2023 was a brutal year for a lot of websites, especially after Google’s “Helpful Content” update (HCU) hit—some sites got smacked not once, but two or three times. Then in 2024, March rolled around, and bam—another update. People were panicking, with legitimate sites that had strong reputations, not just thin niche affiliate or display ad sites, suddenly dropping in rankings or even disappearing from search results. There was so much noise and frustration in the SEO community.
Some businesses went under entirely, and even well-known sites like RetroDodo felt the sting. (Quick note—RetroDodo’s owner actually flew out to Google HQ to try and get some answers; that’s how bad things got!)
Fast forward to August 2024, and Google drops a core update. After this, things started to get interesting. Many of those sites that had been hit repeatedly by the HCU updates began showing signs of recovery.
But here’s the catch: not everyone bounced back. While some sites are finally regaining their rankings and traffic, others are still stuck in the same rut. For example, this website I found on Reddit:
So, what’s the difference between the winners and the losers here? I’ve personally analyzed data from hundreds of sites that made a comeback post-update, and I’ve spotted some key trends. What are they doing differently? How have they adjusted their strategies to align with Google’s evolving algorithms?
The truth is there are commonalities in what they did right—and it goes way beyond just tweaking meta tags or beefing up word count.If you’re still struggling to recover, or just want to safeguard your site moving forward, I’m going to break down exactly what these recovered sites have in common—and how you can apply those strategies to your own SEO game.
1. Deleted or Improved Unhelpful and Underperforming Content
Google’s “Helpful Content” update wasn’t just a catchphrase or SEO myth. It’s part of a fundamental shift in how the search engine evaluates and ranks pages. Sites that managed to recover recognized that they couldn’t skate by on SEO tricks or thin content anymore.
A huge commonality among the sites that recovered post-HCU after hitting rock bottom is that they went all in to make drastic changes since the HCU hit. They didn’t just make surface-level fixes—they dug deep, reevaluating the purpose of every page on their site.
In fact, the pruning the website’s content was the activity common in every recovered site I assessed. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to execute this and create a solid plan. Here’s my process for doing this:
Step 1: Perform a Comprehensive Content Audit
Step 2: Identify and Categorize Content Problems
Step 3: Remove, Refresh, or Consolidate Content
Step 4: Optimize for Intent and Internal Linking
Step 5: Measure, Learn, and Iterate
I will break down this process in a future post. You can, however, book a free consultation with me to learn how I can assess your content inventory and recommend a strategy for pruning your pages.
2. Improved User Engagement
Let’s talk about one of the biggest game-changers for sites that bounced back: improving user engagement. After analyzing hundreds of websites that recovered from the recent Google updates, it’s clear that those who thrived didn’t just focus on SEO—they focused on the user.
When I say “user engagement,” I’m talking about everything that makes someone stay on your site, interact with your content, and leave feeling like they got what they came for. And Google? It’s watching. The August 2024 core update made it painfully obvious that user engagement is no longer optional—it’s a critical ranking factor. Sites that managed to claw their way back up didn’t do it by accident. They did it by keeping their users happy.
So, what did they do exactly?
First off, they made sure their content actually answered the user’s query. Sounds simple, right? But in the rush to rank, many sites forgot this basic rule. The sites that recovered took a hard look at their content and asked, “Does this really help my audience?” They cut the fluff, killed the clickbait, and delivered what people were actually searching for.
Then, they worked on making their sites easier to use. Slow-loading pages? Gone. Clunky navigation? Smoothed out. Intrusive ads? Minimized. The goal was clear: make the user experience as seamless as possible. Some even added interactive elements like polls, quizzes, or dynamic content to keep users engaged and coming back for more.
But the real secret sauce? Listening to their audience. The successful sites didn’t just push out content—they listened to what their users wanted. They monitored comments, checked social media, and adjusted their content based on real feedback. This kind of responsive, user-focused approach is exactly what Google is looking for now.
In short, the sites that recovered didn’t just play the SEO game—they played the long game. They focused on creating value for their users, and Google rewarded them for it. If you’re looking to recover or future-proof your site, take a page out of their book: improve your user engagement, and you’ll improve your rankings.
If you’re serious about recovering from the recent Google updates or just want to improve your site’s performance, here are a few actionable steps you can take right now:
Analyze Your Current User Engagement Metrics
Bounce Rate & Dwell Time with Google Analytics
- Log in to Google Analytics: Go to Google Analytics and sign in with your credentials.
