Core Update and Helpful Content System:

• As the name suggests, Google’s March 2024 core update aims to prioritise useful information over content that seems optimized for search engines. In theory, spammy shite should be dropped in the rankings. In theory. Hopefully the twats at hydragun who keep robbing my MMA blogs content will get a spanking.
• The helpful content system is revamped and integrated into the core ranking algorithm to better identify genuinely helpful content and reduce unoriginal content.
• The guys in the know, expect the rollout to take a month, with significant ranking fluctuations during this period.
• Google aims to reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%. Not 100%, updates begin at 40.

Actionable To-Do List:

1. Review Content Quality: Assess your website’s content for originality and usefulness to real users, not just for SEO.
2. Write from experience, and in the first person.  Unless you’re a big brand, then do what you like.
3. Monitor Rankings: Prepare for fluctuations in search rankings as the update rolls out. Use this time to identify areas for improvement.
   
4. Update Content Strategy: Focus on creating high-quality, original content that addresses your audience’s needs and questions. Use forums and social media groups to identify your customers pain points and common questions. Your CS and sales teams can also provide insights. Also get chat gpt to put keywords into themes of different queries.
5. Avoid Spam Tactics: Steer clear of expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse to avoid penalties.
6. Build your brand. Branded searches and search volumes, make a massive difference, in my experience (see what I did there?).

It generally helps, in theory, to write from experience rather than just giving an overview that anyone could scrape and rewrite from the internet. Include your own images, videos etc.

I don’t have any images of Google updates, see here’s a pic of my dog:

Big brands will still probably have a massive advantage regardless of what they do.

Spam Updates:

• Significant changes to spam handling will start on May 5, 2024, affecting sites through algorithmic adjustments or manual actions.
  
• New spam policies target expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse (especially AI-generated content), and site reputation abuse.

General Recommendations:

• Recognize the shift towards rewarding authoritative and genuinely helpful content.
• Anticipate a more significant impact from updates targeting spam and low-quality content.
• Understand that recovery from these updates may require fundamental changes beyond SEO, focusing on building a reputable and sought-after brand for quality content.

Image from BBC