November 2024 Google Core Update: winners and losers
For a while it even seemed like Google had forgotten about it! In fact, we had to wait a full 24 days for confirmation of the completion of the release of the November 2024 Core Update, the third major algorithmic update of the year, which officially ended on December 5 and had the classic variable, moderate to significant, impacts in several areas. As we mentioned in our presentation, this latest update follows in the wake of previous 2024 interventions, expanding the work on quality and reliability, already the focus of the changes introduced by the March and August updates. Precisely because of this, it is interesting to understand who has gained ground and who, on the other hand, has experienced ranking losses, and thanks to the data collected with SEOZoom we can analyze the effects of the update in Italy and provides some insights for future strategies.
What we know about the November 2024 Core Update
Google’s November 2024 Core Update started on November 11, 2024 and officially ended on December 5, 2024, as communicated by the note that appeared on the Google Search Status Dashboard.
This means that it extended for almost 24 days, shaping up as one of the longest algorithmic updates ever, moreover it also happened to straddle central dates in the U.S. (and now international) calendar such as Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday – and thus right in the hot phase of the peak season.
In general, as noted by various international observers, the update followed a gradual rollout process, during which significant fluctuations in global SERPs were observed.
Google communicated the release through its official channels, reporting as now routine that the main goal was “to show content that people actually find useful and reduce the presence of content designed primarily to perform on Search.” This directive confirms the now-established orientation: rewarding useful content that fulfills real informational intent, geared toward solving concrete user needs, and instead penalizing strategies focused solely on search engine optimization without tangible added value.
Although this is a “typical” core update, as defined by Google, some elements make it worthy of attention: first, the extended duration compared to the previous update in August (which lasted 19 days); second, a volatility that manifested itself in an atypical pattern. Although the initial impacts were moderate in the first few days, there was a spike in SERP fluctuations starting on November 16, with new rises observed around November 25-26, toward the tail-end of the update. This trend reflects a pattern of “progressive settling,” which has been seen before, but with a delay in the final stabilization phase that surprised many in the industry.
Chronology of recent updates: a comparison with the 2024 core updates
2024 was a particularly busy year for SEO practitioners, with three major core updates: March, August, and, indeed, November. Each of these updates introduced significant changes in ranking dynamics, reaffirming the central role of Google’s algorithm in defining SERPs.
- March 2024 Core Update : Considered by Google to be the largest core update ever released, this update had a profound impact on a large scale. By focusing on the reliability and authority of sources, it caused a significant realignment for sites that had benefited disproportionately from optimized content but lacked real expertise. It lasted 45 days, marking an extended rollout record.
- August 2024 Core Update : Characterized by a more targeted approach, the August core update focused primarily on sites that had suffered previous declines, attempting to offer a “second chance” to smaller publishers who had proven capable of improving the quality of their content. Lasting 19 days, it had a smaller but no less important impact.
The November Core Update thus fits into a context of consolidation: it appears to combine the breadth of the March 2024 with the selective approach of August, further refining the process begun with the criticized Helpful Content Update (HCU) of September 2023. It should not be forgotten that the HCU had raised controversy for hitting small sites hard, prompting Google to make subsequent adjustments. This latest update, while not bringing revolutionary innovations, continues in the direction of enhancing content with a strong focus onusefulness and relevance to the user.
Google’s continued approach toward quality content.
Each Google core update has the stated goal of improving the user experience, but the effects on SEO practitioners go far beyond that. The November 2024 Core Update doesn’t just redefine ranking criteria: it is part of a broader framework of ongoing transformations that require constant adjustments by professionals in the field.
What exactly are we talking about? On the one hand, each update represents an opportunity to strengthen the visibility of sites in line with the algorithm‘s priorities ; on the other hand, it penalizes those who persist in using outdated approaches or those who fail to meet users’ expectations in terms of value and originality. This pushes site owners and managers in a dual strategic direction: focus on technical aspects-such as loading speed and usability-and, at the same time, invest in creating authentic and relevant content.
