites with spam content.

Upon the update announcement, Google thanked all those who sent in a spam report, as this provided them guidance on what update to release next. They have encouraged those in the Help community to send even more feedback via their new spam report form.

Google Updates Of 2023: How They Compare

The October 2023 Core Update is the 3^rd core update this year. Previously, there has been the August’s algorithm update or August 2023 Broad Core Algorithm update, and before that, the March 2023 Core Update. In total, though, there have been 7 different updates for 2023. We will be interested to know whether this will enter double digits like it did last year.

Are you curious to know more about previous updates? You can check out our full list of Google algorithm updates here. This dates back to the very beginning.

It is hard to say at the moment whether the Core Update and the Spam Update will have the biggest impact this year compared to other updates. We should have a better idea once they have rolled out completely.

What Do These Updates Mean For Your Site?

Every update is designed to provide a quality user experience by looking at how they can improve Search and target those who try to outsmart the system to get results faster. Therefore, it is common for people to be affected in some way or another.

The October updates haven’t quite finished rolling out yet. They usually take a few weeks based on previous data collected from past updates. During these few weeks, it is perfectly normal to face some fluctuations, particularly in the search rankings. Some may see a drop in rankings, for instance. Others may see themselves rising up. These updates could also affect traffic, particularly if you drop down.

Reports already show fewer spam results were appearing in Search within the first 5 days of the Spam Update. Many of the sites considered spam have already been removed from the search results pages, and you could be among these if you don’t meet their policies. If the Spam Update impacts your site, the recommendation, as stated by Google, is to review their policies. Doing so provides insight into how you can better comply.

We recommend that you monitor your rankings and traffic throughout the rollouts and continue with good SEO practices, including producing high-quality content that bears E-E-A-T in mind. You may not see any changes in your ranking position immediately, but if you notice them upon checking Google Search Console, it is important to sit tight until the end of the update period. This allows the update the time it needs to showcase its full effects. Only then should you start making any changes or contacting experts to help you.

Is It Possible To Recover?

Absolutely! Don’t worry if you are already starting to see negative impacts from these updates. Sit tight until they have completely rolled out, and then come to our digital marketing agency that places importance on data-driven results and strives to help websites recover from updates and be in a better position for the next update.

It may take some time, but if you reach out to our team of SEO experts, we can help you get back to better rankings and more traffic. Let us produce the high-quality content Google expects, look at your Core Web Vitals to improve your user experience, and ensure you comply with any Google policies.

Book a free strategy call to get started with our team.

Conclusion

When you hear about another Google update being released, it can leave you quaking in your boots. The best thing you can do is educate yourself as much as possible about what these updates are for and what you can do after they’ve finished rolling out to keep benefiting from your online marketing investments. We are here to help you recover and provide continued support long after to ensure you are always putting yourself in the best position to surf the waves to success rather than crash onto the shore.