How to Recover From a Google Core Update Drop

Getting hit by a Google core update sucks. It's an unfortunately reality of digital marketing and happens to even the best of sites.

Our agency has helped multiple clients diagnose traffic drops, and then recover afterward. The good news is that it's possible.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the exact process I use when a site gets knocked down by an update.

You’ll learn how to confirm the cause, analyze affected pages, improve content, and rebuild trust with Google to earn your rankings back.

Let's dive in.

How to Recover From a Google Core Update Drop

Before we dive deep, let’s get clear on the big picture.

Recovering from a core update isn’t about gaming the system, but instead, rebuilding trust, improving your content, and showing Google you belong back at the top.

Here’s the path we’re taking:

1. Confirm the update and assess the impact
2. Identify which pages and queries were hit
3. Study what replaced you in the rankings
4. Improve your content's quality, depth, and relevance
5. Strengthen trust signals and E-E-A-T
6. Audit off-page factors like backlinks and mentions
7. Check your technical SEO and user experience
8. Roll out updates and monitor recovery over time
9. Offset losses with smart new content
10. Use advanced tactics and stay ahead

Now let's get into the steps individually.

Step 1: Confirm the Update and Its Impact

This is where most people get it wrong. They see a drop in traffic and jump straight into panic mode.

I’ve had clients come to me after gutting half their content or ripping out ads overnight. That’s not strategy. That’s fear.

What you need to do first is slow down and confirm the facts.

I like to start by first checking if a broad core update actually rolled out or not.

Google usually announces these on their Search Central blog or Twitter channel.

Updates often take days or even weeks to fully roll out. During that time, rankings can fluctuate a lot. Some call this the Google Dance.

Your rankings might dip one day and bounce back the next. So breathe. Let the rollout finish.

Once it's done, use Search Console and Google Analytics to check your traffic and ranking patterns.

Compare performance from the week before the update to the week after. Pay attention to specific pages, queries, and countries if you serve a global audience. You want to make sure the drop lines up with the update timing.

From there, also take the time to rule out other causes that might be causing the traffic drop.

• Maybe your tracking broke.
• Maybe it’s a seasonal shift.
• Maybe a different algorithm update rolled out at the same time.

I once worked with a site that thought they got hit by a core update, but it turned out their developers accidentally deindexed half their product pages. They were chasing ghosts.

It is also worth mentoning that you should avoid making impulsive changes before you have clarity.

Google’s team has said repeatedly that sudden fixes during an update can do more harm than good. If the rankings shift back, you might end up worse off.

Your job here is to observe, gather data, and confirm whether the core update is really the reason for the drop.

Only then are you ready to take action.

Step 2: Identify Which Pages Dropped and Why

Pull up a chair, because this part takes some focus.

You’re not just looking at numbers here. You’re looking for a story your data is trying to tell you. A good recovery starts with knowing exactly which parts of your site lost visibility, and more importantly, why.

Start with Google Search Console.‍

Switch the date range to compare two windows—one before the update and one after. I usually go with a seven-day stretch on each side. Then click into the “Pages” tab. What you’re looking for is contrast. Which URLs saw the sharpest drop in clicks? Those are your starting points.

But don’t stop there. Look beneath the surface.

Now dig into the queries.‍

Sometimes your page didn’t disappear from search—it just lost ground on certain keywords. Maybe you dropped from position 3 to 9. That’s still on page one, but your traffic may have tanked. Pay attention to those subtle shifts. They matter.

Is it a pattern or a fluke?‍

You want to look across multiple pages and ask: is there a common thread? Are the affected pages mostly older posts? Product pages? Blog content with no author? I once had a client lose rankings across dozens of pages that all used the same outdated WordPress template. The clue wasn’t in the content. It was in the structure.

Don’t assume you already know what the issue is. Let the data speak first.

Build a “fix list” that’s clear and focused.‍

This isn’t just a spreadsheet for tracking. This becomes your blueprint. Include the URL, drop in performance, affected queries, and any initial observations about what might have gone wrong.

And color-code it if that helps you see the problem areas faster. Whatever makes you more effective.

When this step is done right, you’ll walk away with clarity, not confusion.

Step 3: Analyze Who Replaced You in the Rankings

There’s a moment I remember clearly.

