August 2024 Core Update
Core update aimed at better rewarding genuinely useful content and reducing the space given to content created solely to rank, taking into account feedback after March 2024.
Key points
- Core update aiming to better reward genuinely useful content.
- Reduced space for content created solely to rank.
- Takes into account community feedback after March 2024.
- Some small sites and independent publishers recovered part of their visibility.
Analysis
Google explicitly presented this update as an adjustment taking into account the criticism received after the 2023 and March 2024 updates. The emphasis placed on independent and niche sites marks a willingness to correct certain side effects that had penalized quality publishers.
Recoveries were observed for legitimate sites previously affected, without systematically returning to their original levels. This confirms that a rebound is possible for authentic, user-focused content, even after several unfavorable cycles.
What to do
- For sites affected in 2023, measure any recovery over the August 2024 window.
- Bet on authenticity, demonstrated expertise and first-hand experience rather than over-optimized content.
- Consolidate the pages that rebound by enriching their depth and internal linking.
Some small sites and independent publishers hit in 2023 were able to recover part of their visibility.