- Navigate to Behavior Reports: In the left-hand menu, click on “Behavior” > “Site Content” > “All Pages”. This will show you a list of your site’s pages.
- Check Bounce Rate: Look at the Bounce Rate column. This shows the percentage of users who left your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that your content isn’t engaging enough.
- Check Dwell Time: While Google Analytics doesn’t show dwell time directly, you can gauge it by looking at Average Session Duration under “Audience” > “Overview”. Longer durations typically suggest that users find your content engaging.
Using Heatmaps with Hotjar
- Sign Up for Hotjar: Create an account at Hotjar.
- Install the Tracking Code: Follow Hotjar’s instructions to install a small piece of code on your website. This will start recording user interactions.
- Set Up Heatmaps: Go to the “Heatmaps” section in Hotjar, and create a new heatmap. You can choose specific pages to track, like your homepage or a high-traffic blog post.
- Analyze the Heatmaps: After collecting data, view the heatmap to see where users are clicking, how far they scroll, and where they might be losing interest. Use this information to make your content more engaging.
Enhance User Experience (UX)
Improve Page Load Speed
- Go to Google PageSpeed Insights: Visit PageSpeed Insights.
- Enter Your URL: Type in the URL of the page you want to analyze and click “Analyze”.
- Review Suggestions: PageSpeed Insights will give you a score out of 100 and specific recommendations to improve your page speed. These might include optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, or reducing server response time.
- Implement Changes: Follow the suggestions provided to improve your site’s load time. For instance, you might need to compress images using a tool like TinyPNG or enable caching with a plugin like W3 Total Cache if you’re using WordPress.
Simplifying Navigation with WordPress
- Log in to WordPress: Access your dashboard.
- Go to Menus: Under “Appearance”, click “Menus”.
- Review Your Menu Structure: Look at the current structure of your menus. Ensure that important pages are easily accessible and that the navigation is intuitive. Avoid having too many dropdowns or hidden items.
- Make Adjustments: Drag and drop menu items to reorder them or create a simpler structure. Save the changes and preview your site to ensure that navigation is straightforward for users.
Add Interactive Elements
Adding Quizzes with Typeform
- Sign Up for Typeform: Go to Typeform and create an account.
- Create a New Quiz: Click on “New Typeform” and choose a quiz template or start from scratch.
- Customize Your Quiz: Add questions relevant to your content. For example, if you run a fitness blog, you could create a quiz on “What’s Your Ideal Workout?”
- Embed the Quiz: Once your quiz is ready, go to the “Share” section, copy the embed code, and paste it into your blog post or webpage. This encourages users to engage with your content directly.
Embed Videos with YouTube
- Upload Video to YouTube: If you have a video, upload it to your YouTube channel.
- Get the Embed Code: Click “Share” under the video and select “Embed”. Copy the code provided.
- Embed on Your Site: Paste this code into the HTML of your blog post or use a widget if your CMS supports it. Videos can increase the time users spend on your page, boosting engagement.
3. They Nailed E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Another critical factor that separated the sites that bounced back from those still struggling is how well they nailed their E-E-A-T—Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. In the wake of Google’s August 2024 core update, it’s clear that these elements aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re make-or-break factors for your site’s survival.
Let’s get one thing straight: Google’s algorithm is now heavily weighted toward ensuring that content comes from credible sources. The sites that recovered didn’t just scrape by; they put in the work to prove they’re the real deal. And it paid off big time.
So, how did they do it?
- Showcasing Expertise and Experience: The websites that recovered made sure that their content was authored by people who genuinely know their stuff. They featured detailed author bios that highlighted their credentials, experience, and subject matter expertise. If your site doesn’t already do this, it’s time to start. Make sure every piece of content is backed by someone with the chops to talk about it.
- Building Authoritativeness: These sites didn’t just say they were experts—they proved it. They actively sought out high-quality backlinks, collaborated with other industry leaders, and built their reputation across the web. Want to boost your site’s authority? Start guest blogging on reputable sites, get your content shared by influencers, and be active in your niche’s online communities.
- Establishing Trustworthiness: Trust is the cornerstone of E-E-A-T. The recovering sites worked hard to ensure their content was accurate, well-researched, and up-to-date. They also took extra steps to secure their sites (think SSL certificates) and made it easy for users to contact them. If you haven’t done a trust audit on your site, now’s the time.
