Understanding Google’s Latest SEO Update
Have you felt the silence lately? Traffic dropping off unexpectedly, rankings not where they used to be?
You’re not alone.
And Google’s latest SEO update might be the reason why.
On October 12th, 2024, Google rolled out another major SEO update that’s been shaking things up for websites everywhere. This update is more than just another tweak—it’s a fundamental reshaping of how content is ranked, with a strong focus on helpfulness, authenticity, and overall user experience.
Instead of rewarding content based on keyword density, Google now gives priority to content that genuinely serves user needs. Meaning shallow, keyword-stuffed pages are more likely to drop in rankings.
Why Has Google Implemented This Update?
Google’s latest SEO update was brought in to combat shady SEO tactics that focus more on gaming the algorithm than providing true value to users.
Practices like:
→ Keyword stuffing
→ Misleading clickbait
→ Low-quality content created just to rank without genuinely helping users
These tactics are being targeted. Google wants the top search results to be filled with trustworthy, informative, and helpful content, rather than content that manipulates SEO loopholes for visibility.
But there’s an underlying reality that is hard to ignore.
Google’s mission has always been to provide users with the best possible answers to their questions. By prioritising helpfulness, authenticity, and user experience, Google aims to ensure that users can easily find trustworthy content that answers their needs effectively.
This sounds great on the surface – but let’s address what’s really happening behind the scenes.
Google’s Gemini AI and the Cheeky Truth Behind These Updates
Google isn’t just enhancing search to be more user-friendly. With the introduction of Gemini AI, Google has begun training its AI models on all the content we, as creators, produce.
Let’s break it down.
Google is taking the articles, blogs, and posts you work hard to create and using them to train their AI. But here’s the kicker:
You’re not getting any credit or traffic back to your site.
Imagine a Google search where your content appears in a snippet – the box that answers the user’s question directly at the top of the page.
We’re talking about these ⤵️
While Google uses your content, users get the answer immediately without clicking through to your site. That means your effort is providing value to the user via Google, but your website gets none of the visits.
It’s essentially free labor under the guise of improving user experience.
Google benefits by keeping users on their platform, while you—the content creator—get scraps.
No compensation, no boost in your own traffic.
Just your hard work being used to power Google’s AI engine. ⤵️
It’s a huge value add for Google, while the ones actually creating quality content often get left behind.
It’s the kind of move we’ve come to expect from big tech: maximum benefit for them, minimum consideration for the people actually doing the work.
What’s Happened to SEO Rankings?
With this update, websites that relied on traditional SEO tricks, such as keyword density or excessive backlinks, may find themselves losing visibility.
The new algorithm analyses elements like content relevance, depth of insight, and site usability—all with the goal of favouring content that matches user intent. It’s about making sure that users get exactly what they’re searching for, without having to sift through pages of low-quality results.
What This Means for Your Brand
This update signals a major shift towards quality over quantity. Brands that produce comprehensive, user-centered content are the ones that will likely perform better in search rankings. If your SEO strategy has relied heavily on quick content production or clickbait tactics, it’s time to reconsider your approach.
To succeed, your content must now focus on genuinely solving user problems or answering their questions in a direct and helpful manner.
But there’s also an important question here:
How do we as creators protect our work from being scraped and used without credit?
Adapting to the Changes: Key Actions
Deep Dive into User Needs:
Create content that directly addresses specific user questions or challenges. Use analytics tools to understand what users are genuinely searching for in your niche, and tailor your content to meet those needs.
Update Old Content:
Don’t let older content become outdated. Refresh existing pages to make them more valuable by adding actionable steps, real-life examples, or in-depth guides that offer more insight to your readers.
Prioritise Core Web Vitals:
Google’s focus on page speed, mobile friendliness, and interactivity—collectively known as “Core Web Vitals”—remains crucial. Sites that load slowly or offer a cluttered user experience may struggle in rankings. Make sure your website loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and provides a smooth experience on both desktop and mobile devices.
Create Authentic Content:
Google wants to reward content that showcases expertise and authenticity. Demonstrate your brand’s authority by providing credible, experience-based insights and focusing on genuine value rather than just search rankings.
The Reality of SEO and Why Paid Ads Help
SEO is a long-term strategy, and the landscape can change suddenly with updates like this one. Paid ads can be an essential part of a well-rounded approach because they put control back into your hands.
While SEO helps to build organic reach, paid ads can provide immediate visibility, especially during times when algorithm changes affect your rankings.
For many brands, combining SEO with paid advertising ensures consistent traffic, conversions, and a buffer against sudden shifts in search algorithms.
Paid ads not only help with visibility but, if kept on and nurtured properly, your brand will always be found and remain top of mind regardless of major updates to SEO.
This is why paid ads are often seen as a more viable, financially friendly option in the long run when considering money spent versus the return.
SEO is a long-term game, and by the time you’ve implemented one set of fixes, there may already be another update—and another one after that.
SEO is important to a point, but remember, you aren’t in control of it.