One of my early clients came to me furious after a core update. His exact words were, “Google replaced me with garbage.”

I told him to pause, take a breath, and actually read the content that beat him. Two hours later, he sent me a text: “Okay, it’s not garbage. It’s just better.”

That moment stuck with me.

So here’s your task:‍

Look up your core keywords, one by one, and study the pages that are now outranking you.

Not skim. Study.

Open the top five results. Read them like a first-time visitor would. Ask yourself what they offer that yours doesn’t. More current data? Stronger visuals? Better formatting? More in-depth coverage?

This isn’t about guessing. It’s about gathering real intelligence.

Now zoom out a little.‍

Are they using a cleaner layout? Is their content structured differently? Are they using FAQs, video summaries, or comparison tables that you skipped?

Notice the details.
For instance, I once saw a competitor outranking a client just because their page included a downloadable checklist. One small value add changed how users engaged—and how Google responded.

Capture the differences.‍

You don’t need to overcomplicate this. A simple bullet list in your spreadsheet next to each URL will do.

Something like:

• Includes video walkthrough
• Uses 2024 data
• Cleaner layout, mobile friendly
• Better internal links
• Title matches intent more clearly

That’s enough. What matters is you’re documenting what’s working now.

And please—don’t copy.‍

This is where a lot of folks go wrong. They see what’s ranking and they try to clone it. That’s not recovery. That’s surrender. Your goal is to outperform. Use this research to figure out what they’re missing, then fill that gap.

Take what they did right and do it better. That’s how you move back up.

Step 4: Improve Content Quality, Relevance, and Helpfulness

Rewriting your content is not that hard part, deciding what needs to change is.

Let’s start where most people don’t—by walking through your page like a first-time visitor.

Ask yourself: if I landed here for the first time, would I stay? Would I find what I came for? Would I trust what I’m reading?

If the answer is “kind of” or “maybe,” then no. That’s your sign. You’re not being penalized. You’re being outclassed.

Start with relevance.‍

Is the page still aligned with the query it’s trying to rank for? If the search term is “how to optimize for Core Web Vitals” and your post only explains what they are, that’s not alignment. That’s a mismatch. Fix it.

Rework the angle. Focus the headline. Restructure the content so it speaks directly to the intent behind the keyword. Relevance is not optional.

Now audit the value.‍

This is where I like to zoom in.

Pick a section of your content. Maybe 300 words. Then look at the top result for that query and pick 300 words from that page. Read them side by side.

Which one wins?

Be brutally honest. If theirs has more insight, better clarity, or original examples and yours feels like filler, you know what needs to change.

Then layer in freshness.‍

Old data is a dead giveaway to both users and search engines. Update any references that are more than a year old. Replace screenshots if the interface changed. Add new insights that reflect what’s happening right now in your industry.

Even a single outdated link can undermine trust.

Make it scannable, but not shallow.‍

Use headings, lists, spacing—but only where it improves readability. Don’t chop your article into 50 tiny H2s just for the sake of structure. This isn’t about pleasing a crawler. It’s about guiding the reader.

And finally, bring in your voice.‍

The days of robotic SEO text are over. If you have lived experience, show it. Tell a short story. Add a line from a client. Include your own take. These things make content feel authored, not assembled.

When your updates are done, ask yourself one question:‍

If this was the only piece of content someone ever read from me, would I be proud of it?

If the answer is yes, hit publish.

If it’s no, keep going until it is.

Step 5: Build Real Trust and Show the Person Behind the Page

A few years ago, I reviewed a site that had solid content. It was well written, covered the right keywords, and even had strong formatting. But it didn’t rank. You know why?

Because there was no sign that a real human wrote it.

No author name. No company bio. No About page. Just floating text.

Google’s not going to reward content if it’s not clear who it came from or why we should trust them.

So here’s how to bring the human side back into your pages.

Put a face to the words
This is not the time to be anonymous. Every page that offers advice, recommendations, or analysis should show who wrote it. Add a byline. Link it to an author bio. And not a generic one either. Say what this person does, what they’ve done, and why they understand this topic better than most.

If you’re writing under your name, good. Own it. If it’s a contributor, give them space to shine.

Show credentials when it counts
In certain niches—like finance, health, or legal—expertise carries serious weight. You don’t need letters after your name for every topic, but if you’re writing about taxes or heart disease, the person writing better have relevant experience or training. And Google wants to see that too.

