Google announced the August Core Update on Thursday August 16th with additional information indicating that it takes into account specific feedback from content creators. Google also stated that the update would also take into account improvements that websites may have made. This page will update regularly during the course of the update with the latest data and analysis.
The August Core Update was announced on Thursday August 15th and was announced as completed on the 3rd September – a total of 19 days.
Information about all Google Updates can be found on this page and we’ll be tracking this Google update and providing data and analysis below, as we process it.
SISTRIX Google Update Radar
This free SISTRIX tool shows the impact of daily SERPs changes detected over the last 90 days
Core Update vs. Google Bug: What’s affecting the domain?
At the same time as the core update, Google also reported an issue in Google Search that affects a significant number of rankings. Google has already identified the cause of the problem and this was marked as fixed a few days later.
One of the crucial questions: Was my domain affected by the core update or the Google bug? Domains that were affected by the Google bug recovered by the 18th, as can be seen in the screenshots, VI has returned to where it was.
A different picture emerges for domains that were affected by the August Core Update.
Signs of recovery for smaller, independent projects
The latest Google updates – the Helpful Content Update (September 2023) and the Core Update (March 2024) – hit many small, independent projects particularly hard. In the announcement of the current Core Update, Google emphasized that it will evaluate these smaller projects in the future and take improvements that have been implemented in recent months into account accordingly.
Early data following the current core update confirms that Google is putting its announcements into action. After just a few days, many smaller content projects that suffered significant losses in the previous updates are among the visibility winners, including House Fresh, who were very vocal about their losses.
Although these websites have not yet returned to their original visibility level, this is a promising start for those looking for recovery. Rememeber, the update was only launched a few days ago and is estimated by Google to take a whole 4 weeks to roll out.
Example gains and losses curves in the daily VI data
To help you identify whether your gains or losses are related to the Core Update, here are some common curves we’re seeing in the data for the UK. In all cases here the losses started between the 17th and the 18th of August 2024. Data here relates to the 21st August 2024.
Winners and losers of the August Core Update
Here are the final lists of the biggest winners and losers during the August 2024 Google Core Update starting with the percentage winners. (Starting VI > 0.1.) Click on the domain to go to the full SISTRIX data set for that domain. (Account required, free trial available.)
