A new major update has been launched!

SEO update “August 2023 Core Update” by Google in #Short

• As always, this announcement was officially made by the Google Search Central X (Twitter) account, August 22, 2023.
• This core update of the algorithm that manages search result ranking is the second of the year 2023, the first was implemented in March.
• It takes an average of two weeks to be fully deployed internationally and is expected to finish its deployment by early September.
• SEO specialists and website owners should expect both positive and negative impacts on their rankings and traffic from the market leading search engine in France.
• It is recommended to monitor the fluctuation of your SEO positions following this update to identify the winning and losing pages.
• Google always recommends that you avoid making rash decisions in a downturn because it’s not always a sign that you’re doing something wrong, but sometimes simply that your competitors are doing better.
• As always, Google encourages site publishers to focus on the quality of their content.

Google’s August 2023 Core Update was released on August 22, 2023

Announced on August 22, 2023 on X (Twitter), the update to the heart of the algorithm that manages Google’s organic search results ranking is the second of the year.

baptized the August 2023 major update, This global update is for all search results and all websites.

If, as usual, Google does not communicate directly on the changes made, it is a safe bet that the latter tries as always to limit the visibility of sites that put little effort into the design of their content and those that try to manipulate the algorithms to get more visibility on organic search results.

Like all updates of this type, the full deployment of the August 2023 core update will take approximately 2 weeks Around the world.

However, both positive and negative impacts are often felt in the first few days following an upgrade.

How do you know if you have been influenced positively or negatively?

If you go to the “Search Results” tab -> ” Performance in search results “from your Google Search Console, after two weeks of implementation, you can carry out a comparative analysis” Compare the last 3 months from year to year to try to identify the main positive and negative developments in your:

• SEO positions,
• seo impressions,
• SEO traffic.

This same report can also show you the main winning and losing pages and you can export all the data to then process it more efficiently in Excel or Google Sheets.

If you are not comfortable with Search Console and you have an SEO position tracking tool with your main strategic keywords added, you can also consult it to see the direct impact of the update on your ranking (this however, the latter may fluctuate significantly during the two-week update deployment).

What can be the main sources of penalties during a Core Update?

Algorithmic penalties in natural referencing (SEO) related to Google Core updates can have multiple causes.

If a penalty occurs after an update to its algorithm, it usually means that your site or some of its pages have been found not to meet Google’s quality guidelines.

Here are some of the main sources of penalties:

1. Duplicate content : If your site has identical or very similar content to other pages on the web, this could result in a fine.
2. Low quality content : Short, uninformative or overly optimized articles can be considered “lean content” and may result in a penalty.
3. Excessive optimization of keywords : Excessive use of keywords, called “keyword stuffing,” can hurt your SEO.
4. “Artificial” or Overly Optimized Links : Buying links on overly optimized anchors, exchanging excessive links or using networks of poor quality sites to obtain links are considered practices contrary to Google’s best practices.
5. Poor quality outgoing links : If your site links to sites that are deemed unsafe or low quality, this can have a negative impact.
6. High bounce rate : If users leave your site quickly without interacting, it could be a sign of irrelevant or low-quality content.
7. Improper integration of advertisements : Excessive placement of advertisements, especially at the top of the page, may negatively impact the user experience and result in a fine.
8. Technical Problems : A site that is slow, insecure (non-HTTPS), with many server errors or not optimized for mobile devices can also lead to a deterioration in its organic visibility.
9. Automatically generated content : Using software or scripts to generate content automatically without proofreading and re-optimization is often considered spam and is therefore the target of Google’s algorithms.

That said, it’s important to note that Google’s algorithm updates can affect rankings without necessarily being a “penalty.”

This could simply be a recalibration of the algorithm to better meet the needs of the users.

For example, if search intentions evolve based on a certain request, moving from an informational intention to a commercial one, your page will present the best possible informational content, if users want to buy products, online shops they will certainly be more favorable to your detriment.

What are Google’s recommended best practices for major updates?

For Google, content is and always will be RE.

Although your site (and its contents) must be able to be crawled and indexed by Google’s crawlers in order for it to work, optimizing the pages and the quality of their contents is always the key to success in the eyes of Google.

If you notice a decrease in visibility following a core update like the one in August, it is not recommended to drastically change your website without first analyzing the possible causes of this decrease.

If you want to evaluate the quality of your content, you can read Google’s recommendations to help you determine if your content is optimized.

You can also engage third parties to judge your pages impartially.

What questions should you ask to evaluate the quality of your pages in the eyes of Google?

Google advises any SEO or website publisher to check their pages for declining search results to ensure that the content is in line with search engine recommendations. Here is an overview of the questions to ask.

Questions about content and quality

• Does your content provide truly original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
• Does it offer a substantive or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does it provide really useful and interesting information?
• If your content is based on other sources, have you simply copied or reformulated it or have you brought added value and a touch of originality?
• Does the title clearly summarize the content of the page?
• Does the page title use appropriate, non-offensive language?
• Is this the kind of page you’d like to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Could this content appear in a magazine, encyclopedia, or paperback?

Proficiency level questions

• Does the content present information in a way that inspires trust? For example, does it cite its sources, can it demonstrate its level of expertise, does it provide access to an author bio, or does it provide general information about the page’s authors?
• If you analyzed the content of the site, would you consider it reliable or authoritative in its specific field?
• Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who masters the topic?
• Does the content have easily verifiable factual errors?
• Would you trust this content with any questions related to your money or life?

Questions about presentation and content creation

• Does the content have spelling or style errors?
• Was the content created with care or does it seem hastily written?
• Is the content produced by a large number of creators, largely outsourced or even distributed over a large network of sites, meaning that each page or site is not subject to very thorough scrutiny?
• Does the content include too many ads that distract users or interfere with the main content?
• Does the content display correctly on mobile devices?

Comparative questions

• Does the content offer more relevant information than other pages in search results?
• Does the content appear to cater to the genuine interests of site visitors, or does it appear to be just trying to rank well in search engines?

As you will have understood, Google’s recommendations focus mainly on content, even if it is also essential to work on the authority of your site, in particular through an effective netlinking strategy.

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