This could mean noting your background, showing links to professional profiles, or having a subject-matter expert review the content. The more critical the topic, the more important this layer becomes.

Give your site a backbone
I’m talking about the stuff outside the article:

• A clear About page that tells your story
• A Contact page that doesn’t look like a dead end
• Easy access to support, feedback, or human connection

These elements may seem basic, but they tell both users and Google that this is a real entity, not a content farm.

Use citations that mean something
Anyone can toss in a stat and drop a link. But your sources should be authoritative. Government sites, academic journals, industry leaders—those are the kinds of citations that raise trust.

Also, avoid quoting outdated sources. If you’re referencing an article from 2018 in a fast-moving industry, that’s going to make people question your relevance.

Experience over polish
If you’ve done the thing you’re writing about, say so. Don’t just explain what a process is. Walk us through how you used it, what you learned, what surprised you.

This is especially powerful in product reviews, tutorials, and case studies. I’ve seen simple blog posts outrank enterprise sites because they had one thing the others didn’t: first-hand experience.

Make small trust signals visible
Things like privacy policy links, HTTPS, clear affiliate disclosures, and even newsletter opt-ins that feel human—all of these add up. They’re not ranking factors on their own, but they’re trust markers. They make your site feel cared for.

In the end, trust is not just about credentials. It’s about transparency. When readers can see who you are, what you stand for, and why your perspective matters, Google sees it too.

This is how you move from just being another voice online to becoming the voice worth listening to.

Step 6: Rebuild Authority Outside Your Site

You can have the best content on the planet, but if your site is slow, clunky, or hard to navigate, people bounce—and Google takes note.

When I’m working on a core update recovery, I never skip a full technical check. Even if content was the main issue, technical problems can drag down your improvements or block them from getting indexed properly. And sometimes, they’re the hidden reason a section of your site dropped without warning.

Let’s walk through what to check.

Start with speed

Use PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to measure performance. You’re not aiming for a perfect 100, but you are aiming for a fast, stable, mobile-friendly experience. Focus on these Core Web Vitals:

• Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5s
• First Input Delay under 100ms
• Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1

If you’re way off, check what’s slowing things down. Is it bulky images? Too many third-party scripts? A bloated theme? Fix those first.

Crawl your site like Google would

Fire up Screaming Frog or a similar crawler and run a full scan. Look for pages that are blocked, non-indexed, or broken. I’ve had clients unknowingly block entire folders after a site migration. No error message. Just radio silence from Google.

Check your robots.txt, make sure your sitemap is current, and that internal links actually point somewhere useful.

Audit your mobile experience

Over 60 percent of searches now happen on mobile. If your site is hard to use on a phone, that alone could kill your rankings post-update. Use Chrome DevTools to simulate different devices. Tap through your most important pages.

Is everything readable? Are buttons spaced properly? Does content jump around as it loads?

If you’re using a mobile-responsive theme from five years ago, it’s probably time to upgrade.

Clean up the clutter

Broken links, redirect chains, outdated pop-ups—they all chip away at trust and experience. Run a link checker to catch 404s. Fix any multi-hop redirects. And if your cookie banner covers half the screen, rein it in.

Check structured data

If your competitors are getting rich snippets and you’re not, look at your schema markup. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate it. No need to go overboard, but at minimum, add schema for articles, FAQs, products, or reviews where it makes sense.

Connect it all

Here’s what this comes down to: You’ve already improved your content. Now you need to remove any technical roadblocks between that content and the people who need it. And the bots that rank it.

Even if technical SEO isn’t what caused your drop, it might be what holds you back from bouncing back.

Run these checks once, and you’re covered. Run them regularly, and you’re future-proofing.

Step 7: Roll Out Your Updates and Track What Happens

Once your updates are ready, publish them with purpose. You’re not just “pushing changes live.” You’re signaling to Google that your site has evolved—and that it deserves a second look.

This part is tactical. Execution matters.

Start with your high-priority pages
If you improved ten or twenty URLs, you don’t have to publish everything on the same day. In fact, I usually stagger updates over a few days, starting with the most heavily impacted or highest-opportunity pages first.

This gives you cleaner signals. If traffic or rankings rebound for a page shortly after it goes live, you’ll know what worked.

