Google Launches August 2023 Core Update

SEO

By Chris Barnhart On Aug 22, 2023

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Google announced the launch of the August 2023 core update.

The company stated that it will update its ranking release history page once the update’s rollout is complete.

Google regularly makes these significant updates, known as “core updates,” to improve its search algorithms and ensure users see the most helpful and reliable results.

While Google doesn’t target specific sites or pages with these updates, the changes may cause previously lower-ranked pages to gain visibility. In contrast, others that were once rewarded may slip in rankings.

Impact and Recovery from Core Updates

A core update can affect a website’s search performance in either a positive or negative way.

Google stresses that if a website sees a decline in performance after a core update, it doesn’t indicate an issue with the website itself.

A drop could be due to adjustments made by the core update rather than anything wrong with the website’s content or structure.

Google encourages SEO professionals and website owners who see drops in rankings to focus on improving content quality rather than looking for technical fixes.

How To Recover

To improve your website content, Google recommends the following:

• Look closely at pages that aren’t performing well after recent Google updates.
• Check what search terms led people to those pages.
• Compare your content to the questions Google provides on its help page.

This will show you where your content falls short in answering user questions. Use what you learn to prioritize improving your content to meet what searchers seek.

Google cautions that improvements aren’t guaranteed to result in recovery, and no pages have a static or guaranteed position in Google’s search results.

Recovery Time

It typically takes several months for pages to recover rankings lost due to a core update if improvements warrant it.

However, Google is constantly tweaking its algorithms and may release more minor updates between the broader core updates that can positively impact pages that have made changes.

Looking Ahead

While the impacts of Google’s August 2023 core algorithm update are still unfolding, businesses and SEO professionals should remain patient, focus on improving content quality, and avoid quick fixes.