Google has announced the completion of their August 2024 core update to Google Search, an update designed to “improve the quality of [their] search results by showing content that people find genuinely useful.” As with every Google core update, there may be some changes that pack a punch for how your website is performing on search. For attorneys who manage their digital presence, it’s important to understand what these changes are so that you can ensure your website is set up for success.
Read on for more information on the purpose of Google’s regular core updates and a summary of the main takeaways of the August 2024 core update to Google Search.
Why does Google make changes to their search engine?
Google pursues regular updates to their search engine to improve the quality, relevance, and usefulness of their search results. New content is being created on an ongoing basis, and user behavior seems to change just as frequently. As a result, Google has to adjust its algorithms to keep up with the evolving landscape of search.
When Google rolls out core updates to Google Search, they typically aim to:
- Match search results with content that provides users genuine value and relevance;
- Create revised advice for recovery to help website owners understand how to improve or recover their website ranking; and
- Better promote useful content from small and independent publishers – a win for lawyers!
Google’s August 2024 core update: Main takeaways
To help Google provide a search experience that is relevant and trustworthy to its users, core updates are rolled out on a regular basis. In this section, we review the main takeaways from Google’s August 2024 core update that are relevant for attorneys managing their digital presence.
#1: If your content strategy is search engine-focused over user needs-focused, your website may be negatively impacted.
Google’s latest core update is placing a continued emphasis on the importance of high-quality, useful information for websites. Google prioritizes web pages based on factors such as content quality, content length, content relevancy, keyword optimization, and mobile friendliness. In addition, the content is likely to rank higher if it is trustworthy, authoritative, and credible.
That being said, Google discourages from simply crafting website content that is formulated to perform well. Instead, they encourage website owners to offer their web visitors content that is substantive, people-first, helpful, and high-quality. At a minimum, your content should be working to answer the questions of your potential clients.
At LawLytics, we offer a smart content generation tool that has Google’s quality preferences specifically incorporated into the content. With this tool, you can produce pages of great content in a fraction of the time. Simply choose from our 320+ practice area topics, customize the piece to your firm’s specifications, and publish it to your website.
#2: If your website is struggling, skip the quick fixes.
After every core update, there’s a potential for your law firm website to perform differently on search. If this is the case for you, Google reassures users that focusing on meaningful changes rather than quick fixes will be the best approach to helping your website’s visibility online.
If a page has been underperforming, it can be tempting to delete “bad” SEO elements or to delete the page altogether. However, Google discourages this strategy and instead suggests making substantive, user-centric improvements to these pages. Specifically, Google suggests making changes that “make sense for your users and are sustainable in the long term.”
Finally, if your firm finds that some web pages need a facelift to rise up to Google’s newest standards, Google reminds us that it may take some time for your website’s visibility to improve. For some, the waiting period may be extended to future core updates, although the latest core update aims to better capture improvements for faster turnaround times for website owners.
#3: Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) is impacted by the core update, too.
Because Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a part of the larger Google Search, it is also affected by the August 2024 core update. In fact, because regular search results are held to the latest quality standard, Google’s AI-generated overviews that are displayed in some of these search results will inherently be held to the same standard. As a result, this core update demonstrates that the overall value of web content may be more critical than ever.
Stay current on Google’s standards with LawLytics
LawLytics helps solos and small law firms stay ahead of their local competition by using SEO best practices and the latest technologies that help websites compete on search.
With features like our SEO Snapshot, members can review their website’s optimization, learn more about what their website needs to succeed, and explore optional optimizations they can make to help their website’s visibility in search. Plus, our built-in content creation engine helps you create pages of high-quality web content in just minutes, saving time and money on what matters most for staying competitive on search.
If you’re not yet a LawLytics member and would like to know how we can help you increase the visibility of your law firm online and drive more business to your practice, schedule an interactive demo with a product expert.
