Google Algorithm Updates in 2024 and the Influence of AI
For years we have seen Google regularly launching new algorithm updates, making major changes to search results. These changes then also become integral to how we approach SEO strategies for our clients. As these updates become larger and more regular, keeping up with industry developments and their impact becomes an increasingly vital part of any search marketing strategy. We need to continuously stay ahead of the curve, measuring impact and monitoring competition, elements that are key to every business wishing to thrive in today’s digital landscape.
It isn’t just Google search results that we need to stay on top of. Aside from traditional algorithm developments, we are also seeing a lot of fast growth in AI Overviews, Google Gemini and GPTs / AI powered search engines such as SearchGPT. AI is making its way into many of our key processes and marketing strategies here at Varn, whilst also driving a number of new algorithm updates, making our Innovation team integral to any successful SEO strategy.
What is a Google Algorithm Update?
As Google has stated time and again, successful rankings are not all about the volume of content you add to a website. The key is providing a solution to your users’ needs, matching their search intent with the most relevant and helpful results possible. In order to deliver this content, Google needs to gain an understanding of the quality and relevance of content within a website page – considering many different factors and signals along the way.
Google algorithms are designed to test, evaluate and sort through the billions of pages within their index, before providing a user with the most accurate results. And this process needs to be refined on an ongoing basis, alongside industry developments and improved understanding of website users / search intent. Google algorithm updates are just that – updates to the algorithm driving their search engine. This can include anything from a slight tweak to how Google perceives a certain technical SEO element, to the amount of importance placed on certain off-page SEO factors.
Google constantly changes its ranking systems and has converted the SERPs into an experimental board. In 2022, Google stated they had launched 4,725 changes, over 8,000 experiments and more than 4,000 improvements to search, which suggests it changes 13 times per day on average. However, Google does not officially confirm every change as an update – some of these more minor changes are often put down to SERP volatility, if they are even noticed at all; while major algorithm updates tend to have a bigger impact that can result in very noticeable fluctuations in organic rankings and traffic.
A Roundup of Google Algorithm Updates in 2024
When we look back and see the list of algorithm updates from recent years, it would appear as though 2024 was relatively quiet compared to most. Although with so many ongoing developments in search, AI and machine learning, it sometimes takes quite a lot of research in order to uncover the causation of ranking fluctuations.
Whilst 2023 clearly shows a larger number of updates than this past year, it is worth noting that Google have purposefully reduced the volume of announcements being made to their algorithms in 2024:
- First, Google said they would no longer announce future Reviews updates, as the system is “improved at a regular and ongoing pace”.
- Secondly, the Helpful Content Updates have now been incorporated into the overall Core ranking system.
Having said that, here’s a detailed breakdown of the significant Google updates of 2024:
March Core Update (5th March – 16th April 2024)
This was the first major core update of the year, noted for its significant volatility and multiple systems getting updated at once, including the Helpful Content system. It was mainly adapted to reward high-quality, helpful content, whilst also demoting pages designed primarily to rank well without offering value to users. The update particularly impacted sectors like health, finance, and education, as Google refined its ability to assess authority and trustworthiness across various niches, leading to a 40% reduction of unhelpful content within search results.
March Spam Update (5th March – 20th March 2024)
This was released at the same time as the March Core Update, introducing three new spam policies: scaled content abuse, expired content abuse and site reputation abuse. The latter were scheduled for May 2024 while the other two had an immediate effect, where many reported to have seen an increased amount of manual actions.
May Site Reputation Abuse (6th May 2024)
The activities targeted by the Site Reputation Abuse (SRA) Update have been recently named ‘Parasite SEO’. This is when third-party content is published with no first-party involvement, in order to leverage the first-party site’s ranking signals. For now, manual actions to remove these sites from Google’s index followed manual site reviews, which eventually will be incorporated into the Spam algorithm in the future.
AI Overviews Release (14th May 2024)
At the end of 2023, some of us were lucky enough to test this (then) new feature – ‘SGE’ – that Google planned to release throughout 2024. After a lot of feedback and controversy regarding the accuracy of the answers and the attribution of sources, AI-generated answers were officially added to Google SERPs, originally only available to US accounts and now renamed ‘AI Overviews’.
A few months later, John Mueller confirmed that AI Overviews are affected by Core Updates, which can decide whether a website features in the AI-generated answers or not.
June Spam Update (20th June – 27th June 2024)
Following the May SRA update, this involved Google improving its ability to identify spammy pages / websites that don’t comply with their new policies. However, this update did not automate the reputation abuse policy still, which remains manual.
