Google is constantly updating its search algorithms to improve the quality and relevance of its search results. These updates can have significant effects on the rankings and traffic of websites across different industries and regions. In 2023, Google released two broad core updates: one in March and one in August. These updates were designed to assess the overall content quality of web pages and reward the ones that provide the best user experience.
In this article, we will compare the impact of these two core updates on different industries and regions, based on data from various sources. We will also provide some tips on how to optimize your website for future core updates.
Impact by Industry
According to data from RankRanger, the August 2023 core update had a higher impact on certain industries than the March 2023 core update. The industries that saw the most volatility in their rankings after the August update were:
• Health
• Travel
• Finance
• News
• Shopping
The industries that saw the least volatility in their rankings after the August update were:
• Sports
• Entertainment
• Education
• Business
• Technology
The following table shows the percentage of keywords that changed their positions by more than 10 spots after the August 2023 core update, compared to the March 2023 core update, for each industry:
| Industry | % of keywords changed by more than 10 spots (August) | % of keywords changed by more than 10 spots (March) |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 17.8% | 12.5% |
| Travel | 16.7% | 11.2% |
| Finance | 15.6% | 10.4% |
| News | 14.9% | 9.8% |
| Shopping | 14.2% | 9.1% |
| Sports | 13.4% | 8.7% |
| Entertainment | 12.8% | 8.2% |
| Education | 12.1% | 7.6% |
| Business | 11.5% | 7.1% |
| Technology | 10.9% | 6.5% |
As you can see, the August update caused more fluctuations in rankings for most industries than the March update.
Impact by Region
According to data from SEMrush, the August 2023 core update also had a higher impact on certain regions than the March 2023 core update. The regions that saw the most volatility in their rankings after the August update were:
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Australia
• India
The regions that saw the least volatility in their rankings after the August update were:
• Germany
• France
• Spain
• Italy
• Japan
The following table shows the average ranking volatility index (RVI) for each region after the August 2023 core update, compared to the March 2023 core update:
| Region | RVI (August) | RVI (March) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 9.4 | 6.7 |
| United Kingdom | 8.9 | 6.4 |
| Canada | 8.5 | 6.1 |
| Australia | 8.2 | 5.9 |
| India | 7.8 | 5.6 |
| Germany | 7.4 | 5.3 |
| France | 7.1 | 5 |
| Spain | 6.7 | 6 |