Use Google Search Console to request indexing
For updated pages, use the URL Inspection tool. Hit “Request Indexing” for each key page, especially if you’ve made major changes.

I don’t recommend doing this for hundreds of URLs at once—it’s not scalable. Focus on the pages where you added the most value. You want those improvements crawled sooner, not later.

Track engagement, not just rankings
This is where most people fall short. They look at position tracking and stop there.

Instead, pull data from Google Analytics or GA4 and watch how people interact with your updated pages:

• Time on page
• Scroll depth
• Bounce rate or engagement rate
• Pages per session

If those numbers are moving in the right direction, you’ve made your content better—even if rankings haven’t caught up yet.

Create a change log
You don’t need fancy software for this. A simple spreadsheet or Notion table works.

For each updated page, track:

• Date updated
• URL
• Core issues addressed (thin content, outdated info, lack of structure, etc.)
• Summary of improvements
• Request indexing: yes/no
• Notes on post-publish performance

When you’re managing multiple pages, this kind of log is gold. Especially when you review progress 30 or 60 days later.

Be realistic about timing
This is straight from Google: “Content impacted by one core update might not recover until the next core update rolls out.” That’s not just a footnote. It’s how their systems work.

So even if you’ve made major improvements, it may take a full update cycle before you see the gains. But small wins—like slow climbs in impressions or partial keyword recoveries—often show up sooner.

Avoid making more changes too quickly
Give your updates time to breathe. I recommend waiting at least 4 to 6 weeks before touching a page again, unless something’s clearly broken. Constant tweaks can confuse crawlers and muddy the results.

Instead, use that time to continue improving other areas of your site. Recovery is a site-wide process, not a one-page fix.

Reinforce trust signals after publishing
Double check that every updated page:

• Shows clear author attribution
• Includes sources where needed
• Reflects current data and standards
• Aligns with the expectations of someone searching that topic today

Remember, helpful content is more than keywords and paragraphs. It’s clarity. It’s care. It’s showing up like a professional who knows what they’re doing and wants the reader to succeed.

Once this part is done, you’ve laid the foundation for recovery. In the next step, I’ll show you how to regain lost ground—and maybe even surpass it—by creating new content that’s strategically aligned and future-proofed.

Step 8: Offset the Drop With High-Quality New Content

Once you’ve done the work to fix what was broken, it’s time to look forward. One of the best ways to regain lost traffic is by creating new content that fills gaps your site didn’t previously cover.

This isn’t about cranking out dozens of blog posts just to prove you’re active. It’s about creating targeted, well-crafted content that adds real value to your topic cluster and shows Google that your site is still evolving.

Start with a content gap analysis

Look at the keywords or themes your competitors are ranking for that you’re not. Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Search Console’s “Content Ideas” can help here. Pay special attention to:

• Questions people ask
• Subtopics you’ve ignored
• Related search terms your recovered pages almost ranked for

I like to start by mapping these opportunities in clusters. Instead of chasing single keywords, build a small group of content pieces around one intent or topic.

Prioritize based on potential, not volume

Just because a topic has 15,000 monthly searches doesn’t mean it’s right for your site. Pick content that aligns with your expertise, supports your existing pages, and meets a clear user need.

If a page ranks but doesn’t convert or connect to anything else you’ve built, it won’t carry much long-term value.

Follow the same quality process you used for recovery pages

Don’t lower the bar just because it’s new content. Apply everything you learned from your update fix:

• Write with clarity and completeness
• Include author names and source citations
• Use original examples or personal experience where possible
• Match search intent exactly
• Include internal links to and from related pages

This is how you build topical authority—by surrounding your most important themes with a full ecosystem of helpful, trustworthy content.

Measure what matters

Give your new content 30 to 60 days to settle. Then check how it’s performing in Search Console:

• Which keywords is it starting to rank for?
• Are impressions growing consistently?
• Is it picking up backlinks or mentions naturally?

Pages that show promise should be nurtured. Revisit them after a few months, update where needed, and consider adding new angles or supporting assets.

Why this works

Google’s ranking systems look at your site as a whole. When you publish more helpful content around a topic, it sends a signal that you are an authority in that space. This can lift both the new pages and the older ones you already improved.

It’s also how you hedge against future updates. If one page dips again later, your other content can keep the traffic flowing.