Here are the winners by absolute VI. Reddit comes out on top, and that’s following significant gains by Reddit already during the last year.
| Domain | Visibillity Index 15.08.2024 | Visibillity Index 04.09.2024 | VI Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| reddit.com | 992.65 | 1232.93 | 240.28 |
| spotify.com | 365.04 | 598.50 | 233.47 |
| wikipedia.org | 7615.39 | 7675.67 | 60.28 |
| nih.gov | 426.44 | 483.14 | 56.71 |
| clevelandclinic.org | 352.25 | 395.16 | 42.91 |
| xnxx.com | 16.92 | 50.65 | 33.73 |
| facebook.com | 898.50 | 929.57 | 31.07 |
| cambridge.org | 1142.21 | 1172.86 | 30.66 |
| company-information.service.gov.uk | 271.49 | 300.11 | 28.62 |
| discogs.com | 130.21 | 155.26 | 25.05 |
| thomann.co.uk | 2.95 | 23.73 | 20.78 |
| www.nhs.uk | 646.16 | 666.76 | 20.60 |
| rottentomatoes.com | 212.47 | 232.49 | 20.01 |
| xhamster.com | 49.84 | 65.84 | 16.00 |
| google.com | 314.12 | 328.73 | 14.60 |
| xvideos.com | 133.21 | 146.94 | 13.73 |
| sciencedirect.com | 247.43 | 260.55 | 13.12 |
| x.com | 17.11 | 29.43 | 12.32 |
| rspb.org.uk | 6.93 | 19.14 | 12.21 |
| pcmag.com | 71.62 | 82.55 | 10.93 |
| nationalcareers.service.gov.uk | 58.03 | 67.20 | 9.17 |
| amazon.co.uk | 3522.72 | 3531.84 | 9.12 |
| quora.com | 231.12 | 239.87 | 8.75 |
| crosswordsolver.com | 8.10 | 16.62 | 8.52 |
| nhsinform.scot | 74.45 | 82.91 | 8.46 |
| gettyimages.co.uk | 69.26 | 77.19 | 7.93 |
| trustpilot.com | 64.85 | 72.72 | 7.87 |
| goodreads.com | 106.22 | 113.93 | 7.71 |
| youtube.com | 1373.62 | 1380.95 | 7.32 |
| britannica.com | 843.62 | 850.39 | 6.77 |
| netflix.com | 93.98 | 100.63 | 6.65 |
| biomedcentral.com | 4.86 | 11.43 | 6.58 |
| nice.org.uk | 20.69 | 27.18 | 6.49 |
| wiktionary.org | 256.53 | 262.88 | 6.35 |
| argos.co.uk | 291.03 | 296.85 | 5.82 |
| letterboxd.com | 16.03 | 21.61 | 5.58 |
| medium.com | 62.84 | 68.26 | 5.41 |
| stackoverflow.com | 51.89 | 57.27 | 5.38 |
| istockphoto.com | 74.13 | 79.45 | 5.32 |
| pornhub.com | 244.07 | 249.19 | 5.11 |
| medlineplus.gov | 66.72 | 71.82 | 5.10 |
| last.fm | 60.36 | 65.42 | 5.06 |
| hsbc.co.uk | 15.79 | 20.85 | 5.06 |
| tradingeconomics.com | 5.04 | 9.89 | 4.86 |
| xhamster.desi | 4.99 | 9.53 | 4.54 |
| cdc.gov | 55.92 | 60.40 | 4.47 |
| wikitravel.org | 4.17 | 8.62 | 4.45 |
| unsplash.com | 66.31 | 70.64 | 4.34 |
| wordpress.com | 47.57 | 51.89 | 4.33 |
| hope-education.co.uk | 4.16 | 8.20 | 4.04 |
| famousbirthdays.com | 3.77 | 7.76 | 3.98 |
| wordstream.com | 6.31 | 10.27 | 3.96 |
| nastygal.co.uk | 1.13 | 4.86 | 3.73 |
| moneysavingexpert.com | 75.85 | 79.58 | 3.72 |
| instagram.com | 810.38 | 814.08 | 3.70 |
| calculator.net | 25.81 | 29.49 | 3.68 |
| yelp.com | 15.19 | 18.75 | 3.56 |
| centreforsurgery.com | 0.41 | 3.96 | 3.55 |
| boomplay.com | 11.83 | 15.38 | 3.55 |
| bbc.com | 52.76 | 56.27 | 3.51 |
| gumtree.com | 50.19 | 53.51 | 3.32 |
| cuemath.com | 17.45 | 20.76 | 3.31 |
| oup.com | 27.09 | 30.39 | 3.30 |
| yesss.co.uk | 2.04 | 5.32 | 3.28 |
| ypo.co.uk | 2.37 | 5.55 | 3.18 |