What’s more, the November Core Update reinforces the idea that Google rewards long-term approaches : it’s not enough to chase trends or fix errors only at the time of an update. Those who want to maintain (or improve) their rankings will have to embrace an ongoing approach, based on rigorous analysis and proactive optimizations. This is precisely where tools like SEOZoom can make a difference, not only to monitor the effects of an algorithmic swing but also to anticipate trends and align with Google’s ever-evolving guidelines.
Analyzing the volatility of the November 2024 Core Update with SEOZoom
To fully understand the effects of the November 2024 Core Update on Italian SERPs, we analyzed the data collected with SEOZoom’s SERP Observatory, the feature that allows us to monitor Google’s page volatility in real time and detect changes in algorithmic behavior.
As evidenced by the data, this update had a rather peculiar trend: although no significant upheavals were recorded, the changes were more pronounced in the initial phase, with phenomena then stabilizing in the last weeks of the rollout.
The results of the different categories analyzed-exit TOP 10, internal first-page fluctuations, small variations and large variations-provide a detailed look at how Google handled this update and suggest strategic lines for those who want to adapt to the impacts of the algorithm.
- Small variations in SERPs: above-average activity throughout the rollout
One of the most striking aspects that emerged from the data concerns small changes in SERP, or minor changes in search result positions. This category experienced activity regularly above the historical average for almost the entire period of the update, with significant peaks in the early days (e.g., +2.98 percent above average on November 11) and a persistence of above-normal intensity even in the final stages of the rollout.
The small changes often reflect algorithm activity being refined: Google incrementally tests the rankings of certain pages, tweaking the rankings to observe users’ reactions and check which content offers the best value in terms of quality, relevance and usefulness . The November Core Update , in this sense, continued to conduct timely experiments on Italian SERPs, suggesting that the algorithm was refining its understanding of the signals provided by sites.
Despite the gradual decline seen in the second part of the rollout (e.g., -0.64% on December 2), the situation does not yet seem to have fully returned as shown by the data for the last day analyzed (+3.96% on December 5) compared to the historical average. This may indicate that the settling of effects is still ongoing.
- Large variations concentrated in the first few days: intense initial activity, then stabilization
In sharp contrast, large changes in SERPs-that is, substantial shifts in position-were observed mainly during the first week of the rollout. The data show clear peaks on November 12 and 13 (+2.60% and +1.49% above average), a sign of intense initial algorithm activity. This concentration of movement in the initial phase is typical of core updates, when Google makes the first large-scale changes to sectors and pages that need immediate rebalancing based on the new ranking criteria.
However, as early as the second week, the frequency of large changes decreased dramatically, with fluctuations moving just below average (-0.90% on December 4, -4.44% on December 5). This trend signals that the algorithm has gradually concluded its tests on more macroscopic changes, consolidating a more stable situation in the ranking distribution.
- Exit from TOP 10: a phenomenon limited to the initial phase
Let us now turn to the effects on the first page of SERPs, an element that is often critical in assessing the impact of a core update. Data on exits from TOP 10-the frequency with which sites gain or lose access to the first page of results-indicate how this phenomenon was only relevant in the very early days of the rollout. The graph shows that activity was high compared to the average on November 11 and 12 (+0.68% and +0.88%), and then gradually decreased in the following days until it stabilized below the historical average as early as November 18.
Interestingly, the Italian SERPs had already shown signs of turmoil before the official release of the update, as can be observed from the pre-November 11 phase: this suggests that some changes may have been anticipated as part of an unannounced update or pre-release testing.
This trend limited to the very first days of the update denotes that re-entries and exits from the TOP 10 played a less central role than in other categories analyzed, with Google preferring to focus on minor optimizations rather than radical hierarchical changes among the top results.
- Internal first-page fluctuations: the most dynamic fluctuations
What was particularly eventful were the internal fluctuations within the TOP 10, i.e., changes in position among results already on the first page. This category represents a highly competitive terrain: the fluctuations reflect Google’s efforts to reposition results according to updated quality standards.
The Observatory data show modest oscillation activity in the first days of the update (+0.15 percent on November 11, +0.21 percent on November 12), but the phenomenon remains at relatively stable levels throughout the period, never exceeding significant values. This dynamic suggests that, rather than making drastic changes in rankings, the algorithm preferred to optimize internal placements on a gradual basis, adjusting the positions of already visible results according to more precise parameters.
