November & December 2024 Industry Updates

Welcome back to another edition of Conductor’s SEO industry updates. This recap will cover key industry shifts as we head towards the end of the year and provide you with advice and guidance on preparing for the future of SEO. With two core updates and other changes on Google, there’s plenty to unpack.

Google’s November 2024 Core Update

The what

Google announced its November 2024 Core Update on November 11th, 2024, and announced its completion on December 5th. The update lasted 24 days, making it the second-longest core update in 2024. A core update in November is not unexpected. This marks the third time in four years that we’ve experienced a core update in November.

The why

Google shared on Linkedin , “This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.” The quality of Google's search results has received plenty of criticism this year, following the release of AI Overviews. This did not appear to be one of the more significant updates we’ve had recently in terms of SERP volatility, as noted by Search Engine Land .

AI Overview results experienced high volatility throughout the update. From reviewing Conductor customer data, we continue to see high volatility in both, the presence of AI Overview results, and the sources cited. For example, shopping and E-commerce websites experienced high volatility for AIO results during the core update. One major U.S. retailer saw a 77% decrease in their tracked searches that triggered an AI Overview result the week before Black Friday. Healthcare and financial service websites have continued to experience an increase in their priority keywords that include an AI Overview result in the SERP. This is a significant shift from earlier in the year and could signal Google’s confidence in providing AI Overview results for sensitive topics related to "Your Money or Your Life" topics. This is an area Google previously shared it treats differently compared to other industries , “Our systems give even more weight to content that aligns with strong E-E-A-T for topics that could significantly impact the health, financial stability, or safety of people, or the welfare or well-being of society.”

For everyone

Conductor provides a guide for responding to and preparing for Google Algorithm updates for those interested in measuring how this update may have impacted organic performance. Regardless of what platform you’re using, we recommend taking the time to evaluate your website’s organic performance before and after every core update. Start with measuring your organic traffic and keyword rankings at least two weeks before the initial release of the core update. Compare that performance to the same period post-update. It’s important to factor seasonality into your analysis, especially with an update coming out at this time of the year. In addition to the time of the year, getting hit with a back-to-back core update can make this analysis more challenging, but we’ll share more on consecutive algorithm updates later in this article.

For Conductor Customers

Have you created a workspace template for tracking Google Algorithm updates? If not, now is the perfect time to start. Creating a template will allow you to quickly create reports in the future that are designed to help you understand the impact of a core update. The best part is this only takes a few minutes to set up and can be duplicated and restricted for any future Google update. Check out our quick guide provided below for guidance on setting your report up:

• Pages - Evaluate the performance of your individual pages and page groups using the Pages report. Analyze your site's metrics across various views, such as year-over-year comparisons and metric analyses. To assess the impact of an update, set the reporting period to start at least two weeks before the update's release and compare it to performance data from at least two weeks after the update. Add the trended performance chart widget to your workspace, as well as the performance by page widget

• Page Groups : The Page Groups report lets you review your page groups' performance compared to each other. The trended performance chart widget lets you compare your selected metric trended over your desired time range. Add this widget to your workspace as well as the page group details widget and take some time to review page group performance for trends like dips or increases in your KPIs.

• Keywords : Creating your workspace is a great opportunity to practice with Conductor’s new keyword reporting experience. Continue with the same time ranges you’ve set with your widgets in the pages section and review trends on how your tracked keyword rankings have performed. Conductor’s new data infrastructure can now provide you with seasonality patterns allowing you to understand how that may have factored into your organic channel during the update. Add the visibility over time and seasonality widgets to your workspace.

• Keyword Groups : This feature enables you to monitor and analyze specific sets of keywords, providing valuable insights into how a Google core update affects your site's performance. By selecting relevant keyword groups and applying filters such as location, device, and date range, you can focus on the data most pertinent to your analysis. Consider adding the keyword groups comparison widget to your workspace.
• Result Types : Result Types provide valuable insights into how various universal search engine result types—such as answer boxes, people also ask results, and AI Overviews —appear for your tracked keywords. By analyzing these result types, you can identify which keywords improved or declined after core updates. Review your ownership by result type and add specific widgets to your workspace based on the result types most important to your keyword strategy.

• Market Share : Reports from Market Share are an invaluable tool for assessing your website's performance relative to competitors for your tracked searches. By analyzing the prominence of your content in top search positions, you can detect shifts in visibility and identify emerging threats to your page-one rankings that may not align with your expectations of traditional business competitors. This analysis highlights how much real estate your content occupies on the first page compared to others, revealing how you stack up against other websites and new SEO competitors for your keywords. Review your market share report using different priority keyword groups and other filters to find insightful widgets to add to your workspace reporting.

Publishers Hit with Site Reputation Abuse Penalties

The what

Google recently intensified the enforcement of its’ site reputation abuse policy. Google released an official statement on the update stating, “We launched a spam policy to combat site reputation abuse . This is a tactic where third-party content is published on a host site in an attempt to take advantage of the host's already-established ranking signals. The goal of this tactic is for the content to rank better than it could otherwise on a different site, and leads to a bad search experience for users.” This crackdown significantly impacted publishers who Google deemed to be engaging in practices and methods designed to manipulate search rankings. This policy targets "parasite SEO," where websites publish off-brand or irrelevant content to exploit their domain's authority, often through third-party collaborations.