| lanteilearning.co.uk | 0.00 | 3.19 | 3.18 |
| aspinaloflondon.com | 3.09 | 6.27 | 3.18 |
| grahamandgreen.co.uk | 2.93 | 6.05 | 3.12 |
| teachmeanatomy.info | 9.75 | 12.87 | 3.12 |
| kenwoodtravel.co.uk | 1.51 | 4.63 | 3.11 |
| petmd.com | 14.64 | 17.72 | 3.08 |
| aaos.org | 15.39 | 18.41 | 3.02 |
| cclonline.com | 3.69 | 6.69 | 3.00 |
| allrecipes.com | 77.28 | 80.28 | 3.00 |
| sainsburys.co.uk | 50.23 | 53.22 | 2.99 |
| blackcountrymetalworks.co.uk | 5.20 | 8.13 | 2.93 |
| hubspot.com | 50.15 | 53.04 | 2.90 |
| sterlinghome.co.uk | 1.31 | 4.19 | 2.88 |
| rogerebert.com | 9.76 | 12.63 | 2.87 |
| annsummers.com | 4.64 | 7.50 | 2.86 |
| cassart.co.uk | 5.17 | 8.02 | 2.85 |
| moshulu.co.uk | 3.30 | 6.13 | 2.82 |
| petertyson.co.uk | 4.84 | 7.62 | 2.78 |
| macklinmotors.co.uk | 0.68 | 3.46 | 2.78 |
| thomascook.com | 15.01 | 17.78 | 2.78 |
| hartsofstur.com | 3.51 | 6.27 | 2.76 |
| eden.co.uk | 4.59 | 7.34 | 2.75 |
| snows.co.uk | 0.54 | 3.28 | 2.74 |
| ultimate-guitar.com | 28.88 | 31.56 | 2.68 |
| mayoclinic.org | 386.70 | 389.38 | 2.68 |
| lighting-direct.co.uk | 7.69 | 10.35 | 2.66 |
| transfermarkt.com | 2.90 | 5.55 | 2.65 |
| vocabulary.com | 189.61 | 192.26 | 2.65 |
| informer.com | 16.25 | 18.90 | 2.65 |
| furnitureinfashion.net | 2.18 | 4.82 | 2.64 |
| gettyimages.com | 13.65 | 16.28 | 2.63 |
| hopkinsmedicine.org | 98.81 | 101.44 | 2.63 |
| drapertools.com | 2.17 | 4.76 | 2.59 |
| laballerina.co.uk | 0.00 | 2.47 | 2.47 |
| communityclothing.co.uk | 1.04 | 3.50 | 2.46 |
Here are the Top 100 losing domains by percentage.
| Domain | Visibillity Index 15.08.2024 | Visibillity Index 04.09.2024 | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|
| khanacademy.org | 25.27 | 1.92 | -92.40% |
| tubesafari.com | 14.80 | 2.39 | -83.83% |
| panasonic.co.uk | 5.74 | 1.06 | -81.52% |
| xnxx.health | 6.39 | 2.03 | -68.15% |
| google.co.uk | 93.33 | 30.96 | -66.82% |
| zoe.com | 4.53 | 1.68 | -62.93% |
| uniqlo.com | 6.26 | 2.44 | -61.00% |
| poundsterlinglive.com | 2.73 | 1.10 | -59.88% |
| hmrc.gov.uk | 15.86 | 6.47 | -59.22% |
| bodycareonline.co.uk | 2.38 | 1.03 | -56.90% |
| yelp.co.uk | 21.66 | 9.36 | -56.79% |
| diffen.com | 3.11 | 1.38 | -55.62% |
| wordsmyth.net | 6.47 | 2.95 | -54.39% |
| carbuilder.com | 2.58 | 1.20 | -53.43% |
| ballotpedia.org | 2.30 | 1.07 | -53.42% |
| familydoctor.org | 5.70 | 2.68 | -53.00% |
| capterra.com | 5.70 | 2.69 | -52.70% |
| motor1.com | 4.82 | 2.37 | -50.94% |
| cylex-uk.co.uk | 7.93 | 3.91 | -50.74% |
| brooktaverner.co.uk | 2.23 | 1.13 | -49.55% |
| thefork.co.uk | 2.66 | 1.36 | -49.01% |
| aao.org | 11.80 | 6.04 | -48.82% |
| empireonline.com | 9.64 | 4.99 | -48.25% |
| hdtube.porn | 1.96 | 1.02 | -47.75% |
| wikiwand.com | 2.54 | 1.34 | -47.33% |
| theparking-cars.co.uk | 2.85 | 1.51 | -47.12% |
| theknowledgeacademy.com | 4.18 | 2.22 | -47.02% |
| car.info | 2.45 | 1.30 | -46.85% |
| secondhandsongs.com | 7.48 | 4.01 | -46.46% |
| freestuff.co.uk | 2.51 | 1.37 | -45.32% |
| cashfloat.co.uk | 3.18 | 1.75 | -45.12% |
