A calm plan after a Google core update
When a core update knocks your traffic, we work out what Google now prefers and improve your site to match.
In plain English.
Google releases core updates several times a year. They change how its systems assess content across the whole web, and they often move rankings sharply for some sites. There is no penalty notice and nothing specific to fix, which makes them hard to respond to with confidence.
Google's own advice is to look honestly at your content and ask whether it is genuinely helpful and written for people. We make that practical. We compare which pages and queries lost ground, look at what now ranks in their place, and judge your pages against Google's guidance on experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, known as E-E-A-T.
Then we build a plan: improving pages that can be saved, merging or removing weak ones, and adding the first-hand detail and author information that is often missing. Recovery, if it comes, usually shows over the following updates, so we set expectations and track progress against them.
It suits you if.
- Traffic fell on or just after a confirmed core update date
- Search Console shows drops across many pages, not one or two
- Your site has older content that has not been reviewed in years
- Content was produced quickly or at scale, including with AI
- Competitors with first-hand experience now outrank you
What we do.
Update date matching
Your Search Console data lined up against the Google Search Status Dashboard to confirm the timing.
Winners and losers
Pages and queries that lost and gained, with the sites that took your place for each.
Content quality review
Each affected page assessed against Google's helpful content questions, honestly and with examples.
Prune, merge or improve
A decision for every weak page, so effort goes into the ones with a future.
Author and experience signals
Author pages, credentials, photos and first-hand evidence added where they are genuinely relevant.
How it runs.
- 01
Confirm the cause
We check the drop lines up with a core update and rule out tracking or technical faults.
- 02
Study what won
Pages now ranking in your place are reviewed to see what Google is rewarding.
- 03
Rework the content
Weak pages are improved, merged or removed, starting with the biggest losses.
- 04
Watch the next updates
Changes are tracked through following core updates, when recovery most often shows.
Questions people ask.
Can you reverse a core update drop quickly?
Rarely. Google has said improvements may take months to be recognised, and sometimes not until the next core update. We will not promise a quick fix. What we offer is a plan based on evidence and honest tracking of whether it is working.
Was I penalised?
A core update is not a penalty. There is no manual action and nothing to request. Google has reassessed content across the web and judged other pages more useful for those searches. That is why the response is about improving content.
Should I delete old content?
Sometimes, but carefully. Some pages still bring traffic or links and are better improved. Others overlap or add nothing and can be merged or removed. We make a decision for each page with you, using its own data.
How is core update recovery priced?
The analysis is a fixed project price. Content work is quoted afterwards based on how many pages need attention, or can run as a monthly fee. Every figure is agreed before work starts on it.
Your next chapter starts with a conversation.
Nottingham & Derby / UK-wideLet’s build
what’s next.
15 minutes with Garreth.
A real conversation about your business.