Google has just unveiled its first Core Update of 2024, accompanied by a Spam Update, on March 5. This double announcement is part of Google’s desire to fight against unoriginal and low-quality content. The March 2024 Core Update aims to improve the quality of search results by reducing content created solely to generate clicks. Google expects a 40% reduction in low-quality content in search results with this update. At the same time, the Spam Update introduces new anti-spam policies to counter expired domain abuse, large-scale content abuse and site reputation abuse. These measures aim to penalize sites that seek to manipulate search rankings.
A notable development concerns Google’s treatment of backlinks, which are no longer considered a predominant factor in the ranking of web pages. Despite this modification, it is advisable not to neglect your backlink strategy, especially in a competitive sector. The March 2024 Spam Update also targets the purchase and reuse of expired domains to manipulate search rankings, as well as the publication of low-quality content at scale. Finally, Google is fighting site reputation abuse, which involves publishing third-party pages without content control to manipulate search rankings. These new anti-spam policies will go into effect on May 5, 2024, giving site owners time to prepare.
