Google November 2024 Core Update: What You Need To Know

The Google November 2024 Core Update started rolling out on the 11th of November, 2024 and took 24 days to roll out, completing on the 5th of December 2024. As with all Google updates, it’s now added this update to its ranking release history page.

In this article, we’re sharing what we know and what actions you should take as a business owner.

Google November 2024 Core Update: Key components

Relevant and quality content

Google’s getting stricter about the quality of content – and for good reason. This isn’t new advice and the Google November 2024 Core Update is another reminder of how important this is. Ultimately Google wants ‘helpful, reliable, people-first content’ ranking at the top of Google so that when users enter a search, they are given content that answers their query quickly and gives them all the information they need.

Continue reading our article on the Google November 2024 Core Update to learn how to make sure your content aligns with what Google wants.

Audit your existing content

• Look for outdated information
  • Remove or update anything that’s no longer accurate
    • If you do delete pages make sure you add redirects!
  • Check if your content actually answers user questions.
    • Tip: A really useful way to find out what people are asking about a certain topic is to enter your search query into Google then look for the ‘People Also Asked’ section and then take the relevant questions and answer them in your content.

It’s important to audit your existing website content because outdated or unhelpful content impacts on your websites rankings.

Create valuable content

The start point of any SEO campaign is to create a content plan and align this with keyword research. We also recommend picking one specific topic focus that you want to be known for that you can then dominate in the search results.

Our advice for creating an SEO content strategy:

1. Pick your topic
   • We specialise in Google Ads but this can break down further into a huge sub topic of ‘Google Ads for Ecommerce businesses’.
2. Take this topic and mind map all of the different things YOU think your dream clients are searching on Google.
3. Carry out SEO keyword research to identify what specific keywords YOU know your dream clients are searching on Google.
   • Tip: You want to find keywords that are less competitive to rank on Google for but keywords that have a good monthly search volume for the location your clients are in.
4. Based on your keyword research, map out articles you’re going to write.

Our advice for what you should include in your articles:

E-E-A-T

It’s really important within your article to think of an SEO term called E-E-A-T, which stands for:

• Experience: Show you’ve actually done what you’re talking about
• Expertise: Demonstrate that you ‘know your stuff’
• Authoritativeness: Build recognition for what you do best
• Trustworthiness: Be transparent and honest

How to improve your E-E-A-T within your articles:

Here’s some tips on how to showcase what you know and build trust with your target audience.

Include:

• Your unique insights based on your experience by sharing real experiences.
• Original research or data.
• Your expert or your team’s expert perspective on the topic.
  • Include author bios, include credentials
  • Include quotes, videos, case studies…
• If you are including points of view, always back this up with data and evidence.

Based on our experience, AI cannot do the 4 points above (unless you’ve trained it really really well). When you create articles you need to make sure that they have your tone of voice, opinion and ultimately demonstrate all of the knowledge and expertise that you have built that not just anyone would know.

• Tips:
  • Before writing any content, ask yourself “What problem am I solving for my reader?”
  • Check out Google’s helpful content guidelines
  • For a deeper dive into E-E-A-T, check out our article ‘What is E-E-A-T?’

Align your content with search intent

Your articles also need to align with the search intent of the keyword you are trying to rank for on Google because different searches need different types of content because they have can have different search intents.

• Informational (“how to fix a leaky tap”)
• Transactional (“buy blue nike trainers”)
• Navigational (“facebook login”)

Make sure your content matches what users actually want to find.

Tip: If you aren’t sure what kind of content you should be creating, in an incognito browser enter your keyword into Google. Take a look at what types of pages are ranking on Google (ignoring any sponsored ads). Are the ranking pages, blogs, category pages, a service page or something else. Whatever Google is ranking at the top is what it believes should be there so make sure you create the kind of page it wants to stand a chase of ranking!

Our summary of the Google November 2024 core update

SEO never stands still – it continuously evolves due to user demands (and Googles). The key to success when working on your SEO isn’t to try to outsmart the algorithm. The key to success is to focus on what matters most which is creating genuinely helpful content for your users because ultimately this is what what your customers want to read and Google will reward you for this too. Google wants the websites at the top of Google that best answer users queries.

We hope that you found our article on the Google November 2024 Core Update useful. If you do need help with your SEO strategy? Find out more about our SEO services

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will this update take to roll out?

Google typically takes 1-2 weeks to fully roll out core updates.

UPDATE: the Google November Core update took 24 days to roll out and finished on the 5th of December. A Google spokesperson confirmed this to Search Engine Land.

Will my rankings definitely change?

Not necessarily. Focus on creating helpful content rather than trying to “beat” the update.

What if my rankings drop?

Don’t panic. Review your content against Google’s helpful content guidelines and make improvements where needed.