Publishers affected by recent Google algorithm updates may struggle to regain their previous traffic levels. This was one key point that stood out in a recently released interview between Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan and Barry Schwartz.

Potential for ranking improvements? Schwartz highlighted instances of websites impacted by recent Google algorithm updates to Sullivan. Google remains committed to rewarding quality content, and Sullivan acknowledged there are areas where Google's systems could be enhanced.

• "I think the changes have helped some of those sites but generally have not brought those sites all the way back up to the level they were at, say, last September."
• "I do think that some of those sites will continue to see good gains if they're good sites, producing good content for people. I hope that they continue to go that way."
• "I wish we could do a better job by those sites as well; these are really good things in our systems that need to improve."

No guarantees of recovery. Sullivan emphasized that publishers shouldn't abandon hope if they aren't seeing rewards in Google Search. However, the reality is that current traffic levels might become the new norm for some websites post-recent Google algorithm updates.

Here are some of Sullivan's remarks:

• "But you can’t predict that every site will recover to exactly where they were in September because September doesn’t exist anymore. Our ranking systems are different, and among other things, our ranking systems are also rewarding other types of content too, including forum content and social content, because that’s an important part of providing a good set of diverse results."
• "No one who is creating really good content, who doesn’t feel that they were well rewarded in this last update should think well, that’s it. Because our goal is if you’re doing good content, we wanted you to be successful. And if we haven’t been rewarding you as well as we should, that’s part of what we hope this last update would do better on. We want the future update to continue down that path."

August 2024 core update. Many content creators have openly expressed frustration with Google, particularly following the September 2023 helpful content update. When Google launched the August 2024 core update, Google Search Advocate John Mueller appeared to indirectly address this concern and indicated that Google aims to reward smaller and independent websites:

• "This latest update takes into account the feedback we’ve heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high-quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content, when relevant to users’ searches. This is an area we’ll continue to address in future updates. This update also aims to better capture improvements that sites may have made, so we can continue to show the best of the web."

Did that happen? As Schwartz reported in the Google August 2024 core update rollout is now complete:

• Most sites did not experience significant or meaningful recoveries, from what we can tell. And even more sites saw further declines or remained unchanged.

How much feedback did Google receive? We learned from Schwartz’s interview with Sullivan that Google received 12,000 individual submissions with 1,300 unique domains. Google is still processing this feedback.

Why it matters. Google Search is far from perfect or "fair." It never has been. While it’s easy to fault Google for its imperfections, it’s equally important to critically examine your own website to understand why you’ve lost visibility and traffic.

SEO has grown more intricate than ever and continues to do so. Hopefully, if you were affected, you will persist in rebuilding your authority—and hopefully eventually surpass your old traffic levels. For those interested, some recommended reading: The two parts of E-E-A-T Google hasn’t told you about.

The interview. You can read Schwartz’s full interview with Sullivan on Search Engine Roundtable.

Disclosure: You can learn more about Danny Sullivan’s business relationship with Third Door Media, Search Engine Land’s parent company, here and here.

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