SEO Marketing
Big SEO Wins with Internal Linking (And Why It’s Easier Than You Think!)
The November 2024 Google Core Update emphasizes high-quality, intent-driven content, user experience, and expertise. For small businesses, this update is a reminder to focus on creating genuinely helpful content, improving site performance, and ensuring their website is a trusted resource for their audience.
It’s that time again! Google rolled out its latest core update in November 2024, and if you’re noticing changes in your site’s rankings, you’re not alone. The good news? Every core update is an opportunity to improve, refocus, and make your website even more valuable to your audience.
This update emphasizes content quality, relevancy, and overall user experience more than ever before. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know about the update and, more importantly, how to use it to your advantage.
This update signals Google’s continued focus on content that’s truly helpful. Google’s been prioritizing content that genuinely answers user questions, provides insights, or solves problems—and that’s not going away. In fact, it’s stronger than ever.
How to Adapt: Go through your content and ask yourself, “Does this actually help my audience?” If the answer isn’t a strong yes, consider revising or removing it. Aim to cover your topics thoroughly and answer common questions. Use your expertise to add insights that generic content might miss.
Quick Win: Look at your top-performing pages in Google Analytics, especially those ranking on pages 2-3. What small additions or clarifications would make them more useful or engaging?
Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness—this is Google’s core standard when evaluating content quality. With this update, Google’s paying even more attention to content that comes from real-life expertise or authoritative sources.
Action Plan: Establish your credibility in each piece of content. If you’re in an industry where personal experience matters (like health, finance, or legal fields), let that shine through. Add author bios, highlight your experience, and reference credible sources when relevant.
Pro Tip: Mention real-life examples or client stories (anonymized if necessary) to illustrate your points. This shows Google and readers alike that you’re not just repeating what’s already out there—you’re speaking from experience.
Google’s search intent focus means they’re getting better at interpreting what people actually want to see based on their query. This update reinforces that pages designed to specifically meet a searcher’s intent will perform better.
How to Adjust: Make sure each page on your site has a clear purpose. Is it informative, transactional, or navigational? Align your content to the purpose of the keyword you’re targeting. For example, if someone searches “best laptops for students,” they’re likely looking for product comparisons, reviews, and buying tips.
Practical Tip: Use headings and subheadings that directly address common search queries. If someone’s searching for “how to improve SEO rankings,” make that a subheading and provide clear steps beneath it.
Google’s still committed to user experience, which means Core Web Vitals are still key. Site speed, interactivity, and layout stability aren’t just “nice to have” features—they’re now table stakes for good SEO.
How to Improve: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify areas where your site can speed up. Compress images, minimize script usage, and make sure your layout doesn’t shift around as it loads.
Fast Fixes: If you’ve never done a Core Web Vitals audit, now’s the time. These tweaks may seem minor, but they can give your site a solid boost in the eyes of both users and Google.
Older content that’s outdated or no longer relevant can actually hurt your rankings post-update. Google wants the latest, most accurate info—so make sure what’s on your site reflects the current state of your industry.
To-Do List: Set aside time to review your top-ranking pages and make sure they’re updated. If you’re in a fast-paced industry, like tech or finance, this should be a regular habit.
Pro Tip: For content you update, consider adding a “last updated” date to show both readers and Google that it’s fresh. Small updates like new statistics or examples can make a big difference.
The November 2024 update further emphasizes quality over quantity. Google doesn’t want a site full of thin, shallow content—it wants fewer, more thorough resources that provide real value.
What to Do: Don’t feel the need to publish just for the sake of it. Take a “quality-first” approach. If you can turn three shorter posts into one comprehensive guide, do it. Make each piece of content the best answer available for the topic it covers.
Quick Win: Identify pages that can be combined or expanded. If you have three blog posts about beginner SEO tips, consider merging them into one “Ultimate Guide for Beginner SEO.”
User engagement is becoming a clearer signal to Google. The longer users stay on your site, interact with your content, and even share it, the more Google sees it as valuable.
Steps to Improve: Make your pages interactive. Add relevant images, videos, or infographics that make people want to stick around. Break up text with clear headings, and include calls-to-action that encourage further browsing on your site.
Pro Tip: If you have helpful videos or tutorials, embed them on your site. Not only can video content increase time on page, but it’s also an engaging way to convey information.
With every core update, there’s a bit of uncertainty, but there’s also opportunity. Google is making these changes to serve up better, more helpful results, which means small businesses that focus on quality content, transparency, and user experience will always have an edge.
If your site took a hit this time, don’t panic. Use this as a chance to audit, adjust, and come back even stronger. Focus on being the best resource for your audience, and the results will follow.
And if you need help navigating this core update or have questions about improving your site’s performance, reach out. I’m here to make SEO work for you—let’s make this update your competitive advantage.
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