Google
October 2023 Core Update
In brief
Core update rolled out overlapping with the October spam update, with strong fluctuations in the SERPs.
Key points
- Core update rolled out overlapping with the October spam update.
- Strong fluctuations in the SERPs during the rollout.
- Global reassessment of page quality, with no specific target.
- An effect hard to isolate from that of the simultaneous spam update.
Analysis
Launched one day apart from the spam update, this core update generated significant volatility that was hard to attribute. Two signals of a different nature, relative quality on one side and anti-spam compliance on the other, could have affected the same site over the same period.
Like any core update, it adjusts the global assessment of relevance without targeting a precise practice. The main challenge for publishers was to correctly link each change to the right signal before acting.
What to do
- Cross-reference the exact dates of the changes with the timeline of the two updates to attribute the impact.
- In case of a drop tied to the core update, audit the quality and usefulness of pages rather than compliance.
- Wait for the end-of-rollout stabilization before any conclusion and prioritize the most affected pages.
Impact
Global re-evaluation of page quality. Strong volatility, hard to isolate from the simultaneous spam update.