11 Useful Steps to Recover from Google Core Algorithm Updates

Google continuously updates its algorithms to provide its users with the most relevant, useful, and accurate search results. Every year, it seems to launch more updates than the previous ones. In 2021 alone, it has updated its algorithms at least seven times as of November 12. The updates can negatively impact businesses with weak off-page and on-page SEO. However, professional SEO service providers can help them recover from the regular updates.

Has your business been affected by any of the recent Google algorithm updates? You need not worry about it. With the following 11 simple steps, you will recover from the recent core updates and remain prepared for future ones.

1. Leverage Google’s E-A-T 

Google’s E-A-T is short for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. One of the most crucial factors the search engine uses to assess a web page’s general quality. Several reputable websites leverage the expertise of experts such as psychologists, doctors, and nurses to audit information and make sure it is correct. Although using expert reviewers is not Google’s guaranteed ranking factor, it makes the content more accurate and reliable. Improve E-A-T by creating the content with the help of experts and providing their bylines and credentials in the articles.

2. Go through Google’s guidelines to find out inconsistencies

Google’s  Search Quality Guidelines are best practices to enable your website to appear on the search page. Not following it will result in the omission of your web page or site from search. Go through the updated guidelines to better understand the search engine’s criteria for a useful and good-quality website. This will give you an idea of where you can improve your site.

3. Display trust signals

Many high-ranking websites often show clear trust signals such as certifications, awards, testimonials, reviews, and other proofs that make them trustworthy. Showcase all your certifications and accreditations on the website. Ask loyal customers to write reviews and testimonials. If you have won any awards, display those.

4. Enhance the content quality

It may sound clichéd, but the content is indeed the king, especially when ranking on search engines. The websites that top Google’s algorithm updates focus greatly on their content. They maintain the best quality of content. While crafting content, make sure it is well-researched, unbiased, well-edited, and includes citations to trusted sources. External links help the search engine draw connections between your website and the websites from which you get your information.

5. Use Ad Disclosures and Editorial Policies

Make sure that you have clear advertising and editorial policies. This explains who writes for you, edits the content, the types of advertisements shown, and the process of selecting the ads. Websites that are clear about their purpose and transparent with their audience tend to excel in organic search.

6. Enhance the off-page authority

Off-page authority is a webpage’s authority beyond the confines of its website. Some of its factors include:

• Receiving positive reviews on social networks
• Getting links from reputable web pages
• Good publicity and press coverage

After doing everything it takes to enhance your content’s on-page authority, take the necessary steps to enhance its off-page authority. Google doesn’t only trust web pages by viewing its content. It also finds out how many other users and websites find it trustworthy. Make sure you focus on the offpage SEO.

7. Fix technical issues

Work on technical SEO and fix all the issues that arise. After a core update, here are some ways to improve technical SEO:

• Inspect the coverage report in Google Search Console for problems with crawlability and indexation.
• Monitor the Search Console to make sure there is zero AMP error.
• Ensure the website does not have any systematic page performance issues, reducing its overall usability.
• Make sure the website does not have a manual action.

8. Look for local intent in the SERPs

The term ‘local intent’ alludes to the search engine’s query that the user searches for a local result. Check the search results for your query and ensure the keywords you assumed were generic are not classed as local in intent. If you see locations, map packs, names of cities, and localized pages ranking, you will need to devise a strategy for that query.

9. Refrain from using advertising language

While creating website content, many writers feel the urge to showcase their copywriting talents and use a lot of sales languages. Make sure you don’t do that. Use a language that is normal and conversational. Write about the topic and ideas without explicitly promoting your products or services. Focus on providing useful information to your target audience.

10. Go easy on aggressive advertisements

Is your website full of persistent and aggressive advertisements? Minimize as much as you can. Make sure the proportion of content to the ads is always higher. In 2019, a Google executive named Gary Illyes, webmaster trends analyst, confirmed that the company’s 2012 Page Layout algorithm still holds good. Under it, websites that use too many aggressive advertisements witness slumps in their rankings and SEO performance.

11. Seek professional help

Last but not least, seek help from professional SEO service providers who have the expertise and experience in providing on-page and off-page SEO that can immensely help businesses. With professional help, you can find out what has negatively impacted your website. You will also receive experts’ feedback as well as see the errors you were not aware of. It will enable you to recover and improve with every core update. 

In closing

Even though Google updates its algorithms many times a year, it doesn’t impact all websites. The web pages with good quality content aren’t affected much. But the ones with a lot of room for improvement witness a lot of changes in their rankings and other factors. The above steps can help all websites to recover from previous and future updates.