If you work in content marketing and SEO and haven't been on a desert island with no internet for the past two months,

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If you work in content marketing and SEO and haven't been on a desert island with no internet for the past two months, you've probably read and heard a lot about Google's March 2024 Core Update.

It marked a significant point in the algorithmic updates of the world's most relevant search engine.

The update was completed on April 19, 2024, and according to Elizabeth Tucker, Product Management at Google, the initiative resulted in a 45% reduction in the volume of content considered low-quality or unhelpful in search results — the initial forecast was 40%.

After this official completion, you may have noticed a drop in traffic, positioning and keywords on your website, or you may simply be feeling a little lost. What should you do now?

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Come and understand the main consequences of this update and what you should focus on at the moment!

Google Core Update March 2024: What really happened?
Released on March 5, 2024, this update included a series of complex changes, aimed at improving the quality of search results and combating spam practices and low-quality content — and it caused quite a stir, especially with manual anti-spam actions that resulted in the complete removal of low-quality sites from Google search results.

After a 45-day period of wide-scale implementation , the update was finalized on April 19, 2024, but Google only gave notice on April 26.

The March 2024 core update is complete, ending on April 19. The ranking feedback form is now ready at https://t.co/EiM7C8PtaS and will remain open through May 31. We've also updated our Debugging drops in Google Search traffic help page here: https://t.co/pxz3nXBXxP

— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) April 26, 2024

The idea behind the update was to deliver more useful and relevant information to users, prioritizing web pages with original content and a positive user experience, while reducing unoriginal content in search results.

Additionally, new and improved anti-spam policies have been implemented, focusing on areas such as abuse of expired domains, abuse of content at scale (such as those made with AI without human editing), and abuse of site reputation.

These measures aimed to reduce the volume of low-quality content and spam in search results — which was achieved, as I mentioned in the introduction, with a 45% reduction in this type of content.

With this update, Google has ended the practice of announcing new Helpful Content Updates , as the Helpful Content system has been incorporated into the core update system.

The latest useful content update, released in September 2023 , has had a significant impact on several sites.

Read all about the March Google Core Update in our dedicated article on the subject: March Google Update Removes Low-Quality Sites
Other changes
In addition to the substantial changes to content evaluation and tunisia whatsapp list ranking, the March 2024 Google Core Update also brought important adjustments in other areas.

First, the help center page has been updated, providing detailed guidance for website owners on how to troubleshoot Google search ranking drops.

Additionally, the company has introduced a new feedback form for site ranking changes, allowing site owners to submit feedback directly to Google's search team. It will only be available until May 31, 2024.

On the form itself, Google states that feedback is not used to make changes to specific queries, specific listings, or for specific sites. It is only used to consider general improvements that could work across the entire search experience in the future . Google teams will not respond to these submissions.

The March 2024 core update represents an evolution in the way Google assesses the relevance and usefulness of content displayed to users, highlighting the focus on providing a more satisfying and informative search experience for users' questions and even more anchored to EEAT good practices.

EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It represents the criteria that Google uses to evaluate the quality of content, emphasizing experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

It is expected that some affected sites will see relief with this March 2024 update, although as with everything in SEO, it is difficult to say for sure at this point.

Read also:
What is EEAT and how does it directly impact SEO strategies?
Google Core Update: Will I be penalized for using AI to create content?
How to Create Content That Ranks on Google in 2024
Expert-driven content is key to organic growth
11 AI tools to help you create content
Impact of Google Core Update: The Case of HouseFresh
When following posts on LinkedIn, Reddit and specialized websites, there was no shortage of reports of websites being affected by the update. An interesting example was the website HouseFresh, featured in a report by Search Engine Land .

Following the March 2024 Google Core Update and after repeatedly calling out the practice of being consistently outranked by large publishers, HouseFresh saw a steep 91% drop in its Google traffic.

Gisele Navarro, the Managing Editor of HouseFresh, highlighted in the article HouseFresh has virtually disappeared from Google Search results. Now what? how these changes favored “affiliate-focused SEO content” from big media brands.

This case illustrates a broader phenomenon of challenges faced by smaller sites in a search environment dominated by big brands and aggressive SEO practices.

Additionally, HouseFresh revealed the magnitude of traffic loss since October 2023, dropping from 4,000 daily visitors from Google Search to just over 200 by the end of April 2024.

The situation highlights the vulnerability of smaller sites to changes in search algorithms, significantly affecting their visibility and, of course, their financial viability.

While Navarro acknowledges that Google doesn't owe HouseFresh anything in terms of traffic, she reiterates the importance of addressing legitimate concerns about fairness in search results.