Read on for a concise checklist to help you recover from Google updates. Safeguard your website from algorithm changes and keep your search rankings intact.

Historically, Google has rolled out core algorithm updates twice or thrice a year. However, last year saw a record four updates.

Recently, we also witnessed a 45-day record rollout with the March core update.

These updates were partially aimed at countering SEO experts’ tactics. Google updates have evolved over the years, reflecting Google’s development as an information finder, classifier, and retrieval system.

Consequently, our discussion, understanding, and approach to these updates must evolve.

It’s important to note that not all Google updates are punitive. Many updates in the past 24-36 months have aligned with Google’s core algorithm and the adoption of new technologies.

Recovery Strategies Post-Update

While recovering from an update is feasible before the following broad core updates are rolled out, significant changes (and recoveries) are typically observed during subsequent updates—especially if sites have realigned their content with Google’s criteria. According to a Google document, content impacted by one update may not fully recover until the next broad core update, even with improvements.

Additionally, enhancing content doesn’t guarantee recovery if “more deserving content” exists, as Google prioritizes it in search results.

Recovering from a Google update often involves enhancing one or more of the following:

1. Content value proposition, ensuring alignment with user expectations for specific queries.
2. Enhancing E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), including improving links and mentions.
3. Strengthening and establishing your brand’s entity and relatedness.

Recovery processes can vary:

• Some recoveries are rapid, with traffic returning to or surpassing pre-update levels. This typically occurs when a search engine update reverses a variable changed in a previous update.
• Other recoveries take longer, indicating positive user data from previous update changes. In these cases, aligning your website and content with Google’s preferences becomes crucial for recovery.

Update Recovery Checklist: Phases and Preparations

Before delving into Phase One, initiating a preliminary “Phase Zero” by asking critical questions can save considerable time and alleviate concerns among stakeholders:

1. Where is the traffic drop occurring?
2. Does this align with our internal data if observed through a third-party tool?
3. Have the third-party tools updated their datasets and traffic forecasts?
4. Are all tracking codes implemented and functioning correctly within our internal data?

Addressing these inquiries upfront can prevent unnecessary resource allocation and help restore confidence in the situation.

Phase One: Assessing the Impact

Phase Two: Reviewing the SERPs

Phase Three: Evaluating Your Website

Phase Four: Developing and Implementing Recovery Strategies

Recovering From Google Updates: A Challenging Journey

Understanding why your rankings drop is often shrouded in mystery, as Google seldom provides explicit explanations. Deciphering the causes behind a decline in traffic or search engine results page (SERP) performance demands a critical evaluation of your website.

It is imperative to discard assumptions about your content and website’s eligibility for top rankings. Ask yourself: Do my pages indeed merit ranking?

Consider the following:

1. Have you implemented SEO fundamentals effectively?
2. Are you transparent about black-hat practices in your link-building efforts?
3. Are you avoiding engagement in spam activities?
4. Do experts author your content?
5. Do your competitors offer superior content, more user-friendly pages, or a more precise value proposition?

You can chart a path forward once you’ve conducted a thorough assessment. Recovering from a sudden ranking drop is a process that demands time, patience, and diligent effort. Access to reliable information is your most valuable asset.

If you still need help, check out our monthly SEO packages and let the experts help you.