You fixed your foundation. Now you’re building on top of it—with purpose.

Step 9: Use Advanced Tactics to Strengthen and Sustain Recovery

Once you’ve updated old content, fixed technical issues, and started publishing with clarity, you’re no longer reacting. You’re leading.

But recovery from a core update isn’t just about what’s obvious. There are deeper layers that can either support your rebound or hold it back quietly in the background. This is where you shift from cleanup to refinement.

Lean into user behavior signals

Google doesn’t confirm that metrics like bounce rate or time on page are direct ranking factors. But in practice, content that holds attention tends to climb.

Watch how users behave on your updated pages:

• Do they stick around longer?
• Do they scroll and interact?
• Are they clicking through to other pages?

If not, dig into why. Maybe the intro is too slow. Maybe the page structure is flat. Maybe the CTA is buried.

I’ve seen pages jump rankings just by making the first screen of content more scannable and adding a clear summary near the top.

Test different content formats

Sometimes words alone aren’t enough. If your competitors are using videos, tables, calculators, or interactive tools, consider adding them where they make sense.

One site I helped added a simple comparison table to their top article. Same content otherwise. Within a month, the page gained featured snippet visibility and moved from position six to position two.

It wasn’t about more words. It was about better clarity.

Run SEO A/B tests (carefully)

If you have a large site or access to dev resources, A/B testing is one of the sharpest tools you can use. Test two versions of a page or layout to see which performs better in rankings or engagement.

Important: Avoid cloaking or showing different content to search engines than users. Stick to safe changes like layout, headings, or internal link placement. And run the test long enough to get useful results.

Prune low-quality content

This one takes judgment. If large sections of your site have thin or outdated pages that no longer serve a purpose, they could be dragging your whole site down.

Run a full content audit. Pages that get no traffic, have low engagement, or are nearly identical to others might need to be improved, merged, or removed.

But don’t overdo it. Sometimes a page is underperforming because it’s buried. If it has potential, improve it instead of cutting it.

Audit your internal linking structure

Make sure your best content isn’t sitting in a silo. Pages with strong internal links get crawled more often, pass authority, and are easier for users to navigate.

Link related articles to each other naturally. Use descriptive anchor text. Make sure cornerstone content is easily reachable in a few clicks.

This is one of the most overlooked recovery levers—and one of the easiest to fix.

Watch for algorithm tremors

Even after a major core update rolls out, Google often follows up with smaller tweaks. Keep an eye on volatility tools like Semrush Sensor or MozCast.

If you see sharp changes across the board, hold off on big updates. Wait for things to settle. And if your rankings jump or dip suddenly, look at what changed on those pages. You might discover something that’s working—or something that still needs attention.

Step 10: Keep Improving, Even After You Recover

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve already done what most site owners never will. You didn’t panic. You didn’t chase shortcuts. You rolled up your sleeves and made your site better.

That alone puts you on the right side of every future update.

But here’s the part that matters most: recovery is not a finish line. It’s a pivot point. Once your rankings start to return—or even if they haven’t yet—your next move is to keep going.

Refine the habit, not just the page

Every change you made during this process should become part of how you approach your site moving forward. That means:

• Regularly reviewing high-traffic pages for freshness and intent
• Auditing low-performing content every few months
• Involving subject-matter experts or real users in content creation
• Prioritizing people-first clarity over SEO-first structure

The sites that win long term are the ones that keep adapting, not the ones that fixed everything once and hoped it would stick.

Start thinking six months ahead

Google’s core updates will keep coming. The best time to prepare for the next one is now, while the lessons from this one are still fresh.

Set up a recurring system:

• Monthly check-ins on performance drops
• Quarterly content audits and internal linking reviews
• Biannual deep dives into your E-E-A-T signals

These don’t need to be full-blown projects. Just consistent touchpoints to stay aligned with where Google is headed—and where your users already are.

And if you haven’t recovered yet, don’t get discouraged

Some sites see progress within weeks. Others need to wait until the next core update before their improvements get fully recognized. That’s not a failure. That’s how the system works.

What matters is that you’ve rebuilt your foundation. You’ve created helpful content that deserves to rank. And when the next algorithm cycle rolls through, your site will be ready for it.

That’s how you recover. That’s how you grow. And if you stay committed to this approach, that’s how you win.