Lars Lofgren raised concerns about parasitic websites like Forbes Marketplace back in September and results for websites hit with this penalty have been severe. Using Conductor’s domain search feature in Explorer shows Forbes experienced a decline of over a million keywords ranking in positions 1-3 since this time last year.

Google also shared that not all third-party content violates their policy. Google provides more details on its spam policies page about what is and isn't considered reputation abuse.

The why

Site reputation abuse involves tactics that undermine a website's integrity to gain unfair advantages in search engine rankings. Common methods include Publishing Irrelevant Content, Third-Party Content Insertion, and dishonest Affiliate Marketing Schemes. These practices can deceive users and degrade the quality of search results, prompting Google's stricter enforcement measures. In November, the policy was expanded to clarify that any use of third-party content intended to exploit a site's ranking signals is a violation, regardless of the degree of first-party involvement.

For everyone

Review Google’s documentation regarding site reputation abuse, as well as their spam policies. Conduct an audit of your website to determine if you have content that is potentially infringing on best practices. Work to reoptimize content to provide your audience with the best possible search experience and the information they’re looking for, instead of just what you think will rank well.

For Conductor customers

When optimizing or creating content, Conductor’s Writing Assistant lets you optimize your content before you publish it. Writing Assistant supplies you and your team with real-time recommendations, including insights powered by OpenAI’s GPT model, as your team writes it to help ensure it’s optimized to succeed on SERPs while resonating with your intended audience. You can use Writing Assistant to identify high-opportunity areas for any type of content on your website to make it more impactful by providing genuine value, rather than merely aiming for high rankings on SERPs.

Google’s December Core Update

The what

If the November Core Update left you wanting more, you’re in luck! Google announced the December Core Update on December 12th and the conclusion was just 6 days later on December 18th. Back-to-back updates are not unusual from Google. The most recent example of this was in the fall of 2023. Google rolled out core updates in October and November. This marked the shortest core update since January 2020 , which lasted just three days.

The why

Didn’t we just have a core update last month? Yes, but Google shared , “We have different core systems we're always improving.” They also provided a link to a previous Q&A article that was published following the October and November core updates of 2023. Google tries to avoid having updates during the late-November to mid-December period when possible. However, as we’ve seen over the past few years, Google’s core updates are released when they’re ready, not when you’re back from your holiday break.

For everyone

I know we’ve already covered this a few paragraphs above, but the message remains the same. After a core update, it's essential to assess your website's performance to understand the potential impact. Begin by analyzing your site's keyword visibility and organic traffic. Leverage your analytics to look for significant changes in visits, sessions, impressions, and clicks compared to previous periods, including year-over-year performance to determine if you were impacted. Consider registering for Conductor’s next 30 | 30 webinar session hosted by our VP of Services & Thought Leadership, Pat Reinhart, as he breaks down Google's algorithm updates and more stories from the last 30 days – in just 30 minutes. You can also catch up on previous sessions for every month prior, available on demand.

For Conductor customers

Did you build out that workspace I mentioned earlier in the article? If not, go ahead and scroll back up to my previous recommendations and get started. If you did, consider updating your date ranges to incorporate both updates. If you’re interested in including some additional insights to your reporting, follow the suggestion provided below:

• Explorer: Conductor users can take advantage of the Explorer tool to gain comprehensive insights into the search performance of specific domains, subdomains, subfolders, or individual pages. By entering any URL into Explorer, users can access detailed data on organic search performance, including the keywords for which the site ranks and the corresponding ranking pages. This functionality is instrumental in assessing the impact of the core update on both your site and your competitors' sites. You can add Explorer widgets to your workspace to better understand how core updates impact your competitors.

Google’s December Spam Update

The what

Is Ebenezer Scrooge working on Google? I don’t know, but it seems like the search team at Google might be working over the holidays with the release of their December 2024 spam update . Google estimates this update may take up to one week to complete. This is the third spam update of 2024 and the first one Google has released since June.

The why

Google rolls out spam updates to keep search results helpful, trustworthy, and relevant for users. These updates attempt to crack down on sites that try to game the system with tactics like keyword stuffing, shady link schemes, cloaking, or other nefarious SEO tactics. By getting better at spotting and penalizing these offenders, Google seeks to improve its search results for users. These updates also nudge website owners to focus on following SEO best practices, such as creating high-quality content and delivering great user experiences, which helps improve the web for everyone.

For everyone and Conductor customers

Are you worried your website is impacted by a spam update? We recommend reviewing Google’s spam policies to ensure compliance. Websites that violate their policies may experience keyword ranking declines or stop ranking completely. If you have concerns about violating spam policies, follow the steps listed below:

1. Conduct a content audit to ensure your content is original, provides value to users, and is tailored to your target audience.
2. Avoid duplicate content and reoptimize duplicate content uncovered during a content audit.
3. Review Google’s Search Essentials for clarity on best practices

Stay tuned

Conductor is here to deliver all of the digital marketing, content marketing, and SEO resources you need, no matter what your PTO schedule looks like over the next month. Check out the Conductor Academy for research studies, guides, and articles to help you maximize the potential of your website optimization efforts. 2025 will be here before you know it, get a jump on your SEO, digital marketing, and content strategies in the new year by signing up for our upcoming webinar, The State of SEO: Insights from 2024 and Priorities for 2025 on January 8th, 2025.