Actionable Steps You Can Take Right Now
- Update Author Bios: Add detailed bios that highlight the expertise and experience of your content creators.
- Secure High-Quality Backlinks: Focus on getting links from authoritative sites in your industry to boost your site’s credibility.
- Perform a Trust Audit: Review your content for accuracy, ensure your site is secure, and make your contact information easily accessible.
I’ll be diving deeper into these strategies in future posts, but if you want personalized advice on how to improve your site’s E-E-A-T, you can book a free consultation with me. I’ll assess your site’s current standing and provide a tailored strategy to help you nail these crucial elements.
4. They Shifted from Content Monetization to Customer Acquisition
One of the most striking trends among the sites that took a hit from the recent Google updates is their reliance on monetizing organic traffic through niche content, blogs, or affiliate links. It’s not about the number or ration of ads or affiliate links on pages – Google’s targetting these business models.
These sites have traditionally made money by driving traffic to their content and converting that traffic into revenue through ads, affiliate links, or product recommendations. However, Google’s latest updates have made it clear: this model is no longer favored in the SERPs, especially for commercial searches.
I notice this the most in SERPs for commercial and transactional intent searches. If you’ve noticed, product pages, collection pages, and Google Shopping results are now dominating the search results, pushing down—or even completely ousting—traditional review sites, comparison articles, and affiliate-driven content. Even reviews from eCommerce sites, which are primarily focused on customer acquisition rather than just driving clicks, are ranking higher.
What’s the Real Issue?
It’s not simply the presence of affiliate links, a lack of an “Add to Cart” button, or the structure of your content that’s to blame. These are symptoms, not the root cause. The real issue is that Google is prioritizing sites designed for customer acquisition over those designed purely for monetization through traffic. In other words, sites that exist primarily to inform and convert customers into buyers are being rewarded, while those that merely drive traffic to generate ad revenue or affiliate commissions are losing out.
How Did the Successful Sites Adapt?
Focused on Customer Acquisition
Sites that recovered shifted their focus from monetization to customer acquisition. Instead of just creating content that ranks, they started creating content that drives real conversions—whether that’s a sale, a signup, or another meaningful action. They optimized their content for the end-user rather than just search engines, which involved rethinking how they present their products, reviews, and comparisons.
Reevaluated Content Purpose
Similar to my first point, these sites didn’t just pump out content to capture organic traffic—they built content strategies centered around solving customer problems, answering their questions, and guiding them through the buying process. This approach not only improved their engagement metrics but also aligned better with Google’s vision for high-quality, user-centric content.
Integrated with E-commerce Elements
Some sites began incorporating eCommerce elements directly into their content. For example, instead of just linking to a product with an affiliate link, they integrated features like product comparisons, user reviews, and even purchase options directly within the content. This made their content more useful to users, which, in turn, improved their rankings.
What Can You Do?
- Shift Your Mindset: Start thinking of your content not as a way to drive clicks, but as a tool for acquiring and converting customers. Your content should guide users through their buying journey, not just push them toward a link.
- Optimize for Conversion, Not Just Traffic: Focus on elements that encourage user actions—whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or engaging with your brand in some way.
- Rethink Your Content Strategy: Evaluate your existing content and identify opportunities to make it more customer-focused. Consider removing or repurposing content that exists solely for monetization and doesn’t provide real value to the user.
5. They Aligned Their Content to User Intent
Another critical factor that set the recovering sites apart from those still struggling was their laser-focused alignment with user intent. Google’s updates in 2023 and 2024 made it clear that content that doesn’t directly meet the needs and expectations of the user is more likely to be penalized. The sites that adapted successfully were those that took a hard look at the search queries driving traffic to their pages and adjusted their content to ensure it was perfectly aligned with what users were actually looking for.
User intent is the underlying goal a person has when they type a query into Google. Whether they’re looking to learn something new (informational intent), find a specific website (navigational intent), or make a purchase (transactional intent), Google is now better than ever at understanding these nuances—and it expects your content to match.
Here is how to assess your content to see if it aligns with the user intent:
First, Google your topic or primary keywords and study the SERP outlook. Check what post types are ranking in the top 5. Are these blog posts, company inner service pages, images, or videos?
