After a relatively slow Google webmaster report last month, this month was the extreme opposite. We had several Google updates from the ongoing massive Google March 2024 core update, the Google March 2024 spam update starting and completing, spam policy updates, tons of manual actions and then all the discussions and “clarifications” around those updates from Google. We also had a core web vitals change and clarification on it being a ranking factor again.
Google also updated its search quality raters guidelines, begged SEOs to stop SEOing, amongst many other things. Google also misspoke on web stories in image search. We had a number of Search Console changes as well.
Google began testing SGE in the wild and also started showing top stories with AI. Google dropped perspectives for forums filter. Google launched new Maps and Shopping features. Also, Google had a lot of changes around DMA in Europe. Google also shut down Business Profile websites, added an additional review and much more across local and Google Maps.
Finally, Google has a new head of Search, while shuffling around executives including Pandu Nayak stepping down. Oh, let’s not forget the fun with John Mueller’s site dropping from Google Search.
Here are the top headlines for the past month related to Google organic search:
Google Algorithm Updates & Manual Actions:
Google SEO:
Google Bugs:
Google Search Console:
Google SGE:
Google User Interface:
Google Business Profiles & Local:
Google Industry News:
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