| spine-health.com | 8.08 | 4.45 | -44.95% |
| gamepressure.com | 2.00 | 1.12 | -44.22% |
| jackwills.com | 3.41 | 1.90 | -44.19% |
| ludwig.guru | 14.29 | 8.02 | -43.92% |
| a-z-animals.com | 2.81 | 1.59 | -43.51% |
| radiopaedia.org | 16.66 | 9.50 | -43.00% |
| apartmenttherapy.com | 2.08 | 1.20 | -42.23% |
| tubitv.com | 2.91 | 1.69 | -42.04% |
| sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk | 3.28 | 1.92 | -41.51% |
| apnews.com | 12.57 | 7.39 | -41.22% |
| promova.com | 2.16 | 1.28 | -40.92% |
| coolblades.co.uk | 1.74 | 1.03 | -40.90% |
| timetemperature.com | 1.90 | 1.12 | -40.81% |
| helpguide.org | 11.07 | 6.59 | -40.50% |
| flashmuseum.org | 3.27 | 1.95 | -40.26% |
| worlddata.info | 1.82 | 1.09 | -40.02% |
| swann.com | 2.39 | 1.43 | -39.99% |
| motherless.com | 3.16 | 1.90 | -39.96% |
| santander.co.uk | 8.60 | 5.19 | -39.74% |
| legal500.com | 1.97 | 1.19 | -39.55% |
| foursquare.com | 2.02 | 1.23 | -39.44% |
| semrush.com | 10.40 | 6.32 | -39.17% |
| gamaverse.com | 2.70 | 1.64 | -39.06% |
| kidney.org | 5.73 | 3.51 | -38.83% |
| sohohome.com | 2.73 | 1.67 | -38.82% |
| intimissimi.com | 1.68 | 1.03 | -38.73% |
| joyfoodsunshine.com | 1.87 | 1.15 | -38.69% |
| westyorkshire.police.uk | 2.25 | 1.38 | -38.60% |
| stevemadden.co.uk | 2.77 | 1.70 | -38.59% |
| lithub.com | 2.75 | 1.69 | -38.54% |
| prowritingaid.com | 3.73 | 2.29 | -38.44% |
| cos.com | 1.92 | 1.18 | -38.29% |
| emojipedia.org | 3.63 | 2.24 | -38.28% |
| e4s.co.uk | 1.68 | 1.04 | -38.13% |
| visme.co | 3.67 | 2.28 | -37.90% |
| loveoutlet.co.uk | 2.39 | 1.49 | -37.76% |
| capitalizemytitle.com | 2.52 | 1.57 | -37.64% |
| canyon.com | 3.14 | 1.98 | -37.04% |
| rawpixel.com | 3.01 | 1.90 | -36.98% |
| heavy-r.com | 8.33 | 5.27 | -36.80% |
| lowes.com | 4.24 | 2.69 | -36.62% |
| publishersweekly.com | 1.91 | 1.21 | -36.50% |
| ok.xxx | 1.70 | 1.08 | -36.42% |
| game.co.uk | 10.91 | 6.94 | -36.38% |
| nbcolympics.com | 1.58 | 1.01 | -36.35% |
| oldversion.com | 4.55 | 2.90 | -36.20% |
| plymouth.gov.uk | 1.56 | 1.00 | -35.97% |
| tunebat.com | 4.21 | 2.70 | -35.85% |
| whocanfixmycar.com | 6.08 | 3.92 | -35.56% |
| xometry.com | 2.64 | 1.70 | -35.43% |
| studio.co.uk | 3.27 | 2.11 | -35.39% |
| kiddle.co | 3.88 | 2.51 | -35.39% |
| kiwi.com | 1.76 | 1.14 | -35.22% |
| redletterdays.co.uk | 4.64 | 3.01 | -35.22% |
| imfdb.org | 1.84 | 1.19 | -35.10% |
| theringer.com | 1.94 | 1.26 | -35.08% |
| livenation.co.uk | 5.04 | 3.28 | -34.89% |
| songfacts.com | 24.83 | 16.17 | -34.87% |
| tilemountain.co.uk | 2.33 | 1.52 | -34.77% |
| yts.nz | 4.23 | 2.76 | -34.75% |
| betterup.com | 11.19 | 7.31 | -34.69% |
| printerpix.co.uk | 2.53 | 1.65 | -34.64% |
| etymonline.com | 5.71 | 3.74 | -34.58% |
| healthdirect.gov.au | 29.84 | 19.55 | -34.49% |
| blinkist.com | 2.91 | 1.91 | -34.42% |
| richersounds.com | 11.88 | 7.79 | -34.38% |
| freepeople.com | 1.75 | 1.15 | -34.34% |
| findcourses.co.uk | 2.57 | 1.69 | -34.33% |
| football.london | 1.59 | 1.04 | -34.24% |
Here are the Top 100 losing domains by absolute VI.
