Got Hit by a Google Algorithm Update? Here's What to Do

It's true, Google updates its algorithm from time to time, and your site can get caught in it.

And yes, being hit is hardly fun.

It even looks (and feels) scary as hell...

But here's the thing - Being affected by a Google Algorithm Update doesn't mean that you necessarily did something wrong.

It's not a penalty. And most of the time, you can recover from a Google Algorithm hit.

Here's everything you need to know about Google Algorithm Updates, and ways to prevent bring hit or recover, if you were.

What is a Google Algorithm Update?

Google Algorithm Update is exactly that, an update or a change to the way the search algorithm works.  

The update can focus on a simple factor, like how the algorithm processes artificial deepfake images. This is what happened with the explicit content update from July this year, for example.

Or Link Spam update from December 2022 that introduced SpamBrain to help neutralize the impact of unnatural links on search restuls.

But the update can also be quite  severe, changing at least several major ways of how the algorithm indexes, evaluates, and ranks content. These are called Core Updates

Panda or Penguin are good examples here. These are, probably, also two of the first major core updates. Major in the sense that they even got their names, and all.

Panda completely changed the way Google evaluated content. It introduced new ranking factors, dropped some old ones, and so on.

Penguin changed the way Google evaluated links.

Funny story, (well, funny now but it didn't feel that way at the time): I actually lost my first SEO job because of Panda.

I was a junior at an agency, brought to help with a major client, a sports betting start-up. Unfortunately, the sit got hit by the Panda update, losing quite a large chunk of traffic.

Since it was the first algorithm update of such magnitude, nobody knew what to do or how to recover.

So, the agency lost the contract, and I lost the job...

What does it mean to be hit by the Algorithm Update?

This is super important to understand - Being hit by an algorithm update does not mean that your site was penalized.

In most cases, it doesn't even mean that you did anything wrong (well, I'm assuming that you've been following SEO best practices, of course. If you did try to game the system, then it's a different matter.)

It means that Google changed something about how it processes queries and evaluates content, and your pages don't follow that new way fully.

This also means that, to a large extent, to recover, you need to:

• Figure out how your pages differ from what the new update introduced, and
• Amend your content to align with that new way of processing content or queries.

What you can do to prevent it?

True, algorithm updates are a serious concern.

You’ve put so much effort into building out your startup's SEO, after all. You’ve created the strategy, built the body of content, and so on. It’s only natural that you might feel anxious about losing it all just because Google decided to tweak something in the algorithm.

But here’s the problem - Since we know so little about those updates or what Google has in store, can we protect our sites from the effects of an update?

Well, yes and no.

No, because, naturally, we don’t have a crystal ball, and can’t predict what is going to change in the future and thus take action to future proof our sites.

But yes, because we can take certain measures to make our sites more resistant to potential changes to the algorithm.

Here are the most important ones:

1/ Always put users first and deliver insane value.

Here’s an interesting fact about this advice - Google is doing the same thing.

The search engine algorithm always puts users first.

It's hard to imagine that the search engine ever changed its algorithm on a whim, or because some individual, decided that it should work differently.

No.

Every change they make to the algorithm puts users first, and aims to improve the user experience.

So, by doing the same thing, you’re automatically aligning your strategy with Google’s objectives.

Why is this important?

Because, with SEO, we can take one of two routes.

We can focus on speed, and try to rank our sites as quickly as possible. But that approach often means ignoring users.

To propel your growth super fast, you often need to forget about your audience. Instead of delivering content that’s 100% targeted at them, you focus on the highest search volume keywords, and offer more generic advice that aligns with what top-ranking pages are covering, and so on.

You focus on hacks, quick fixes, and so on. And sure, many of these strategies work. But because they don’t put users first, they are likely to be hit by an algorithm update.

Or we can take a longer approach, discover what conversations your specific audience has around the issues your product helps to overcome, and figure out the best ways to join those conversations.

That’s a more long-term approach.

It requires building the body of content slowly, testing, and continuously learning more and more about your audience. It also requires you to build up your authority, perhaps even educate yourself more on those issues that touch the audience.

