Google Says Improve Content to Recover From Core Updates

credit: Matt Southern

Recovering from a Google broad core algorithm update? Improving content will get you better results than technical fixes.

Google’s John Mueller says work on improving your website’s content, rather than implementing technical fixes, when recovering from a broad core algorithm update.

A ranking drop following a core update indicates your site is losing relevance for the queries it’s targeting (in Google’s estimation).

It’s unlikely you can improve the relevance of your website by focusing on technical fixes and neglecting the on-page content.

This is stated by Google’s John Mueller during the Search Central SEO office-hours hangout recorded on October 8, 2021.

He says he’s addressed all technical and user experience issues, but his rankings still aren’t back to the level he’d like them to be.

That’s when Mueller suggests focusing on content instead.

First, Mueller tries to keep expectations for recovery realistic.

A site impacted by a core update won’t automatically regain its previous rankings after improving relevance.

Why?

Because Google will now see it as a different website.

Google won’t put it back where it was before because the site is no longer comparable to its previous self.

Mueller explains:

“It’s not so much that we would consider it a situation where you have to fix something. But rather, when it comes to relevance, if you work on improving the relevance of your website, then you have a different website, you have a better website.

So it’s not that we would switch back and say oh, it’s like the issue is fixed, and we will change it back to the previous state.

But rather, you’re saying well this is a better website now, and we look at it and say oh it’s a better website. It’s not the same or comparable to before, so it would be kind of tricky to expect that it changes to the state it was before. But it’s a new website, it’s a better website.

I think, especially with core updates, when you’re talking about recovery, it’s not so much you’re recovering but rather Google is seeing that you have a better website and reacting to that.”

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