| Domain | Visibillity Index 15.08.2024 | Visibillity Index 04.09.2024 | VI Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| google.co.uk | 93.33 | 30.96 | -62.36 |
| linkedin.com | 318.01 | 258.78 | -59.23 |
| pinterest.com | 251.02 | 209.77 | -41.25 |
| screwfix.com | 171.23 | 130.22 | -41.01 |
| dictionary.com | 390.61 | 349.89 | -40.72 |
| tiktok.com | 155.49 | 117.09 | -38.40 |
| healthline.com | 341.21 | 308.41 | -32.80 |
| independent.co.uk | 140.30 | 107.80 | -32.50 |
| genius.com | 336.52 | 304.31 | -32.21 |
| webmd.com | 346.27 | 315.20 | -31.07 |
| collinsdictionary.com | 420.98 | 392.42 | -28.56 |
| imdb.com | 1255.01 | 1226.64 | -28.37 |
| khanacademy.org | 25.27 | 1.92 | -23.35 |
| medicalnewstoday.com | 198.47 | 176.71 | -21.76 |
| thesaurus.com | 142.26 | 120.98 | -21.28 |
| amazon.com | 132.71 | 112.14 | -20.56 |
| twitter.com | 280.23 | 259.78 | -20.44 |
| twinkl.co.uk | 85.85 | 67.30 | -18.55 |
| etsy.com | 439.60 | 422.11 | -17.49 |
| reed.co.uk | 55.94 | 40.83 | -15.11 |
| geeksforgeeks.org | 54.79 | 40.70 | -14.09 |
| nationalgeographic.com | 65.60 | 51.83 | -13.77 |
| asos.com | 79.18 | 65.88 | -13.29 |
| halfords.com | 84.37 | 71.14 | -13.23 |
| pinterest.co.uk | 56.60 | 43.80 | -12.80 |
| tubesafari.com | 14.80 | 2.39 | -12.40 |
| yelp.co.uk | 21.66 | 9.36 | -12.30 |
| marksandspencer.com | 109.02 | 96.73 | -12.29 |
| newlook.com | 63.96 | 52.76 | -11.20 |
| europa.eu | 81.46 | 70.47 | -10.99 |
| which.co.uk | 42.78 | 32.11 | -10.67 |
| investopedia.com | 239.35 | 228.80 | -10.55 |
| tesco.com | 106.44 | 95.96 | -10.48 |
| www.gov.uk | 483.32 | 472.98 | -10.34 |
| healthdirect.gov.au | 29.84 | 19.55 | -10.29 |
| allmusic.com | 46.10 | 36.03 | -10.08 |
| yourdictionary.com | 36.00 | 26.40 | -9.60 |
| currys.co.uk | 147.79 | 138.32 | -9.47 |
| bbc.co.uk | 530.92 | 521.52 | -9.41 |
| hmrc.gov.uk | 15.86 | 6.47 | -9.39 |
| betterhealth.vic.gov.au | 47.55 | 38.25 | -9.30 |
| decathlon.co.uk | 42.53 | 33.31 | -9.22 |
| archive.org | 50.94 | 41.85 | -9.09 |
| boots.com | 103.61 | 94.74 | -8.88 |
| songfacts.com | 24.83 | 16.17 | -8.66 |
| boohoo.com | 42.88 | 34.33 | -8.56 |
| byjus.com | 56.84 | 48.55 | -8.29 |
| telegraph.co.uk | 56.92 | 48.80 | -8.12 |
