Never trust Google blindly

When working with SEO, there is one important lesson I have learned: You can never trust Google 100%. This is a truth that many only realise when they find themselves in the middle of a crisis after one of Google’s famous—or infamous—core updates.

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Introduktion Vent og se tiden an Vær opmærksom Kvantitet vs. kvalitet Googles mål Langsigtede tendenser Bliv ikke alarmeret Konklusion

In this post, I will take you on a journey through my experiences and reflections on Google updates, and why it is important not to be swept up in panic when your organic traffic suddenly takes a dive.

When traffic suddenly drops

I have experienced firsthand what it feels like when a website’s organic traffic suddenly drops after one of Google’s core updates. You stand there looking at your analytics dashboards and see the numbers plummet.

The first thing you think is: “What went wrong?” We know that we have created valuable content—content that we are even sure is far better than what already exists in the search results.

For many, this creates a sense of panic. It is easy to get carried away by that feeling, especially when managers and clients start asking questions.

“What happened?

What do we do now?”

and “is it under control?”

An urgent need arises to react immediately and implement “hotfixes” in an attempt to regain lost traffic. But this is often a mistake.

Here is my recommendation for six actions you should take when your rankings and traffic drop after a core update.

1. Wait and see: Patience pays off

An experience I had with a specific website has really taught me the value of patience. This website was hit hard by a core update.

We knew our content was high quality, and we knew we were doing everything we could to deliver value to our target audience. Instead of running around like headless chickens and trying different “quick fixes,” we decided to wait. We decided to see what would happen with the next core update.

And guess what? Not only did we get our previous organic traffic back, it actually increased even further!

This highlights something very important: Google is not infallible, and their updates can sometimes contain errors. For example, Google itself had to fix an error in a ranking algorithm back in August after one of their core updates.

2. Stay attentive, but not panicked

So, what is the most important takeaway here? Panic reactions can often lead to costly and unnecessary changes.

Many companies make the mistake of acting too quickly when they see a decline in their organic traffic. CMOs and marketing managers can easily get caught in a state of alarm and demand immediate action. But if you react too quickly, you may end up spending money on solutions that do not actually help—or that may even do more harm than good.

There is only one reason to truly worry: If you are producing content that has no value for your core target audience. If you know you are doing your best to create valuable, genuine, and useful content, there is no reason to panic when a Google update hits you.

3. Quality over quantity

My experience tells me that instead of reacting too quickly, you should focus on improving existing content and creating new, valuable content for your target audience. Here are some of the steps I follow:

Updating older, previously successful articles: Sometimes the best thing you can do is take older articles that have performed well in the past and update them with new information, better content, and improved keywords.
Create new, valuable content: It is important to keep producing new content that is relevant and valuable to your target audience. After all, Google is designed to reward good content, so it pays to focus on what you can control: the quality of your content.

4. Understand Google’s goals (and purpose)

One of the most important things is to understand Google’s overall goal: They want to improve the user experience. Google updates are designed to ensure that the best and most relevant results appear at the top of the search results. If you align your content strategy with this principle, you are already one step ahead.

5. Keep an eye on long-term trends

My recommendation is to focus on long-term trends rather than short-term fluctuations. When I analyse traffic data, I look at developments over several months rather than just days or weeks.

This provides a more accurate picture of how things are developing and helps avoid overreacting to temporary fluctuations.

6. Stay informed, but not alarmed

It is also important to stay informed about changes in Google’s algorithms—but without being seduced by sensational headlines.

I always follow reliable SEO news sources to stay up to date, but I try to avoid getting caught up in alarmist headlines that can lead to panic.

Conclusion: Trust your quality content

Finally, I would like to emphasise this most important point: Trust your quality-content strategy. Do not let temporary fluctuations in your organic traffic lead you to make hasty and costly decisions. Instead, focus on creating value for your target audience and adapting to the constantly changing digital world.

Google will continue to evolve, and so will its algorithms. But if you stay focused on what really matters—creating authentic and useful content—you will always be well positioned to navigate these changes. Do not panic. Wait, observe, and learn. That is my approach, and it has paid off time and time again.

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