What the SERP Observatory data tell us.
From SEOZoom’s SERP Observatory monitoring, we can conclude that the November 2024 Core Update did not have a disruptive impact, but was characterized by timely and progressive interventions. Small changes, in particular, played a central role in the process, while the relatively rapid stability of large changes signals an intent to refine the algorithm.
These data underscore the importance of tools such as SEOZoom for interpreting algorithmic fluctuations and acting accordingly. The ability to distinguish between external movements and internal critical issues on one’s site allows one to take timely action, refining strategies and maintaining competitiveness even in a constantly changing landscape.
Winners and losers of the November 2024 Google update
After analyzing the fluctuations of the SERPs, let us move on to look in more detail at the concrete effects that the November 2024 Core Update had on the main Italian domains.
Let us start by saying that among the winners we find domains that saw consolidation of already strong positions, but also unexpected cases of recovery after previous less favorable updates. On the contrary, losers include both sites that seem to have failed to meet the new quality standards imposed by Google and market segments that continue to suffer from the structural transformations of SERPs.
Let’s go into detail to find out who gained ground and who, on the other hand, experienced the biggest losses. The methodological note of the other occasions applies to this analysis as well: with SEOZoom we queried our entire database to identify domains that had traffic changes in the period “straddling” the updates, but excluding activities unrelated to the updates – such as seasonality, “normal” surges for the type of site, effects of migrations, and so on. In addition, a subsequent check allowed us to further redefine the list to focus only on sites with at least 1,000 keywords ranked on Google, so that the change in site traffic did not depend precisely on fluctuations of only a few keywords.
November 2024 Core Update: the analysis of the winners
Here is the picture of the most “interesting” sites that have seen growth in the last month, probably driven by Google’s November 2024 Core Update.
- Mypersonaltrainer: recovery after a difficult year
The case of mypersonaltrainer.co.uk deserves special attention, because it represents a sharp turnaround from previous 2024 updates. Up until August, the site was registering a worrying decline: from an estimated 44,149,560 visits in February 2024 , it had fallen to 32,225,894, a loss of 27 percent of traffic in just six months, aided by the blow it took with the March core update and a new decline exacerbated by the August core update .
With the November Update, mypersonaltrainer has finally reversed the negative trend: traffic estimates stable at 31,103,976, but with a significant increase in Zoom Authority, up from 85 to 86. Although not back to the levels of the beginning of the year, this result may indicate a gradual recovery of trust on Google’s part. The increase in ZA is particularly important, since it reflects the improved quality of the domain from the standpoint of authority and competence-we must always remember that ZA follows a logarithmic scale, so each increase represents a significant improvement especially at such high levels.
These data underscore that the project remains solid, confirming it as the number one site in Italy in the health sector and currently 13th overall in the ranking of authority in our country, able to resist, adapt and reassert itself after several months of algorithmic vulnerability.
- corriere.it: new boost for information giant
Corriere della Sera is once again confirmed as one of Italy’s publishing giants, with traffic growth estimated from 15,574,182 to 16,935,538, representing a 9 percent increase in just a few weeks. The increase in keywords placed, which rose from 1,262,119 to 1,270,778, underscores a steady improvement in the ability to cover topics of interest.
From the Zoom Authority point of view, the domain marks a growth point (from 80 to 81) that brings it to position number 4 in the “newspapers” sector in Italy. The upward trend, already observed in previous updates, is here consolidated by the focus placed on content diversification and optimization for high-search-volume topics, demonstrating a continuous ability to adapt to the quality model imposed by Google.
- blog.giallozafferano.it: upward continuity
Also reconfirmed is blog.giallozafferano.it, part of Giallo Zafferano’s vast publishing ecosystem. The domain registered a slight but important improvement in estimated traffic, which rose from 14,283,076 to 14,510,161 visits (+2%). Similarly, the number of keywords placed increased from 618,576 to 626,742 .
This improvement, although small, consolidates the site’s already stable position in the food sector. The increase in traffic and keywords, flanked by an increase in Zoom Authority from 80 to 81, is proof of the effectiveness of the brand’s strategy (and of the trust placed in it by Google), which continues to be one of the best positioned in the Italian SERPs on cooking and lifestyle topics.
