Google’s March 2024 Core Update: 5 Effective Strategies for Website Recovery
Google 2024 Core Update: After the March 2024 update, Google was still removing websites from its search results due to manual penalties. Now, the impact of algorithmic penalties is becoming apparent as blog and business website traffic is declining rapidly.
Interestingly, some of the affected websites have manually curated content without relying on AI. Despite this, traffic continues to decline. It is important to note that the manual penalties are not associated with the March 2024 update. However, the current decline in traffic can be attributed to Google’s March 2024 update. Therefore, let’s explore effective strategies to save these websites and reduce further decline in traffic.
March 2024 Core Update
Hello everyone, In today’s article, we are talking about the March 2024 Google Core Update. An important milestone following the Penguin and BERT updates. This latest update is packed with actionable insights, making it imperative for us to delve deeper into its implications. By discussing this widely, we aim to empower more websites to effectively optimize their performance.
It is important to note that Google’s core update may take up to a month to be fully implemented as per their announcement. Therefore, it is paramount to be patient and avoid hasty decisions.
If you’re wondering why your website faced a penalty despite your quality content and following the guidelines, remember to give it time. Within a month, your website traffic may rebound and even increase. Rushing into making changes may not be necessary or productive.
The decline in traffic seen by some websites is often attributed to algorithmic penalties, and it is important to understand the underlying causes. Stay tuned as we highlight the five primary factors contributing to this phenomenon.
5 Key Factors Behind a Drop in Website Traffic
- Backlinks,
- User experience,
- Expired domain,
- Poor niche.
- Content, Whether it is AI or manual.
Let’s see one by one.
Backlinks:
Google uses a sophisticated system called Spam Brain to identify and penalize backlink spam. It is important to understand that when Google detects low-quality backlinks, it penalizes not only the source but also the recipient. This underlines the seriousness of the situation. The penalties imposed by Google’s algorithm are not intended to help improve your website’s ranking or content quality. Rather, they serve as punitive measures for violations of Google’s established policies that may have been ignored or disregarded.
Simply correcting the mistake will not give immediate results in restoring traffic to your website. Recovery requires sustained effort over time. Even if you enhance your website content or align it with Google’s guidelines, it does not guarantee immediate restoration of traffic. Instead, it is necessary to recognize the punishment as a result of past actions and accept responsibility.
Many websites face traffic loss despite having high-quality content due to aggressive backlink strategies. If your website falls into this category, you should take quick action to minimize the damage. It is important to identify problematic backlinks and disavow them.
To determine if your website has been hit with a manual penalty, search ‘site:[yourwebsite.com]’. If your website does not appear in the results, this may prompt a manual penalty. Additionally, analyzing traffic trends using a tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help detect algorithmic penalties that trigger the need to disavow flagged backlinks. Remember, discretion is important, and not all backlinks require disapproval.
User Experience:
In this latest Google Core Update, there’s a significant emphasis on ensuring that content is genuinely helpful. However, determining the helpfulness of content isn’t solely about its quality and accuracy; the context in which it’s presented matters just as much.
Think of it this way: the content serves as the soul and heart, while the page acts as the body. Just as you wouldn’t embrace a friend who hasn’t bathed in ten days, users may recoil if the page experience is lacking. This experience hinges on two critical factors: advertising and speed. If your website has experienced a decline in traffic following the March Google core update and includes ads, consider their placement and quantity.
Aggressive ad displays can hinder content accessibility, prompting users to seek alternatives. Similarly, if your website’s content is excellent but its loading time is excessively long, users may abandon the page before accessing the valuable information. To address this, optimize website performance by upgrading hosting, reducing plugins, utilizing CDNs, and engaging proficient designers and developers. Speed is paramount, and enhancing it is paramount for sustaining user engagement.
Expired domain:
Google’s latest update addresses a critical issue: expired domain abuse. Over time, many bloggers and SEOs have exploited expired domains, leveraging their residual link juice or authority. However, this practice, while once effective, is now outdated and frowned upon by Google.
Whether repurposing the expired domain’s content for ad revenue or redirecting its backlinks to boost rankings, Google is cracking down on this misuse. Websites engaging in such tactics risk de-indexing or plummeting in search rankings. Furthermore, there’s a potential risk for innocent websites inheriting penalties from their domain’s previous history.
To mitigate this risk, utilize tools like the Wayback Machine to assess a domain’s past content, links, and user interface. If you discover concerning elements, seek assistance from the Google Search Console Community to escalate the issue to Google experts who can address penalties and rectify the situation. Patience is key, as these processes may take time, but persistence pays off. Now, onto the next point.
Poor Niche
If the topic you have chosen for your blog is not giving you the results you expected, then it is time to face reality. If you’re attracted to easy niche topics that promise high CPC, and quick earnings, it’s understandable. However, focusing on regrets will not change the situation.
Remember, those listings and topics may attract millions of viewers and followers, but now, countless websites are competing for Google’s attention with similar content. The key lies in offering something unique and valuable. While others may keep churning out generic content to keep their shops running, it is essential to use your intelligence. Think critically about the content you’re providing—is it really useful and original? It’s natural to be disappointed after investing time and resources into your website, but it’s time to reevaluate and try something new.
Content:
If your blog contains content generated by ChatGPT, automatic translations, or directly copied and pasted from another website, it’s essential to recognize the risks involved. Engaging in such practices makes you a potential liability in the digital realm.
Individuals who boast about employing similar tactics, even going as far as using multiple devices for content duplication, may find temporary success. However, the reality is that relying on automated tools like ChatGPT to rewrite content doesn’t guarantee uniqueness or quality.
Moreover, replicating such content strategies that circumvent originality not only violates ethical standards but also invites penalties from search engines like Google. It’s imperative to prioritize authenticity and originality in content creation to build a sustainable online presence.
We must demand scrutiny in the digital sector to prevent unethical practices and protect interested persons from becoming victims of fraud. Let us move forward with flexibility, accept our mistakes, and strive to improve. Thank you for your attention! Take care of yourself.
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