August 2024 was no ordinary month in the world of SEO. Google rolled out a major core update designed to tweak search rankings, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. A ranking bug sent traffic into chaos, and Yelp added fuel to the fire with a lawsuit accusing Google of monopolistic practices. Buckle up as we break down what happened, who it impacted, and what it means for your SEO strategy.
Google’s August core update landed on August 15, aiming to improve search result quality and give small businesses a much-needed boost. As with most core updates, the goal was simple: reward genuinely useful content and demote fluff designed to manipulate rankings.
John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate, emphasised that this update focused on user-first content—stuff people actually want to read. Sounds great, right? Well, hold that thought…
While the update had noble intentions, a pesky ranking bug crashed the party. This glitch, which lasted five days, caused unpredictable traffic swings for countless websites. Google was quick to admit the bug’s existence and clarified it wasn’t linked to the core update, but that didn’t stop the confusion. SEO pros worldwide scrambled to figure out what was going on, only to discover a perfect storm of chaos.
Cue frustration.
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The August core update brought significant changes to search rankings, and the ripple effects were felt far and wide. According to polls, 44% of websites reported drops in traffic and rankings, while 27% saw improvements. Meanwhile, 29% experienced no major changes—a small mercy for some.
Screenshots from X and ranking volatility graphs illustrate these fluctuations, showing the dramatic ups and downs websites endured throughout the rollout.
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To get a sense of just how volatile the rankings were, check out the graphs below from SEMRush and Advanced Web Rankings. They paint a clear picture of the turbulence many sites experienced during this period.
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Industries that had previously struggled with visibility got a boost, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The health sector took a hard hit—25% of medical and health-related websites saw traffic and rankings tank.
Why? Google doubled down on rewarding authoritative and trustworthy content, favouring government and healthcare sites. Websites with solid, user-focused content fared well. Thin, low-quality pages? Not so much.
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If things weren’t spicy enough, Yelp decided it was the perfect time to file a lawsuit against Google. Yelp accused the search giant of stacking the deck in its favour by prioritising Google’s services in search results.
This isn’t Yelp’s first rodeo, but the timing is telling. Just weeks earlier, Google faced legal heat for violating antitrust laws. Yelp’s complaint echoes broader concerns about how Google’s evolving SERP features impact competition and, by extension, small businesses’ visibility.
For businesses, this legal drama underscores one thing: the SERP landscape is constantly shifting. If you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind.
The August core update was a loud reminder that SEO never stands still. The ranking bug and industry-specific impacts show how important it is to stay nimble and focus on the fundamentals.
Here’s the playbook:
Between the core update, ranking bug, and Yelp’s lawsuit, August was a masterclass in SEO chaos. For businesses, it’s a clear call to action: stay sharp, focus on trust and quality, and adapt quickly to changes.
SEO might be unpredictable, but one thing’s for sure—those who roll with the punches are the ones who come out on top.
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