Google has released its November 2023 core update, the company announced today.

The update is rolling out and expected to be fully implemented over the next few weeks.

Core updates are periodic adjustments to the algorithms that power Google’s search results. They’re designed to improve the relevance and quality of the web pages shown for search queries.

“We have different systems that are considered core to our ranking process; this month’s core update involves an improvement to a different core system than last month,” Google said in a statement. “However, our guidance about core updates is the same for both.”

One Month Since Last Google Core Update

This latest core update comes on the heels of Google’s October 2023 core update, released last month. While core updates typically happen every one to two months, it’s rare for two major updates to be released so close together.

Google suggests that most website owners don’t need to make significant changes in response to core updates.

“Chances are, there’s nothing to do for most creators who have already been working to create helpful, reliable, people-first content,” the company said.

However, Google recommends reviewing its core update guidance in case traffic or rankings are impacted. Focusing on high-quality, useful content is always advisable.

Google Core Update Q&A

Google has published an updated Q&A addressing common questions about how search updates work. Here are some of the highlights:

• Core updates are different from Google’s ranking systems. Updates adjust the algorithms while ranking systems generate the search results.
• Thousands of updates happen per year, but only some notable ones are announced publicly.
• If your site is affected by a core update, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being penalized for spam. Non-spam issues may be the cause.
• Google tries to avoid releasing major updates during the busy holiday shopping season, but it’s not always feasible.

Google notes that you can post questions in the Google Search Central community forums if you see significant changes in your site’s performance around core update releases.

The company’s search specialists monitor those forums to identify potential issues caused by the updates.

In Summary

The November 2023 core update marks the second major algorithm change in as many months.

This is the fourth core update Google’s pushed out in 2023. Previous updates were released in March, August, and October, each involving multi-week rollouts.

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