Compare your content to those of these high-ranking URLs in terms of:
- Content type: Page, images, videos, social media posts, etc.
- Page type: Article, company inner pages, news article, academic content, solution pages, etc.
- Content word count: This doesn’t have to be exact word counts but determine if short, medium, or long-form content is ranking and emulate that.
- Content structure: If these sites follow a common structure, you’d want to align yours to that.
Try to match your content to what you find in the SERPs. However, ensure that yours provides the most value. This is standard SEO practice. However, there’s a huge difference. In the past, it was common practice to include relevant related subtopics in your content. The tactic was to enable more opportunities for this content to rank for more keywords and increase visibility.
From my research and experience, it appears that this practice may now be classed as overoptimization. I observed that most of the low-to-medium domain strength websites that survived all the previous recent Google updates did this one thing in their posts and pages: Their content stuck to the core topic.
For example, a blog post titled “How to tie a tie” doesn’t require detailed sections discussing the origin of ties, greatest ties in history, or recommended suit designers. The reader simply wants to learn how to tie a tie. Before starting any topic, you have to understand these:
- What the searcher knows: Highlight this in the introductions to relate to them, but don’t create complete sections for them.
- What wants to know: This should be the focus and should appear high up the article, preferably after the introduction.
- Other related questions the searcher can have: This shouldn’t be addressed in detail. It’s a common problem with informational blogs that were hit by the HCU. Use these instead for creating other articles and interlinking them in a cluster. The most they can get is a spot in the FAQ because . The simple reason for this is they dilute the essence of the article. Google is only ranking highly targeted content. So, not only is the page likely to underperform, That additional section you add may be unable to compete with the targeted articles from competitors on the topic.
Aligning your content with user intent isn’t just about improving rankings—it’s about providing real value to your audience, which is ultimately what Google’s updates are all about.
6. They Stuck with It—Recovery Takes Time
Finally, let’s be real: recovery from these updates isn’t instant. Even the sites that bounced back the hardest didn’t do so overnight. The sites that eventually recovered were the ones that kept refining their strategies, kept optimizing, and kept producing value for their users—even when they weren’t seeing immediate results.
There’s a clear lesson here: don’t give up. The recovery process can be slow, but if you’re committed to producing quality content, optimizing your site’s performance, and building real authority in your niche, you will see results.
Google’s own representatives, including John Mueller, have repeatedly emphasized that SEO recovery is a gradual process. As John Mueller pointed out, “When it comes to Google’s core updates, improvements made today might not be fully reflected until the next update.” This means that even if you’ve made significant improvements to your site’s content, structure, or user experience, it can take weeks or even months for those changes to be recognized and rewarded by Google’s algorithms.
Google also advises that sites impacted by updates should give it time. According to Google’s Search Central Blog, “It’s important to understand that a drop in rankings doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your site. Changes in search rankings can occur for a variety of reasons, and it may take some time for your site to see improvement after making changes.”
What Does This Mean for You?
- Be Patient: Understand that SEO is a long game. If you’ve made significant changes to your site—whether it’s improving content quality, enhancing user engagement, or focusing on E-E-A-T—don’t expect instant results. Google’s updates roll out over weeks or months, and your recovery will unfold gradually as the algorithm reassesses your site.
- Consistently Monitor and Adjust: While you’re waiting for Google’s algorithms to catch up, continue monitoring your site’s performance. Use tools like Google Search Console to track changes in your traffic, rankings, and user engagement. If you notice trends, be ready to make minor adjustments, but avoid overreacting to short-term fluctuations.
- Stick to Your Strategy: It can be tempting to jump to another strategy if you’re not seeing immediate results, but consistency is key. If you’ve aligned your site with Google’s focus on quality content, user engagement, and E-E-A-T, stick with it. Sudden shifts or abandoning your strategy can do more harm than good.
Final Thoughts
The road to recovery isn’t always a quick one, but the sites that stayed the course were the ones that eventually saw their efforts pay off. Remember, SEO success isn’t just about making changes—it’s about making the right changes and then giving those changes the time they need to take effect. As Google continues to update its algorithms, your persistence will be rewarded.
If you’re unsure whether you’re on the right track or need a tailored strategy to guide your recovery, you can book a free consultation with me. Together, we’ll evaluate your current approach and ensure that you’re setting yourself up for long-term success.