In our last post, we deep dove the 7 winning sites that Authority Hacker shared. For this post, lets deep dive the analysis performed by Cyrus Shepard. It has some amazing takeaways.
If you missed it, we’re talking about the fascinating study by Cyrus Shepard on the impact of last year’s Google’s 2023 Core Updates. This comprehensive analysis of 50 sites, both winners and losers, post-update is really insightful. And while we’re in the middle of this March Core Update (and hopefully NOT making any major changes yet), this study can show us a lot about where Google is headed.
Read it. But, here are my highlights.
Quick Navigation
2023 Google Core Updates
The study sheds light on several on-page factors correlated with sites that either gained or lost significant traffic due to Google’s updates throughout 2023 and 2024. Here are the critical takeaways:
- The Impact of Ads: Sites specifically with fixed footer ads and intrusive video ads tended to lose traffic. We’ve known that user experience (particularly how ads are displayed) plays a significant role in how Google assesses our sites. The specific data around ad types is very interesting info from Cyrus.
- Originality in Imagery: Using stock images is negatively correlated with site performance. A push towards more original and authentic visual content should be something to keep in mind as you update your articles. The ROI is insanely high, meaning that it is not that hard to take good pictures for your website (I show you exactly how here).
- The Value of Personal Touch: The presence of first-person pronouns in content shows a positive correlation with site performance. It highlights the importance of adding personal experiences and viewpoints to your content, making it more relatable and valuable to our audience.
- Simplicity in Navigation: Overly complex navigational structures, like mega menus, seem to hinder site performance. A cleaner, more straightforward navigation could improve user experience and, by extension, site visibility on Google.
- Transparency and Accessibility: Sites that make their contact information easily accessible tend to perform better. This aligns with the broader theme of building trust and credibility with our audience.
There are many other points Cyrus found, so I encourage you to read the entire study. If you’re a nerd like me, you’ll enjoy seeing WHICH factors had the highest correlation.
Micah Fisher-Kirshner took the study a step further, and calculated how various *combinations* of website features correlated with Google traffic loss. What were the biggest combo negative correlators?
- Having a MegaMenu Header + using Stock Photography
- Having a MegaMenu Header + no About section in Header
- Any MegaMenu + no About section in Header
Basically, any megamenu was a dominant negative correlator. Something to keep in mind. You can see all of the top combinations here.
March 2024 Google Core Update
1. Analyzing This Update is No Walk in the Park
The March 2024 update is tough to analyze. This one took 45 days to fully roll out, which makes it way harder to nail down what was happening in real-time. Plus, Google decided to evolve the Helpful Content Update (HCU) and bake it into the core algorithm, making it more complicated than your typical core update.
The traditional tools we use, like peak volatility, don’t even scratch the surface here. In fact, peak volatility levels were actually lower than the November 2023 core update. That’s not because this update didn’t hit hard—it’s just that it took its sweet time, stretching out the pain (or gains) over a longer period. Looking at a single spike doesn’t tell the full story.
2. SERP Movement at the Bottom, Not So Much at the Top
Mordy Oberstein analyzed over 300 SERPs, and noticed there was a ton of movement in the #6-10 range on page one. But strangely, the top spots stayed relatively calm compared to previous updates. Don’t get me wrong, there were still some heavy ranking drops at the top, but overall, the volatility was much more noticeable in the middle of page one.
Here’s a fun stat: 9.38% of URLs that ended up in the top 10 didn’t even rank in the top 20 before the March 2024 update. This shows Google really shook things up in those lower ranks, and they brought a lot of fresh contenders into the mix.
3. The Helpful Content Update Isn’t Dead—It Just Evolved
There’s been a lot of chatter about the HCU being “dead” because Google absorbed it into the core algorithm. I sure didn’t see that. There were no HCU recoveries in this March 2024 Update.
Google is now using multiple systems to assess helpfulness, making it even harder to game the system with low-quality content.
If you got hit by the September 2023 HCU, you probably felt the pain again with the March 2024 update. I’ve seen a bunch of sites that got dinged in 2023 get taken down even further this time around.
4. Extended Volatility and Ranking Reversals
The most frustrating part of this update for many SEOs was the ranking reversals. Sites saw gains, then losses, then gains again as Google’s systems continued to update over the 45-day period. This created a sense of SEO limbo where you weren’t sure if your rankings were going to stick.
5. Google’s Spam Updates
Alongside the core update, Google also rolled out spam updates that targeted issues like expired domain abuse and scaled content abuse. These updates worked in tandem with the core update to clean up low-quality content across the SERP.
They announced they’ve reduced 45% of unhelpful content from the SERP, which actually beat their original goal of 40%. Funny, because I personally didn’t see half of the spam on the internet removed from Google’s index. But hey, that’s just observational!
Key Takeaways:
- Original, Helpful Content Is Crucial: Google continues to focus on rewarding original, high-quality content that provides value to users.
- Expect Longer Rollouts: With this update taking 45 days to complete, it’s clear that future core updates may follow a similar pattern. Be prepared for extended volatility.
- Middle of Page One Shakes Up: If your site ranks in positions 6-10, this update likely impacted you more than if you were in the top 5.
Practical Steps Forward
Based on these insights, here are some actionable steps I would consider:
- Evaluate and Optimize Ad Placement: Look at how ads are integrated into your site and work towards a balance that doesn’t compromise user experience. This study only added more data to a trending observation from the HCU.
- Invest in Original Visual Content: I’ve been banging this drum for awhile, and not just because I used to be a photographer. It’s just a pretty darn easy signal to give to Google and your users. Where possible, replace stock images with original photos or graphics to enhance authenticity.
- Incorporate Personal Experiences: Sharing your own stories or insights can add depth and relatability to your content, potentially boosting its appeal to both users and search engines. Cyrus literally found that changing to first person had an impact (something we’ve been recommending to clients for a while now).
- Streamline Site Navigation: Consider simplifying your site’s navigation to improve ease of use and help visitors find what they’re looking for more efficiently. Make the good stuff more prominent.
- Highlight Contact Information: Ensure that your contact details, cookie consents, etc are easily found, reinforcing transparency and openness with your visitors.
Looking Ahead
While the study doesn’t offer a magic formula for instant recovery from Google’s updates, it does provide a clearer direction for refining our SEO approaches. The emphasis on user experience, authenticity, and transparency is something we can all integrate into our ongoing strategies.
Between our previous post where we featured 7 sites that Authority Hacker found doing well, to this week’s study from Cyrus on Google Update factors, we have quite a bit of compelling factors that we can focus on.
Remember, correlation does not equal causation. Carefully evaluate all of this against your own website and competitors. Also, consider getting a second opinion. Every use case has nuance.
And no, this study does not have anything to do with the current March 2024 Core Update. But we’ll evaluate that once its done in early April!
