Did the New Core Update Just Kill My Google Ranking?

All the posts have been deindexed…

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and SEO, website owners must continually adapt to changes implemented by search engines. Recently, many have been left wondering if the core update released in early April has significantly affected their site’s performance.

Since April 9, I’ve encountered a concerning issue with my website: all of my posts have been marked as “crawled, not indexed.” A few days later, around April 12, I noticed a drastic drop in my Core Web Vitals metrics, with only one URL—my homepage—showing satisfactory performance.

To provide a bit more context, I’ve made no alterations to my WordPress settings or configurations within the All in One SEO plugin. This has left me puzzled and seeking insights from others who might be experiencing similar challenges.

If you’ve faced setbacks following the recent core update or if you have any strategies that could help in rectifying these indexing issues, I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Sharing experiences within our community could be invaluable as we navigate these changes together.

It’s understandable to be concerned when your website’s performance in Google search changes significantly, especially after a suspected algorithm update. Let’s break down what might be happening.

Google frequently rolls out updates to its search algorithm, including “core updates.” These core updates are broad changes designed to improve the overall relevance and quality of search results. They can indeed cause noticeable shifts in website rankings, both positive and negative.

Based on the current date (May 2, 2025), there haven’t been any official announcements from Google about a core update specifically in late April or early May 2025. However, Google does make updates regularly, and sometimes the effects are felt before an official announcement, or smaller, unconfirmed updates can occur. There was a significant Google Core Update announced in March 2024, which concluded rolling out in April 2024. If your website was affected around that time and if still experiencing issues, it could be related to that update.

Regarding posts being “deindexed,” this is a critical and separate issue from a ranking drop. Deindexing means that Google has removed the pages entirely from its search index, making them invisible to searchers. While a core update can lead to lower rankings (meaning your posts appear further down in search results), it typically does not cause complete deindexing of all content.

If posts are truly deindexed, the core update might not be the primary cause, or at least not the only cause. Here are some other reasons why content might be deindexed:

• Manual Actions: Google may have issued a manual penalty against your site due to violations of their Webmaster Guidelines (e.g., spammy tactics, unnatural links). You can check for manual actions in Google Search Console.
• Technical Issues: Problems with your website’s technical setup can prevent Googlebot from crawling and indexing your pages. This could include:
  • Incorrect noindex tags in your website’s HTML or HTTP headers.
  • Directives in your robots.txt file blocking Googlebot.
  • Server errors or your site being down when Googlebot tries to access it.
  • Issues with your sitemap.
• Content Quality: While less likely to cause complete deindexing of all posts, extremely low-quality, thin, or duplicate content across your site could contribute to indexation issues for some pages.
• Security Issues: If your site has been hacked or infected with malware, Google may deindex it to protect users.

What I Should Do:

1. Check Google Search Console: This is the most crucial step.
   • Check Index Coverage Report: Look for errors or warnings that indicate why pages might be excluded or not indexed.
   • Use the URL Inspection Tool: Test a few of your affected post URLs to see how Google sees them. This tool can tell you if the page is indexed, if there are crawling errors, or if it’s blocked by robots.txt or noindex.
   • Check for Manual Actions: See if your site has received any manual penalties.
2. Review robots.txt and noindex Tags: Ensure that you are not accidentally blocking Googlebot or telling search engines not to index pages.
3. Check Your Website’s Health: Make sure your server is functioning correctly and your website is accessible.
4. Assess Content Quality (After addressing deindexing): Once indexation is resolved, you can then evaluate your content based on Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines, which are often emphasized in core updates.

In summary, while a Google Core Update can significantly impact rankings, it’s unlikely to cause a complete deindexing of all posts. If content is deindexed, focus on investigating potential technical issues, manual actions, or security compromises using Google Search Console as the primary tool. Once the deindexing issue is resolved, one can then analyze how recent algorithm changes might have affected rankings.

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