- Reddit: the consecration of user-generated content
Among the winners of the November 2024 Core Update is certainly Reddit, which marks one of the most significant growths in recent years. The update led estimated traffic to grow from 3,379,011 to 5,208,265, an increase of 54 percent , while keywords placed increased from 4,673,048 to 5,071,053.
Analysis of the keywords that gained traffic and positions reveals to us that the platform’s content also gains strong visibility for generic searches, such as those for twitch or autoscout24, almost presenting itself as an additional search engine.
On the Zoom Authority front Reddit went from 78 to 79, but the most impressive figure is the transformation from December 2023, when the ZA was just 69.
This trend reflects Google’s growing preference for UGC (User-Generated Content) and social content: nearly 40 percent of searches today include results from platforms such as Reddit, YouTube or Instagram in SERPs. Reddit has emerged as a hub for niche topics and in-depth discussions, valuing user input in fulfilling specific informational intent.
- iltirreno.it: unexpected growth
One of the most interesting cases among the winning sites is iltirreno.it, which saw a remarkable increase in estimated traffic from 652,135 visits to 1,806,202 (+177%).
Although the keywords placed grew marginally (from 96,606 to 98,045), the jump in Zoom Authority, from 64 to 68, signals a positive ranking revision by Google.
However, this result may not even be the result of a “tailspin” of the update, but rather a temporary spike related to the placement of high-volume keywords during the first days of December.
It will be crucial to continue monitoring the domain in the coming months to understand whether this growth represents a lasting effect of the November Update or just a temporary dynamic that is bound to change again.
- healthy.thewom and thewom: here’s the upswing
We close the mention of the winners with healthy.thewom.it, which is back in Google’s “good graces” after the heavy losses suffered with previous updates, particularly the March update. Estimated traffic increased from 978,778 visits to 1,703,273 (+73%), while keyword placements rose 13%, from 390,056 to 441,433. In parallel, Zoom Authority increased from 69 to 71, a sign that the domain has regained authority in Google’s eyes after a long period of “algorithmic shadow.”
We have confirmation of this by looking at the “important keywords on the rise,” which show the site’s reappearance in the top10 for so many relevant and impactful keywords.
A similar fate was reserved for the main domain, thewom.it, which saw traffic increase from 982,291 to 1,248,721 visits (+27%). Again, the strengthening of keywords and the recovery of the ZA (from 68 to 69) indicate a content and optimization strategy that took into account the indications received with previous updates, helping the group reposition itself in the lifestyle sector.
November 2024 Core Update: sites losing traffic and positions
Let’s look at the other side of the coin, and then at the sites that saw declining rankings, traffic and visibility they had gained.
- fattoincasadabenedetta.it: signs of distrust by Google?
Among the sites that recorded a significant loss we find fattoincasadabenedetta.it, a reference point for recipes and DIY in the kitchen, which after months of steady increase recorded a minus sign at the end of the November Update. Estimated traffic dropped from 9,657,542 visits to 9,009,168 (-7%), while keyword placements dropped from 439,235 to 420,154.
Analyzing the keywords, we find descending keywords with high traffic volume such as custard, cheesecake or piadina, which still remain on the first page of Google, but in positions of less visibility and prestige.
This decline gains further relevance when put in relation to what has been observed since the August 2024 core update: at that time, the site had lost one million visits (-7.5%) and two positions in the food sector rankings, largely due to the downgrading of strategic keywords related to relevant searches for the sector. The November Update seems to have confirmed this negative trend, with a further decrease that suggests a gradual weakening of the domain’s presence and relevance in the SERPs for what we had identified as one of the industry giants and almost always at the top on Google for searches for recipes and related.
- The Press: an up and down path without lasting results
Lastampa.it, one of Italy’s leading publishing portals, experienced a particularly volatile performance during the November Update. After an initial flare-up that on Nov. 15 had brought estimated traffic to 5,026,593 visits and keyword placements to 648,256, the site suffered a subsequent sharp decline. In fact, the final numbers speak of a drop in traffic to 4,338,651 visits (-5%), with keywords dropping to 630,951 (-3%).
