Feeling Google's latest core update? Here's what hotels should be doing

The March 2024 Core Update marks a significant change to Google's search algorithms and policies, targeting spam and low-quality content online

With nearly three out of four travel bookings now happening online, having a strong presence on Google can be one of the biggest factors that contributes to any given property’s success. That’s why Google’s recent March 2024 Core Update deserves close attention from the hospitality industry.

Key takeaways

An enhanced ranking system: Google has refined its ranking systems to promote sites that provide an excellent user experience. It’s set up to prioritize content written with people - not search engines - as the primary audience. User satisfaction is the new benchmark of content success;

New spam policies: Content that is deemed to be “low-quality” will face more targeted demotion from top search results under the updated policies. Google is drawing a firm line against pages created solely to “game” rankings;

Abuse of scaled content: A key focus of the update is a cracking-down on the mass production of low-quality, unoriginal work produced through automation tools or other substandard sources. Google wants to limit “content farms” that prioritize quantity over quality.

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