Google Core Update November 2024 was rolled out on November 11, 2024, and all eyes are on it now.
Whether you are a tech blogger, affiliate marketer, or an eCommerce site, this update is for every site owner.
The last Google Core Update was in August 2024; the November Core Update is the last one for this year. So, there were 3 Core updates this year, including Google’s March Core Update.
Let’s find out in this article, whether small publishers and blogs will benefit and whether big sites like Forbes & CNN will be penalized or not.
Table of Contents
Highlights of the Google Core Update November 2024
The November Core Update is expected to be completed in around 2 weeks. According to my knowledge and experience with the Core updates, here’s what Google will focus on in this core update:
- Content Quality: Google always prioritizes content that is original, authoritative, and provides quality information to audiences.
- User Experience (UX): Better user experience means easy site navigation. This could be implementing breadcrumbs, sitemaps, improving site speed, etc.
- E-E-A-T Principles: You cannot ignore Google’s EEAT principles (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). If you are running a tech blog or an affiliate blog, you should focus more on implementing the EEAT principles.
- Red alert for Forbes and CNN: High authority sites like Forbes and CNN that published 3rd-party reviews on their site got penalized. This is a good sign for small blogs and publishers as their sites will rank for search queries on Google. However Forbes has clarified that reviews on their site are published by experts and not the companies.
Note: While the update is rolling, it is recommended not to make any changes and wait for the update to complete. Once the update is complete, you can compare your page and post rankings before and after the update.
How Will the November Core Update Impact Affiliate Marketing?
Keyword Rankings
Affiliate websites relying on organic keywords will see reasonable fluctuations. Sites with thin content or maximum affiliate buttons experience the most volatility. This is because Google prioritizes value-driven and informative content.
Product Review Sites
Product reviews are a money-making opportunity for affiliate marketing. However, sites offering manipulated reviews will lose visibility. Review that shows product walkthrough and experience of using the product get rewarded.
Duplicate and Low-Quality Content
I never use ChatGPT or AI writing software to write an article and so would suggest the same to everyone. Affiliates can use ChatGPT to generate ideas in any niche which is a big time-saver. There are many ChatGPT alternatives to try out for generating keyword and topic suggestions and SEO analysis of your site.
Mobile Optimization
If your site is not optimized for mobile users or not responsive, you are losing a big game. The site’s using mobile responsive templates is a big traffic gainer.
(Case Study) Impact on My Affiliate Site
This blog is an affiliate blog and thus was affected by Google’s March Core Update HCU. My site lost all of its traffic and had a huge impact on my earnings. I still haven’t lost any hope and can see some minor traffic increment on this site.
Let me show you the traffic before & after the March Core Update.
Before March Core Update:
After March Core Update:
The image below shows traffic at present on my site which still shows there’s a lot to be improved. I am disappointed with the drop in traffic but “When there’s a will, there’s a way”.
What Should Affiliate Marketers Do?
Please don’t be in a hurry to make any site changes. Let the rollout be completed, and identify the key areas that need improvement.
1. Prioritize High-Quality Content
Don’t just focus on long-tail keyword stuffing. Focus on basic on-page SEO settings and write informative long-form content sharing your experience.
2. Understand E-E-A-T
Get high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites instead of bulk backlinking or paid backlink methods. Show your expertise in your article by sharing real case studies and reviews from top sites.
4. Update Existing Content
Add value-driven information to your existing content. Delete the thin contents or information that might seem outdated.
5. Focus on Technical SEO
Improve user experience by addressing Core Web Vitals metrics, such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
Comparison With Google’s Core Updates In The Past
Compared to the August 2024 Core Update, which targeted AI-generated content, the November 2024 update places even more emphasis on firsthand expertise and user satisfaction.
Unlike past updates, this rollout has more aggressively penalized duplicate product reviews and low-value affiliate content.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketers have to be ready for more Google Core Updates and stay ahead of the curve. It has now become a challenging task for marketers to understand Google’s policies and its stand on AI-generated articles.
🌟FAQs | Google Core Update November 2024
How many updates does Google release in a year?
Google frequently releases updates and spam policies. This year, there were 3 Google Core Updates, the recent one being the November Core update.
Is the November Core Update complete?
The last Google core update of this year started on November 11, 2024, and will take two weeks to complete. The update was finished on November 5, 2024.
