Google Core Algorithm and Spam Update March 5, 2024 (In-Depth Analysis)

On March 5 at 09:03 AM (U.S. time), Google announced important updates related to two of its algorithms:

• Google Core Update
• Google Spam Update

Both updates have significant impacts, as they directly affect website rankings in the following weeks.

How Do These Updates Affect Rankings?

The full impact of both the Core Update and Spam Update will typically be felt within about a month. This is because the Google Core Update, released on March 5, is rolled out gradually over a full month, while the Spam Update is usually completed within two weeks after the release date.

During this period, it is normal to experience fluctuations in traffic. This happens because Google is recalibrating rankings after the updates are fully deployed.

Causes of Ranking Drops After an Algorithm Update

After an algorithm update, some websites may see traffic increases, while others experience declines. This is normal, as Google rewards websites that are well-optimized and provide real value to users.

This value is reflected in how relevant and well-structured the content is, as well as user behavior metrics such as bounce rate and time on page. These signals indicate whether users are having a good experience on your site.

Traffic improvements may also come from increased website popularity—especially if your site has gained mentions in the form of hyperlinks (backlinks) from other websites. Backlink optimization efforts over previous months often show results after such updates are fully rolled out.

Causes of Traffic Decline

While some websites experience growth, others may see a drop in traffic. To analyze this, it’s important to look at both internal and external factors.

Internal Factors

• Over-optimized content: Focusing too much on word count can negatively impact user behavior, increasing bounce rate and reducing time on site.
• Lack of internal links: Pages without internal links are harder for both users and search engines to discover. Proper and relevant internal linking can significantly improve SEO performance.
• Outdated content: Content related to pricing, schedules, locations, or other dynamic variables must be updated regularly to remain accurate.
• Inconsistent website updates: A decline in publishing frequency (e.g., dropping from 15 articles per month to 10) can negatively impact performance over time.

External Factors

• Competitors improving content quality: Competitors may be creating more useful and user-focused content.
• Better internal linking strategies by competitors: Strong, targeted, and consistent internal linking can give competitors an advantage.
• More aggressive content updates by competitors: Competitors may be publishing or updating content more frequently.
• Stronger backlink strategies: Competitors may have actively built backlinks in recent months while your site has not.

Observing Traffic Trends in the Warehouse & Fulfillment Startup Industry

Below is a snapshot of organic traffic movements from several warehouse and fulfillment startup websites such as Waresix, GudangAda, GudangPintar, Crewdible, and Sirclo.

Google Algorithm Updates in the Warehouse Startup IndustryAt the moment, there have not been any significant changes. We will conduct weekly monitoring updates starting from March 6, 2024.

All analyses and findings will be reviewed together after 30 days, beginning from March 6, 2024.