| hsamuel.co.uk | 26.86 | 18.90 | -7.96 |
| poki.com | 33.40 | 25.53 | -7.87 |
| timeout.com | 26.87 | 19.08 | -7.79 |
| oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com | 81.39 | 74.11 | -7.28 |
| radiopaedia.org | 16.66 | 9.50 | -7.16 |
| health.com | 23.16 | 16.05 | -7.11 |
| wikihow.com | 89.19 | 82.14 | -7.05 |
| diy.com | 235.52 | 228.54 | -6.98 |
| dailymail.co.uk | 50.28 | 43.65 | -6.63 |
| ft.com | 34.17 | 27.60 | -6.57 |
| indeed.com | 268.66 | 262.13 | -6.53 |
| lonelyplanet.com | 34.53 | 28.05 | -6.48 |
| rs-online.com | 49.20 | 42.76 | -6.44 |
| kidshealth.org | 46.35 | 39.91 | -6.44 |
| ludwig.guru | 14.29 | 8.02 | -6.28 |
| microsoft.com | 338.80 | 332.53 | -6.27 |
| techradar.com | 68.26 | 62.20 | -6.06 |
| smythstoys.com | 59.11 | 53.08 | -6.02 |
| parkers.co.uk | 23.62 | 17.67 | -5.95 |
| bandcamp.com | 77.17 | 71.24 | -5.94 |
| wordreference.com | 31.56 | 25.68 | -5.89 |
| mirror.co.uk | 38.39 | 32.54 | -5.84 |
| thesun.co.uk | 34.69 | 28.85 | -5.84 |
| aao.org | 11.80 | 6.04 | -5.76 |
| cnet.com | 45.37 | 39.63 | -5.74 |
| xbox.com | 36.98 | 31.50 | -5.48 |
| bbcgoodfood.com | 209.42 | 204.22 | -5.20 |
| apnews.com | 12.57 | 7.39 | -5.18 |
| hellorayo.co.uk | 16.65 | 11.55 | -5.10 |
| cnn.com | 35.57 | 30.49 | -5.08 |
| rd.com | 17.58 | 12.50 | -5.08 |
| theguardian.com | 260.34 | 255.27 | -5.07 |
| recipetineats.com | 42.30 | 37.39 | -4.91 |
| reuters.com | 17.28 | 12.43 | -4.85 |
| azlyrics.com | 30.97 | 26.13 | -4.84 |
| cancerresearchuk.org | 40.92 | 36.08 | -4.84 |
| prettylittlething.com | 44.86 | 40.17 | -4.69 |
| panasonic.co.uk | 5.74 | 1.06 | -4.68 |
| nerdwallet.com | 21.33 | 16.66 | -4.67 |
| oed.com | 94.70 | 90.03 | -4.67 |
| empireonline.com | 9.64 | 4.99 | -4.65 |
| researchgate.net | 18.18 | 13.62 | -4.57 |
| tui.co.uk | 53.83 | 49.27 | -4.56 |
| carwow.co.uk | 28.11 | 23.57 | -4.55 |
| goodhousekeeping.com | 54.58 | 50.07 | -4.51 |
| sportsdirect.com | 58.66 | 54.14 | -4.51 |
| cosmopolitan.com | 35.06 | 30.56 | -4.50 |
| helpguide.org | 11.07 | 6.59 | -4.48 |
| gocompare.com | 41.17 | 36.71 | -4.46 |
| ernestjones.co.uk | 21.53 | 17.15 | -4.38 |
| soundcloud.com | 117.23 | 112.87 | -4.36 |