You’re in control of your ads, though.
Other SEO Essentials: 19 Tips Beyond Content
- Page Speed
Google values fast-loading websites. Aim for load times under three seconds to reduce bounce rates and keep users engaged. - Mobile Optimisation
With mobile-first indexing, your site needs to be fully optimised for mobile devices. Make sure your design and content work seamlessly across all screen sizes. - User Experience (UX) and Readability
Good UX design is crucial for keeping users on your site. Use clean layouts, appropriate color schemes, and simple navigation to provide a great user experience. Content should be easy to read, with clear headings and concise paragraphs. - E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
Google places significant emphasis on the concept of E-A-T when ranking content. Make sure your content showcases credentials, quotes credible sources, or demonstrates deep knowledge. Adding author profiles, linking to authoritative sources, and ensuring accuracy can help boost rankings. - Optimise for Featured Snippets
Structure your content to target featured snippets by including Q&A formats, lists, and direct answers to common questions. This can help elevate your content to the top of search results and increase click-through rates. - Importance of Structured Data
Using structured data (schema markup) helps Google understand the context of your content more easily, which can improve your chances of ranking well. Implementing structured data enhances how your site appears in search results and makes your content eligible for rich results, adding extra visibility. - Content Format Variety
Create content in different formats—like video, infographics, or interactive tools—to increase engagement and improve rankings. Diversifying your content types can cater to different learning preferences and keep your audience engaged. - User Intent Clarity
Align your content closely with different types of user intent: → Informational
→ Navigational
→ Transactional
→ Commercial investigation.
Understanding user intent helps ensure your content matches what users are looking for, which is key for good rankings. - Internal Linking Strategies
Linking relevant pages within your own website helps Google understand the structure and hierarchy of your content. It also keeps users on your site longer, which is a positive ranking factor. - Monitor with Google Search Console
Google Search Console is an essential tool for adapting to algorithm updates. Regularly monitoring Search Console helps you spot sudden changes in impressions, clicks, or rankings, allowing you to quickly adjust and identify issues that might be affecting your performance. - User Feedback and Engagement Metrics
Google increasingly uses engagement metrics like click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, and dwell time to assess content quality. Make your pages more engaging by inviting user interaction—such as polls, calls to action, or comment sections. - Page Experience Update: Usability Signals
Beyond Core Web Vitals, focus on the overall user experience, such as whether your site has intrusive pop-ups or poor accessibility features. Google considers these usability elements when determining rankings, so optimising them contributes to better visibility. - Consider User Journey Across Devices
Mobile-first indexing means Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking. Make sure the user journey is seamless, whether they’re starting on mobile and ending on desktop or vice versa. - Content Freshness
Google values fresh content, especially for topics that change frequently. Create a content update calendar to periodically review and refresh older posts. Adding updated data, new insights, or recent examples can keep your content relevant and maintain strong rankings. - Backlink Quality
Quality backlinks still play an important role. Focus on building relationships and acquiring links from high-authority, relevant sources while avoiding manipulative link-building tactics that might lead to penalties. - Avoid Duplicate Content
Google penalises duplicate content as it creates a poor user experience. Ensure that all content on your website is unique and avoid publishing near-identical articles or posts. Use canonical tags where appropriate to prevent duplicate content issues. - How to Use AI Tools to Adapt
Utilise AI-powered content creation tools to help brainstorm topic ideas, optimise for keywords, or analyse what competitors are doing. AI can help you stay ahead, but be careful not to rely solely on AI-generated content—Google still prioritises content showing genuine expertise. - Local SEO Considerations
If applicable, focus on local SEO tactics. Ensure your Google Business Profile is accurate and updated, acquire local backlinks, and include location-based keywords in your content to rank better for local searches. - Avoid Spammy SEO Tactics Completely
Google is stricter than ever on spammy practices. Stay away from: → Keyword stuffing
→ Irrelevant backlinks
→ Clickbait titles
→ Thin content.
Any short-term wins from these techniques will likely lead to penalties and long-term losses.
The Bottom Line?
Staying informed and adapting to Google’s latest SEO updates is essential for maintaining your brand’s visibility.
But let’s be honest:
Keeping up with every algorithm change is exhausting. Google is making moves to prioritise content quality while also leveraging our content for their Gemini AI—taking what we create and using it without proper compensation or credit.
One moment, you’re at the top of the rankings, and the next, you’re wondering why your traffic has vanished. The constant need to adapt and rework your strategy just to keep up can be frustrating and time-consuming.
The reality is, SEO is important, but you don’t control it. Google does. And by the time you’ve adjusted to one update, another one is around the corner.
If you’re tired of the uncertainty, tired of feeling like you’re just keeping up rather than getting ahead—consider a different approach.
Imagine having a marketing system that consistently delivers results—where your brand remains visible, top of mind, and thriving, regardless of what changes Google makes.
That’s where we come in.
Book a free assessment with us today, and let’s build a strategy that works for you, no matter what Google decides next.