Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, said sites affected by the September 2023 HCU could recover with the next core update.
Danny Sullivan responded to questions on X, saying, “Yes, people who have had impacts with core ranking updates may see changes (if our systems believe they’ve improved) after the next broad one we have.”
While the exact timing of the next core update remains a mystery, Sullivan has provided reassurance that recovery is within reach for site owners who implement the necessary changes to their affected content.
Lloyd Coombes, Editor-in-Chief @GGReconGaming, led the questioning on X:
Google recovery advice misinterpreted!
Danny Sullivan posted again a little later, saying people misinterpret his advice regarding recovering lost rankings after Google updates, and he doesn’t think recovery should be so confusing for people who want to create content.
Here’s the post; he hits on several points. I’ve split it up for convenience:
Mixed messages from Google!
Earlier this week, Sullivan gave site recovery advice to Katie Caf Travel, who asked on X, “How could sites hit by the HCU ever hope to recover if we’re no longer being served to Google readers?”
Danny’s response at the time:
- “Creating content that resonates with your anticipated readers is crucial.”
Adding:
- “Great sites with content that people like receive traffic in many ways. People go to them directly. They come via email referrals. They arrive via links from other sites. They get social media mentions.
Sullivan’s advice seems to cause some confusion; he addressed it in the same post on X:
Creators shouldn’t fixate on what Google likes
Sullivan continued, saying creators shouldn’t fixate on doing what they think Google wants them to do.
Instead, they should do what’s right for their readers:
Danny Sullivan finished with this advice:
Sites can recover and grow; the question is when
Recovery from the September 2023 Helpful Content Update has yet to happen, and the March 2024 core update came and went with zero effect on lost rankings.
Google’s senior search analyst, John Mueller, previously said recovery can take time, adding, “Sometimes things take much longer to be reassessed, sometimes months, and some bigger effects require another update cycle.”
Regarding lost rankings, Mueller also said sites affected by the HCU can recover and grow, adding, “assuming the new state of the site is significantly better than before.” But what Google means by “significantly better than before” and when recovery will happen remains a mystery.
