October 2023 Google Algorithm Update Impact

On October 5, 2023, Google released its October 2023 Core Update. This update arrived in what has been a “sea of volatility” with the release of the October 2023 Spam Update just a day earlier. Further, the October 2023 Core Update came on the heels of the September 2023 Helpful Content Update, which finished rolling out just days earlier.

Of course, and perhaps most notably, the October 2023 Core Update was released less than a month after the August 2023 Core Update had completed its rollout. This naturally begs the question as to the relationship between the August and October 2023 Core Updates.

Let’s have a look at it all.

The October 2023 Core Update Rollout: A Return to Normal

If you recall, the rollout of the August 2023 Core Update was a bit atypical. With a core update, there is generally a clear and discernable “peak” and spike in rank volatility.

The environment around the August update was already quite volatile; as a result, we didn’t see the same sort of vivid spike in rank fluctuations.

However, the October 2023 Core Update, despite the various updates released in the days and weeks before it, saw a return to the usual trajectory displayed during a core update.

Accordingly, the Semrush Sensor showed peak volatility on October 10, with a secondary...