But it’s also the approach that totally aligns with what Google wants us to be doing. As a result, it’s less likely to be affected by an algo update.

2/ Avoid shiny new object syndrome in SEO

Believe me, it's so easy to get caught in that, actually.

Every month someone suggests a new hack, a new quick fix, or some amazing strategy that has worked wonders for them.

AI is a good example here. The moment we got access to ChatGPT, thousands of startups began using it to write content.

There are now tens (if not more) AI writing tools, all promising to create hundreds of SEO-friendly content for you at a touch of button (and for a hefty monthly fee, of course.)

It’s so easy to fall for it but these hacks or quick solutions rarely work.

And even if a particularly hack has worked well for someone, the chances are that:

• it’s not repeatable. Hell, I bet even they might not be able to repeat it again.
• it worked only for a short-term, after which the site plummeted in rankings, never to be seen in the SERP again. In act, the web is full of case studies of companies turning to "magical" AI writing tools, seeing initial amazing results, and then, being penalized because Google copped on. (*)

SEO is not built on hacks or fluxes. It’s built on providing value to users, and building that organic growth slowly.

So, avoid all these new hacks and shiny new objects at all costs. Because, ultimately, they are often exactly the things that get you hit by the algo update.

(*) Fun exercise - Look closely at the graphs with those supposedly incredible results that many of those AI writing tools present on their sites. Note particularly the timeline and when the traffic spike occured.

You'll notice that they only show you the start of the traffic spike. But they never show you the traffic remaining high for a longer time.

Why? Because usually, after the initial spike, the traffic plummets. But naturally, they don't want you to know that.

3/ Build your authority and expertise

Authority and expertise are everything in organic search.

I like to explain that by comparing Google to how we, humans, work. Because, ultimately, the search engine’s algorithm does work quite in the same way we do.

Think about it - What does the algorithm do when someone feeds it a search query?

• Most likely, it first asks, who are the top 5 or 10 guys in this industry or experts in this topic? It’s this domain, that one, that one, and so on.
• Next - Do they have content that answers that query? This one does, that one does, and so on.
• I believe that other ranking factors kick in only then and help the algorithm to decide the order at which to rank those pages.

So, to protect yourself from any potential algorithm updates you need to make sure that it sees you as those top 5 or 10 experts in your target topic.

4/ Work on your user experience

Finally, make sure that your content is easy to read, also on mobile devices.

Work on usability, too.

Make your content engaging visually. Interlink your pages.

Remove any broken links, and so on.

The logic behind this advice is simple - If Google sees people liking your content, staying on the site, enjoying the experience, coming back to you, and so on, it will be less likely to hit you.

Now, of course, algorithm updates target everyone. There is no way for Google to list sites that shouldn’t be affected or white list someone, etc.

But I also believe that an algorithm wouldn’t inherently change something that would affect sites with good UX.

By this I mean the same thing that I said earlier on - If you put users first, and provide value, and great user experience, you’re basically doing the same thing as Google does, you’re following its footsteps, so to speak, and you’re aligning yourself with the search engine, and as a result, make your site less prone to be affected by an algorithm update.

In fact, you might even benefit from it even more.

Got hit? Here are a few tips that will help with recovery

Naturally, preventing an algorithm update hit is just that, preventing. It doesn't guarantee that Google won't change something in the algorithm that wouldn't affect your site.

So here's what to do if you did get hit by a Google Algorithm Update.

1/ Confirm you got hit by an algorithm update

The fact that your traffic dips around the algorithm update announcement doesn't mean that it's what caused it. There could be other reasons, and the timing is just the coincidence.

So, as the first step, confirm that nothing else hindered the site's performance.

• Run a site crawl to eliminate any potential issues: technical problems that might have gotten half of the site deindexed, etc.
• Also check Google Search Console pages report to see if the site didn't experience any sudden spike in deindexed pages, etc.

2/ Wait for the rollout to complete

I do appreciate that this advice may irritate you when you've just noticed a massive drop in rankings and organic traffic. I really do.

