Google March update 2024: what you need to know.

what we can take from Google March update 2024:

• Websites with purchased existing domains are in a greater risk to be punished.

•  AI is a great tool and it can be used. But you have to edit, add more elements like graphics, stats and videos.

•  Hosting third-party content is risky.

• You content should be for humans, not for algorithm or heavily SEO’ed.

• Site reputation abuse is real. But the big boys will get away with it.

• Reddit is ranking high on SERPs with spammy contents, but Google is keeping ignoring it

Google has just rolled its core update in 2024 and boy, it’s one of the most significant overhauls we've seen in a while, as Google said, and it’s aiming at improving the search quality across the board.

 After Google March update in 2024, hundreds of websites have already been deindexed by Google and more deindexation will follow expected.

This Google update is massively hitting hard on SEO industry as every seasoned marketer agrees that this update is a big deal.

The update was intended to weed out unhelpful and spammy content that have long been annoying the users.

One of the main reasons that Google is rolling this big updates is that AI content has really disrupted the whole search experience as thousands of websites  publish thousands of AI generated low-quality content every day.

Here are 4 things to know before you press the panic button

1. Google is not going after AI content only
   

It’s true that AI content is getting annoying and more websites are publishing 5k posts per day. But the ultimate target of Google is that: Get rid of low-quality, repetitive and unoriginal content from the search.

The main question could be: what is a low-quality or unoriginal content?

Let’s say, you are writing content focused on this keyword “types of SEO”. You have just used an AI to write the content for you; you just copied and just published. Easy!

But just think about the amount of contents available on Google about the same keyword, just think about the amount of websites that have used the same tactics ,AI, to write and hit the publish button without adding any touchable human touch.

This is an unoriginal and repetitive content and Google will Flagg it without a doubt.

AI can be a powerful tool for creating content, but it must be refined and enhanced with personal insights, manual edits, and multimedia elements like infographics and videos

2.     Reddit is getting hotter

While many websites has been swept by Google’s latest march core update, Reddit, a community network, is taking the rank on SERPs.

The other day, I was looking for an answer for” my website got removed” and Reddit was there, appearing on the SERPs on two occasions.

But when I hit one of them, the content wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was annoying.

So what is the use of Google deindexing more helpful content than this, and letting these types of contents from Reddit got away with it?

3.     If You have a purchased domain , your website is doomed

The hardest hit websites are the ones which were using a purchased domain.

Have you bought an existing domain? If the answer is yes, just View its history, if it has any.

Was the domain used for spammy content?

Does it look like a legitimate business or did the former owner publish low quality content? While low quality content isn't the crux of a link penalty, it can be a clue that the domain has spam links. Most people who create spammy domain content also blast the domain with low quality links. 

This is the main reason why Google is sweeping such websites, because they have spammy links, poor quality or the whole domain was created to spam.

4.     Big boys are still getting away with dispite Google's site reputation abuse

One of the key Google’s March updates was site reputation abuse.

It’s has many interpretations but the key take is that many big websites are taking advantage of their brand name and bringing low-quality content filled with affiliate links to the table.

I have seen the one of the most affected pages were full of affiliate links.

Google doesn’t like affiliate links at all and rightly so.

But when these links are from the big boys, they usually let them get away with it.

They are not only getting away with parasite SEO, but they are also ranking for contents that much look like AI-generated and doesn't look that unique.

Olga Zarr SEO's argument that LinkedIn has ouranked their post with sheer AI-generated content because of LinkedIn's reputation is true.

Surviving from this chaos

While the number of deindexed websites can be intimidating, one should understand is that Google is still trying to help both real content creators and their audiences as well.

For that reason, always bear in mind two things:

• Improved human experience

• Bringing quality content

If you have already used many AI-generated content, and your website is still safe, it’s time you should audit your site and start improving it. if you need to understand more on how to rank higher, read our SEO requirements tips.

Tough times are ahead as an SEO or a website owner, just embrace the challenges and stay prepared.