How to Actually Recover From a Google Update

My thoughts, experience, and bold-faced lies/theories

I made this image and content using ChatGPT and DALL-E — Credit

Google rolled out an update, and your website traffic is looking like a ghost town. Been there, done that, bought the digital t-shirt with Bitcoin.

Google updates have (and are right now) thrashing several of my sites.

There are ways to bounce back.

It’s not easy and there will almost always be sacrifices. But there is sometimes a way to claw your way back to Google’s good graces. Here’s a battle plan, from basic maneuvers to ninja SEO tactics, to get your rankings again.

First Things First: Stay Calm and Assess

You’ll want to jump ship, delete your website, and hypothetically slap your metaphorical sister.

That is to say, you will want to do something drastic and you’ll want to do it right now. Yesterday, if possible. You are desperate, frantic, and slightly manic.

But the worst thing you can do is panic.

The best thing you and I can do in these moments is to do nothing (at first) and take a calm lay of the land.

• Is it really an update? Traffic fluctuations happen. It’s important to differentiate between a normal dip and a potential update hit. Check industry blogs or SEO forums to see if others in your niche are experiencing the same traffic woes. This can help you determine if it’s a widespread issue or something specific to your site.
• What kind of update? Google releases various updates throughout the year, and understanding what kind of update it is can help you strategize your recovery plan. Core updates focus on overall content quality, rewarding informative, well-written content that provides value to users. On the other hand, smaller updates might target technical aspects of your site, like mobile-friendliness or page speed.

Basic Boot Camp: Content & User Focus

Once you’ve determined that there is an update, it’s time to check out the damage to your site, rankings, and revenue.

• Content Audit — Think of it as giving your website a good cleaning. Take a critical look at your content. Is it outdated, poorly written, or just plain boring? Update old information, expand on skimpy posts that lack substance, and add fresh perspectives to keep your content engaging. One of the things that has helped me is to add more personality and emotion to my blog posts.
• User Intent — Don’t just write about what you think is interesting. Focus on what your readers really want to know. Conduct keyword research and delve into search intent. Make sure your content directly addresses their needs and answers their questions in a clear and concise way.
• Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness (E-A-T) — Google loves credible sources. If you’re a dentist writing about dentistry, that’s fantastic. But if you’re a travel blogger dispensing dental advice, well, that might raise some eyebrows. Highlight the expertise of your authors, ensure factual accuracy in your content, and link to reputable sources to build trust with both Google and your readers.

Intermediate Tactics: Technical SEO Tweaks

Beyond the basics, there are middle-level tactics that can make all the difference.

• Mobile-Friendly — Imagine trying to read an article on a tiny phone screen with text that’s too small to see. No fun, right? The same goes for your website’s visitors. Double-check your site’s mobile experience using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, make the necessary changes to ensure a smooth user experience on all devices. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search results, so this is a no-brainer.
• Page Speed — If your website takes forever to load, visitors are likely to bounce before they even see your content. Slow loading times can significantly hurt your rankings. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify speed bottlenecks and optimize your website for faster loading times.
• Core Web Vitals — Think of Core Web Vitals as a set of metrics that measure how user-friendly your website is. Focusing on how quickly users see your content (Largest Contentful Paint), how responsive it feels (First Input Delay), and how stable the layout remains (Cumulative Layout Shift). By focusing on optimizing these Core Web Vitals, you’ll not only improve user experience but also send positive signals to Google.

Advanced Ninja Moves: Become a Google Update Whisperer

Even after mastering the SEO fundamentals, there are ways to push your website to the top of the search results page.

These advanced tactics are for the SEO ninjas who crave that extra edge.

• Structured Data (Speak Google’s Language) — Imagine labeling your content for Google, like adding tags to a library book. Structured data uses schema markup to tell search engines exactly what your content is about. This can significantly improve your chances of appearing in rich snippets and featured results, grabbing even more attention from searchers.
• Topic Clusters (Build Your Topical Authority) — Think of your website as a library, but instead of books, you have interconnected articles on a central theme. Topic clusters involve creating in-depth content on a main topic, and then linking to sub-topics that explore different aspects in detail. This shows Google your website’s depth and authority on a subject, potentially boosting your rankings for all related searches.
• User Engagement (Become a Community Hub) — Google loves websites that users adore. Encourage comments, discussions, and shares on your content. The more engaged your audience is, the more positive signals Google receives about your site’s value. Run contests, host Q&A sessions, and actively participate in discussions to foster a thriving online community. This is optional but, for some websites, it is a great strategy.
• Technical SEO Audit (Hunt Down Hidden Gremlins) — While basic SEO focuses on the big picture, technical SEO delves into the nitty-gritty of your website’s code and structure. A technical SEO audit can uncover hidden issues that might be hindering your rankings, like broken links, slow loading times, or mobile-friendliness problems. Addressing these issues can give your website a significant performance boost.

Final Thoughts: Coming Back from a Google Update

The other thing you should probably try is to diversify your traffic and revenue so that you don’t overly rely on a single platform like Google.

Create products, leverage social media, and make sure that your content reaches other search engines like Bing.

Thanks for reading!

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