This trend almost seems to suggest that Google tried to restore centrality and trust to the domain in the initial stages of the update, only to penalize the site again due to structural or content criticalities. The result reflects a dynamic already observed with previous updates such as that of March and August 2024, where lastampa.it had shown signs of difficulty in competing with other publishing giants such as Corriere della Sera.
- Ansa: an information giant that has to reckon with Google
Another of the mainstays of the Italian information landscape, ansa.it, also took a hit with the November Update.
Estimated traffic dropped from 12,758,309 visits to 11,248,550 (-12%), while keywords placed dropped from 799,434 to 727,857, signaling a reduction in the site’s overall presence on SERPs.
Speaking of keywords, in the list of “important keywords in descent” we find terms such as news, news today and news today that somehow represent the core business of the agency, which, however, has been overtaken by other competitors in the eyes of Google.
- dizionari.larepubblica.it: a decline that is now structural?
The dizionari.larepubblica.it website confirms a negative trend that is now evident: estimated traffic has dropped further from 3,623,053 visits to 3,289,197 (-9%), and this decline is part of a progressive decline that began at least as early as March 2024, when the domain still boasted over 7 million visits.
Interestingly, the Zoom Authority also underwent further compression, from a value of 76 in March to 73 in December.
- trovaprezzi.it: the collapse of the online comparator
Among the domains most affected by the November 2024 Core Update are trovaprezzi.it, which experienced a significant drop in estimated traffic, from 6,567,182 to 4,790,587 visits (-27%). The number of keywords placed also decreased, dropping from 2,809,689 to 2,497,179 (-11%). No less significant is the decrease in Zoom Authority, which in October 2024 was set at 80 and dropped to 78 after the update, signaling a weakening of the perceived authority of the domain.
Declining are many dry keywords related to big brands – for example, leroy merlin, farmae, victoria secret, conforama – but they still remain in the top10 on Google.
This loss of visibility occurs in an industry, that of price comparators, characterized by a high volatility of organic searches: in the case of trovaprezzi.it, the collapse in traffic could be related to the placement of very volatile keywords, linked to seasonal or specific searches, which Google may have rebalanced in favor of competitors.
We also cannot rule out the possibility that part of the loss may be attributed to a refinement of the algorithm, which may have recalibrated the ranking of results to favor content that is more diverse or directly relevant to users’ search intentions.
- agendadigitale.it: prolonged instability
The analysis of agendadigitale.it offers an example of constant ups and downs: in the last month, the site has seen a decline in estimated traffic from 1,170,445 to 995,831 visits (-15%) and a limited reduction in keyword rankings (from 110,434 to 107,944), and does not seem to be recovering from the state of oscillation already recorded during the previous 2024 updates.
- donnamoderna.com: a decline that is now structural
The donnamoderna.com website continues to show signs of gradual decline, with estimated traffic dropping from 782,910 to 748,823 visits (-4%) in the last month.
The figure appears even more worrisome when compared with the figures for December 2023, when estimated traffic exceeded 1,959,432 visits, marking an overall decline of 62 percent in less than a year. The number of keywords placed remained virtually unchanged (indeed, it increased by one percentage point between November and December 2024), suggesting that the problem may lie in the perceived quality of the content, now no longer in line with the standards required to stand out among niche competitors.
- Quora: a sharp decline in the face of Reddit’s rise
While Reddit climbs the rankings thanks to the value it places on user-generated content, its direct competitor Quora appears to be suffering from an increasingly weak positioning.
Estimated traffic dropped from 1,665,142 visits to 1,395,523 (-16%), with the number of keywords placed showing weak slight growth, but remaining far from the figures reached in August 2024, when the platform had 988,462 keywords versus the current 796,428.
- fondazioneveronesi.it: a small but significant impact
In the health sector, fondazioneveronesi.it also suffered a post-update loss, with estimated traffic dropping from 1,773,222 visits to 1,541,215 (down 13 percent) and the number of keywords placed dropping from 270,149 to 259,509. Although less pronounced than in other cases, the impact is still noteworthy for a site that enjoys high perceived authority.
The drop could be attributed to a rebalancing of SERPs in the medical sector, where giants such as MyPersonalTrainer have resumed consolidating their domain, gaining more visibility and intercepting an increasing share of keywords.
