What are the Best Practices for SEO After the Google March 2024 Core Update

The Digital Marketing landscape is perpetually evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for any business looking to maintain or improve its online visibility. With Google's March 2024 Core Update, several changes have been introduced that impact how websites are ranked. In this blog, we'll explore the best practices for SEO following this significant update.

Focus on User Experience (UX)

The Core Web Vitals update in June 2021 laid the groundwork for the importance of UX in Google's ranking criteria, emphasizing website loading speed, stability, and responsiveness.

The March 2024 Update continues this trend, with the Interaction to the Next Paint (INP) metric replacing the First Input Delay (FID) as a Core Web Vital

. This metric measures the responsiveness of a website to user interactions, making it essential for websites to optimize for a seamless user experience.

Best Practice: Regularly assess and improve your website's loading times, stability, and INP score to ensure a positive user experience.

Content Quality and E-A-T Principle

Content remains a cornerstone of SEO, and the March 2024 update reinforces the need for high-quality, original, and expertly crafted information. The E-A-T principle (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) continues to guide Google's evaluation of content, emphasizing the importance of credible sources and authoritative backlinks

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Best Practice: Create in-depth content that showcases expertise and authoritativeness. Ensure that your content is well-researched, cites credible sources, and is written by or attributed to knowledgeable authors.

Mobile-First Indexing and Responsive Design

With mobile browsing taking precedence, optimizing for mobile is no longer optional but a necessity

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. The March 2024 update is expected to further evolve mobile-first indexing, rewarding websites that excel in responsive design and mobile-friendly interfaces

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.Best Practice: Prioritize mobile optimization by ensuring your website is responsive and provides an excellent user experience on all devices.

Technical SEO Refinements

Technical SEO nuances, such as structured data, schema markup, and Core Web Vitals, are likely to carry increased weight in search algorithms post-update

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. These elements help search engines understand and index your content more effectively.Best Practice: Implement and regularly update structured data and schema markup. Monitor and optimize Core Web Vitals to meet Google's performance standards.

Consistent and Frequent Publishing

To signal to Google that your company is a consistent contributor to the industry dialogue, it's recommended to publish new content at least twice weekly

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. This practice can increase rankings and establish your site as a thought leader in your niche.Best Practice: Develop a content calendar that regularly publishes high-quality articles, targeting relevant keywords and topics.

Analytics and Performance Testing

Understanding how your content performs is key to refining your SEO strategy

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. Use analytics tools to observe variances in visitors, bounce rate, and conversion rates, and implement A/B testing to optimize each page's performance.Best Practice: Utilize Google Analytics and other performance testing tools to continually refine your content and website for optimal user engagement and conversion rates.

Adaptation to Algorithm Changes

The pace of Google updates is accelerating, and staying adaptable is essential

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. Keep abreast of the latest updates and be prepared to adjust your SEO strategies accordingly.Best Practice: Stay informed about Google's algorithm changes and be ready to pivot your SEO strategy to align with new best practices.

In conclusion, the Google March 2024 Core Update calls for a holistic approach to SEO, where user experience, content quality, mobile optimization, technical SEO, consistent publishing, performance testing, and adaptability to changes are all integral components of a successful SEO strategy. By following these best practices, website owners and marketers can navigate the post-update landscape effectively and maintain or enhance their search visibility and user engagement.