July Deepfake Update (31st July 2024)
Deepfake is the term used to describe artificially generated images and videos. Unlike usual algorithm updates where analysis and sorting is carried out, this update revolved around Google adjusting its search algorithm to prevent non-consensual explicit deepfakes from ranking highly. Over 70% of the targeted searches were reported to have a reduced exposure to deepfakes.
August Core Update (15th August – 3rd September 2024)
The August core update focused on improving the quality of search results by showing less content that feels as though it was created just to perform well on search – and instead, prioritising content that people find genuinely useful. This update also aimed to better capture improvements that sites may have made, so that Google can continue to show the best of the web.
November Core Update (11th November 2024)
The November Core Update sought to refine the quality and relevance of global search results further. However, there’s a bit of negative sentiment to this update as Google warned that sites affected by the September 2023 Helpful Content Update are not to see much of an improvement still after this new Core Update. In terms of volatility, a week into the roll out, we didn’t see any heat reported in the major ranking trackers.
December Core Update (12th November 2024)
Concluding the year, Google’s December 2024 Core Update is aimed at refining how content quality and relevance are evaluated in search rankings. As a global update, it impacts all regions and languages, introducing high volatility in search results. Websites that prioritize high-quality, user-focused content may see positive changes, while those relying on outdated or superficial SEO tactics could face declines. Google emphasizes that the update rewards authenticity, relevance, and substance in content creation, continuing its focus on aligning rankings with user satisfaction and engagement metrics.
The impact of AI and Algorithm Updates in 2024
Every year, after every update, we see stories flooding social media, detailing the impact these key updates have had on users’ websites. More often than not these are reporting a negative impact on search results, due to an algorithm update. It is important to know that these updates are not a punishment to site owners – they are simply a realignment to match Google’s goal – to deliver the best content for user intent. The 2024 updates, heavily influenced by advancements in artificial intelligence, have pushed this objective further than ever.
- Understanding Intent: One of the significant shifts in 2024 is Google’s deeper understanding of user intent, powered by its AI models. Unlike earlier updates that relied on signals like keyword density or backlinks, AI now enables Google to interpret nuanced intent behind searches.
- Zero-click searches: There has been an increase in zero-click searches, where users don’t click on any search results as they are served the answer they are looking for straight away. This has been noticed since Google direct answers were implemented in the SERPs. With AI Overviews results overlapping the search results, and the introduction to AEO, the impact of zero-click searches might be even higher going forward, potentially leading to a reduced click through rate (CTR).
- E-E-A-T getting smarter: AI can now better evaluate the authenticity and reliability of sources by cross-referencing data and even spotting inconsistencies or outdated information.
- Visual content: Google can now interpret not just text but also images, videos and other forms of media with accuracy, and the prominence of these forms in the SERPs have made them as critical for SEO as text.
If your website has been affected by a Google Algorithm Update, give us a shout and we’ll help you get back on track. At Varn, we recommend prioritising authenticity, relevance, and quality across all forms of content, so that websites can navigate these updates effectively and build resilience for future changes.
What does the future of these Algorithm Updates look like?
These 2024 updates demonstrate a future where SEO will demand adaptability, people-first approaches, and a strong understanding of AI and other emerging technologies. With that in mind, we have put together a small list containing what we think the future holds for SEO in the coming year.
- Since the “buckle up” message from Danny Sullivan at the end of 2023, we have seen a massive change to search results. The importance placed on the famous blue Google links is a thing of the past, and we strongly believe that SERPs will continue to change in 2025, featuring new elements and new types of content – the recent addition of source links to AI generated answers within SERPs is a great example of this.
- While we know that clicks and impressions from features in the AI Overviews blocks are recorded in Google Search Console, we are still missing some form of click through rate tracking for these. There are many tools like Semrush or AWR that provide insights when your website is promoted, but currently only Google knows how interactive users are with their AI feature. More of a hope than a prediction, this would definitely be something that would make an impact in the years to come.
- AI Overviews will roll out on a bigger scale for a larger number of searches, starting to cover a bigger geographic space, and potentially expanding for logged out users too.
Don’t fall behind
With AI-driven tools playing a more prominent role in search algorithms, SEO strategies must evolve to accommodate generative AI and natural language models. For businesses, staying ahead will require a mix of innovative content strategies, technical optimisations, and a commitment to transparency and trustworthiness. These are values and competences that our teams embrace to support our clients throughout their digital campaigns and activities.
If you would like to know more about Varn and our Innovation team, please feel free to get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
