August 2024 Google Core Update Notes Part 2 - HCU(X) Sites, AI Overviews Impact, and Reviews Sites

Part 2 of "Core Update Notes" for the August Google broad core update. I cover the latest with helpful content update sites surging back from the dead, reviews sites also rising from the ashes, Google confirming that AI overview rankings can be impacted by broad core updates, how SERP features could be impacted during core updates, and the connection between the May 3rd and May 10th unconfirmed updates and the August core update.

00:00 Google August 2024 Core Update Notes - 8/23 Edition
00:37 An Update On September Helpful Content Sites (HCUX)
2:18 An example of a full recovery from the HCU(X)?
4:00 The Aug core update connection with the May 3rd and May 10th unconfirmed updates.
5:40 Gif and Meme sites: SERP features impacted versus 10-blue links.
7:20 Confirmed: Core updates can impact AI overview rankings.
8:50 Reviews sites rise from the ashes. Not just HCU(X) sites.

[Andy-ftbm]

Great info here. Thanks! ...and here I thought I was the only person still saying "gif"

[surewinenot]

Accidentally left a link in last comment, so i'll try again: See cookscrafter site, which appears to have scraped americasrestaurant content, but i'm not an expert. It's 6 months old and surging since june with 80k visitors now, acc to Semrush. Lots of forum backlinks. Generic content with stock image.

[GregoryKristan]

Without Redding going down none of this matters. Happy to share with you my results and how all of my competitors dropped and have not recovered

[AnnSmarty]

Hi Glenn, do we know if any of those site surging have done anything on-site?

[lordiblees]

Excellent insights as always. My company's traffic was slashed by half after September HCU but this is the first time in a year we're starting to see a recovery. It's not a crazy surge like the examples you showed, but it's slow and steady. I don't mind, as long as it sticks, because in my opinion, the more explosive surges have a tendency to fall just as hard later on.

BTW, I've noticed a huge increase in our Things to Know snippets as reported by SEMRush, but I'm not seeing any SEO gurus talk about that. Have you noticed anything with this particular type of snippet?

[popothebright]

Yes. May 3-10 definitely was a vector change... we suddenly saw a downslope start on that day, which continues to this day. The current August update has increased the downward trend.

[Peak]

Thank you. In our case up on May 5. Down now (much more than we gained).

[gp-music]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

[jamesscott]

Yes, it’s Jif 😄👍 Thanks for sharing your analysis