But... your performance at the start of the rollout and once it finishes might be completely different.

See this graph, for example.

This company clearly got hit by the August 2024 update. Their rankings, impressions, and clicks nosedive almost on the day when the rollout began (and there were no other issues that could have caused this. I checked.)

But look what happens about a month later, just when the rollout completes. The site seems to recover at least half of the lost traffic.

Why waiting for the update to finish is so important?

Well, imagine what could have happened if they began trying to fix the problem while the rollout continued?

From experience, I'd guess that they'd panic and start frantically trying to fix the issue. They'd start tweaking anything they could think of, from content to their site's code, design, and anything in between and...

... simply stand in the way of the update, potentially causing even more damage.

Instead, even though your instincts will be pushing you to act, wait for the rollout to complete. It's ok to monitor the situation. It's perfectly fine to start reviewing the data. Just don't rush into action.

The thing about Google Algorithm Updates is that they take at least a month to roll out fully. I can only guess it, of course, but I don't think that Google engineers sit twidding their thumbs during that time.

They monitor the rollout, evaluate the impact and (this is my guess, mind you, although it seems quite a logical one), tweak  and patch the update as it rolls out.

That's why, sometimes the initial hit is severe. But later, the performance changes, and at least some of your pages seem to recover.

Waiting for the rollout to complete means that, when you finally start working towards recovery, you're not only working with the final set of data, you're not causing any more damage.

3/ Look closely at the official announcement

I admit, Google could be telling us more about what the update targets.

Often, they could be saying anything about it (because, let's face it, saying that the update targets "poor content" is basically like saying nothing at all.)

But sometimes, you can find clues even in those scarce announcements.

For example, the March 2024 update "addressed low-quality content and introduces new policies on spam to combat manipulative practices."

Granted, the information doesn't say an awful lot.

But it does suggest where to look for potential clues if you got hit. (Hint: Your content...)

4/ Evaluate the before and after looking for patterns

This is when you start digging to uncover potential reasons for the drop.

Now, every consultant would have their process. Mine starts with comparing page performance before and after the drop to:

• Identify the extent of the hit
• See which pages got hit, and to what extent,
• Look for patterns that, combined with other data points, could lead at potential causes and solutions.

To do this, simply export GSC data for two time periods. I usually go for a week before the drop, and the first week after (unless their performance improved by the end of rollout, then I use the first week after the rollout.)

I add all that data to the spreadsheet, and compare the difference in clicks, impressions, and average rank per page.

5/ Be honest with your actions to date

This is the step you're going to find the most difficult, and that's because it requires you to take a hard, honest look at what you've been doing with your SEO.

Used AI perhaps too extensively? Hired cheap writers with little to no topical knowledge? Maybe you gave them permission to use AI writing tools and basically rehash what others had said, or did absolutely no editing to their content (and never even checked whether their words were original...)

Look, it happens. It's easy for me to list all those potential issues but SEO is what I do. I've seen all those mistakes. I made many others myself over the years. As a result, I know what traps startup founders often fall with SEO.

But you don't, so don't be too hard on yourself.

But be honest with yourself. Don't assume that you did everything by the book because the chances are that the answer to the hit lies in those honest answers.

6/ Make hypotheses and implement fixes

Look, this final step is often the most difficult for non-SEOs. It requires you to basically "figure out" what may have gone wrong, and come up with changes that could revert it.

Which, again, is relatively easy for someone like me. I do SEO day in and out, after all. I know how it works inside out, and I can spot patterns and suggest solutions.

You don't.

So, you might need to do a little digging around to almost "reverse engineer" any patterns you may have found. You may need to ask around, too, to uncover what might be the best solution to fix the pattern.

Should you build more links for your startup? Rewrite the content? Or will improving the UX or on-page optimization do the trick?

I recommend you consult a specialist, too. Even if you hire a consultant for a couple of hours to help you decide what to do, at least you'll know that what you want to do stands a chance at helping the site to recover.

And that's it...

That's all you need to know about what to do when you site got hit by a Google Algorithm Update.

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