Google Update or Seasonality? How to Tell if Your Site Was Hit!

The Google August 2024 core update just ended, and many people are worried their sites were hit. But this is a key time when seasonality shifts for a lot of blogs. In this video, I cover how to identify if you've been hit by a Google algorithm update with free tools.
Then, I cover how to update your content and what steps to take next to regain traffic (including some off-Google options).

🔨 Resources I Mentioned:
Google Analytics
Google Search Console

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Timestamps:
00:00 - August 2024 Core Update
01:35 - Seasonal vs. Update Impact
07:57 - Checking Specific Keywords
09:23 - What To Do if Hit
11:40 - Did My Sites Survive?
12:32 - Example: Reviving a Travel Site
14:52 - How I’d Diversify Traffic
16:10 - Final Tips

[NadalieBardo]

This right here is ALWAYS the question. Whether we're talking Google search traffic or Pinterest. Cannot wait for our Bootcamp!

[SydneyBrown-uo]

Literally such a great explanation video with actionable steps. I initially thought I might have been hit by the update because my traffic has been lower over the last week or two, but after following the steps you showed I think I'm able to deduce that my traffic loss (and impressions loss without losing rankings--rankings actually slightly increased) is mostly likely because a lot of my content focuses on Alaska cruises (summer thing) and Mount Rainier National Park (also most popular in the summer). Working on putting out more content cover additional seasons! Thanks for another awesome video :)

[jamiechancetravels]

Thank you, this has made me feel infinitely better. On one of my guides, the impressions and clicks have fallen yet GSC shows the post has gained a position within the top 10 over the last 28 days! I feel a lot better and perhaps this is all seasonality - just waiting for my summer Southern Hemisphere views to kick in now

[zaraaitken]

Had this conversation with myself only last week. Panicked that I had been hit by the update a little, but then realised my main blog posts that rank highly and get alot of traffic are summer destinations, which are tailoring off. Checking the rankings and no shifts at all. Just seasonality. Fingers crossed my winter content starts to take the place of the summer 😅

[kristinaa]

This is such a good and helpful video! I was feeling down about my traffic but there are a lot less impressions now than before, so it seems seasonal. One question, though, why did this align with August 16th-ish, when the Google update started? Coincidence?

[Deborismable]

Would you recommend embedding YouTube directly to the blog posts ? I read that it'll slow the pages down... appreciate your advice 🙏🏻