Google March 2024 Core Update & New Spam Policy: What does it mean for travel?

Google March 2024 Core Update & New Spam Policy

Dubbed a game-changer, or an ‘algorithm bomb’, Google’s latest core update, and the changes it has made to how spam is identified, have certainly caused a stir. But debates as to whether this is just another PR stunt in the tech giant's playbook aside, what does it mean for travel marketers?

March 2024 core update

The essence of this update is a decisive shift from the ‘helpful content system’ launched in 2022 to a multifaceted approach in evaluating content. Google now relies on a broader set of signals and systems to judge the helpfulness of content. This nuanced evaluation operates at a page level, and thus puts the burden on creators and brands to publish genuinely valuable content - and, in the words of Elizabeth Tucker, Director, Product Management at Google, they “...expect that the combination of this update and our previous efforts will collectively reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%.”

The impact

Although evaluation happens on a page-level, Google has stated that having unhelpful content on your website can negatively impact its overall performance. Eliminating low-quality content (like thin content pages which give visitors little value, or unoriginal content) can improve the ranking of your remaining pages - although if your rankings drop and you've made changes based on the guidelines, there's no specific timeframe for when you might see an improvement in your rankings.

Given the complexity of this update, its full rollout could span an entire month.

How to evaluate your content?

Content writers and creators can self-assess if their content truly meets Google’s ‘helpfulness’ criteria using Google’s own Google Helpful Content advice. 

March 2024 spam update and policies

Google has updated its policies and criteria to enhance the quality and usefulness of its search results. These measures aim to combat spam and low-quality content. Below are the key points of the updated policies:

• Expired domain abuse

The crackdown on exploiting expired domains for their historical reputation is now under Google's radar as they aim to leverage a domain's past standing for hosting low-value content. 

• Scaled content abuse

The creation of massive amounts of low-value, unoriginal content, whether automated or manual, will now be explicitly penalised by Google. This includes a clearer stance on AI-generated content, identifying it as spam if its primary purpose is to manipulate search rankings. This may affect travel sites that created low-value programmatic SEO (low-value content on scale). 

• Site reputation abuse

Website owners must ensure that third-party content is published responsibly and without manipulation of search rankings. They have until May 5, 2024, to comply. This may refer to some well-regarded websites that utilise subdomains to promote affiliate links, aiming to leverage SEO for sponsorship income without properly evaluating the content.

Impact and compliance

Google's ranking algorithms evaluate website content primarily at the page level, however, site-wide signals are also taken into account. To avoid potential ranking penalties or complete exclusion from search results, content creators must strictly adhere to these updated spam policies. Violations of these policies may result in a manual action notice via the Search Console. Therefore, it is crucial to create original and valuable content that adds to the user experience.

Actions for travel websites:

If your travel website experiences a drop in rankings, Google's historical advice for dealing with a core update impact offers some guidance:

• A dip in rankings doesn't necessarily mean there's an issue with your content. Core updates are broad and can affect websites in complex ways.

• Reflect on your website's content by auditing its quality and relevance to your audience. This introspection can help identify areas for improvement - see the questionnaire here. 

• Immediate recovery actions aren't specified because the effects of core updates are intricate. Improvements may be noticed gradually, but significant ranking changes are likely after the rollout of subsequent core updates. Stay focused on enhancing your site's content and user experience in the meantime.

Summary

The emphasis on quality, uniqueness, and usefulness continues. If you've already adapted to Google's 2022 helpfulness update, there might not be much more to do. 

However, in travel, the mass production of landing pages to attract new users is a common practice. So-called programmatic SEO (pSEO) is not an issue itself (see Google flight pages), but its incorrect execution might be. Assessing the quality of the data presented on landing page templates should be SEOs priority in the travel industry in the next few months.  

It is a different story for those using more questionable SEO tactics. It may take some time to comprehend the impact of these updates fully, and some individuals may need to conduct a thorough review during this period.