Help! My local business was impacted by Google's latest Core Update
What happened?
According to the Google Search Status Dashboard Google rolled out their latest core update between 22 March and 28 March 2023.
Am I impacted?
The only way to be sure is to check your keyword rankings, and of course your Google Analytics traffic to see how these compare before and after the update.
What can I do if I'm impacted?
At time of writing, there's plenty of chatter among local SEOs about what was impacted during the above (and why), but we're yet to find anything definitive.
In its absence it may be worthwhile following Google's advice from way back in 2011 following its Panda update, suggesting focusing on ensuring you’re offering the best content you can. At the time Google offered the following list of questions which are still well worth considering:
HOW ORIGINAL IS MY WEBSITE’S CONTENT?
Does my website’s content provide original information, reporting, research and/or analysis?
Does my website’s content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
Does my website’s content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
If my website’s content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
Do my headlines and/or page titles provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
Do my headlines and/or page titles avoid being exaggerating, shocking or link-baiting in nature?
Are my website’s pages the sort that a reader might want to bookmark, share or recommend?
Would a reader expect to see my website’s content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopaedia or book?
AM I SHARING REAL Expertise?
Does my website’s content present information in a way that makes a reader want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author or site, such as an author page or About page?
If a reader researched my website, would they come away with an impression that it is well-trusted or widely-recognised as an authority on its topic?
Is my website’s content written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
Is my website’s content free from easily-verified factual errors?
Would a reader feel comfortable trusting my website’s content for issues relating to their money or their life?
HOW IS MY WEBSITE’S CONTENT PresentED?
Is my website’s content free from spelling or stylistic issues?
Is my website’s content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
Is my website’s content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
Does my website’s content have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
Does my website’s content display well for mobile devices when viewed on them?
HOW DOES MY WEBSITE’S CONTENT COMPARE?
Does my website’s content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
Does my website’s content seem to be serving the genuine interests of visitors to the site, or is it purely created to try to rank well in search engines?
Is there anything else I can do?
In Google’s own words you should always be focused on producing helpful, reliable, people-first content for your website. In case you haven't read them yet, here's some bedtime reading in the form of Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (December 2022) PDF.
We'll be exploring these in more detail in coming months so, if you'd like to keep abreast of this and all things 'local SEO', do sign up for our newsletter below.