December 19, 2024
With the end of 2024 in sight, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the major events that happened in the digital world in the past year. From multiple core updates to advancements in AI, it has been quite a year!
This year, Google launched four major core algorithm updates. As we speak, the December 2024 core update is still rolling out!
Here’s a timeline of Google’s 2024 core updates:
These core updates caused quite a stir amongst the SEO community and many of those negatively affected by the helpful content update (HCU) in 2022 were further derailed by this year’s updates.
The March 2024 core update was an extension of the helpful content update in 2022. It reinforced the importance of high-quality, relevant content and knuckled down on the penalisation of spam links. Google stated after the rollout was complete, users would see a 45% reduction in low-quality content.
The August 2024 core update contributed to Google’s ongoing efforts to reward sites with high-quality, helpful content. The update caused significant volatility in the SERPs for weeks and negatively impacted the rankings of thousands of websites.
Google’s November core update came as no surprise, with pre-warning from Google employees at the Web Creator Conversion Event held by Google in October. However, the December core update left many taken aback, assuming the November update would be the last of 2024. Despite only lasting six days, the December core update still managed to create intense volatility in the SERPs and hit plenty of sites affected by the HCU hard.
Google stated prior to the November update that neither this update nor the next one would help sites affected by the HCU recover. Will the first update of 2025 provide any relief for sites hit hard by Google’s recent updates?
Along with core updates, we were also welcomed by the March 2024 spam update, which began on 5 March and finished on 20 March, taking 14 days and 21 hours to complete.
The update primarily penalised sites that were using spam techniques and relying heavily on AI generated content. It was estimated that over 1,000 sites were completely de-indexed as a result of the update. Whilst most of these sites were using low-quality, AI generated content, many site owners claimed they received manual actions despite never using AI for content, leaving many content creators deeply unhappy.
Along with four core updates, we were also treated to three spam updates in 2024, including one that is currently rolling out. These were:
Of these, the March 2024 spam update was particularly impactful. It began on 5 March and finished on 20 March, taking 14 days and 21 hours to complete.
The update primarily penalised sites that were using spam techniques and relying heavily on AI generated content. It was estimated that over 1,000 sites were completely de-indexed as a result of the update. Whilst most of these sites were using low-quality, AI generated content, many site owners claimed they received manual actions despite never using AI for content, leaving many content creators deeply unhappy.
In May, Google implemented a new spam policy, the site reputation abuse policy. The policy was introduced as part of Google’s March 2024 core update and targets sites hosting third-party content with no first-party oversight and intentions to manipulate search rankings.
It didn’t take long for Google to take manual actions and, before long, pages across hundreds of individual websites were de-indexed. Initially, this primarily hit the voucher, coupon, and discount pages of largescale news websites.
Google launched AI Overviews in US search results in May this year. AI Overviews are powered by Google Gemini and offer users a very brief overview of an answer to their query. It features above all organic search results.
There were, and still are, mixed feelings about AI Overviews. Many were initially concerned about the accuracy of some results, which offered misleading or even harmful answers, and others were left apprehensive about tracking, with no distinction between impressions and clicks generated by traditional search and AI Overviews in Search Console.
A few months after the launch, numerous studies concluded that pages with informational intent were prioritised by Google for AI Overviews. Since AI Overviews are so new to Google, the way they determine which URLs are featured in AI Overviews is likely to evolve over the next few years.
On 1 July, Google officially shut down Universal Analytics (UA), replacing this model of Google Analytics with GA4. The new platform was brought in to meet technological and regulatory demands as the world of search continues to evolve.
The migration had been two years in the making and site owners were issued several updates and announcements to move to GA4 to avoid losing data.
The transformation didn’t come without its challenges and many didn’t welcome the change. Particularly as the platform collects and processes data differently to the previous model, meaning many traditional metrics were redefined or ceased to exist.
On 22 July, Google announced it would be reversing its plans to remove third-party cookies and instead offer users a prompt allowing them to ‘make an informed choice’ about their online privacy.
Google’s update came after years of ongoing issues and multiple delays in their supposed two-year strategy which began four years earlier, in January 2020. Now, instead of phasing out third-party cookies, Google offers extended third-party controls which allows users to set their own cookie-related preferences.
We were thrown plenty of curveballs over the course of the year and we anticipate next year could be similar. With AI becoming more prominent and Google facing more intense scrutiny, 2025 could get interesting…
If your new year's resolution is to hire an award-winning digital performance agency to accelerate the growth of your website, get in touch with us today. We will make sure 2025 is your best year yet!