If you’ve ever felt like, “My website was doing just fine… then Google went and messed with it,” you’re probably talking about a Google core update.

A few times a year, Google does a big “tune-up” on how it ranks websites. They don’t just flip a tiny switch; they re-check a whole lot of sites and shuffle who shows up where.

Think of it like this:

You’ve got a list of your top 20 places to eat in town. You made that list back in 2019. Since then:

• A couple of those spots have gone downhill.
• Some brand-new restaurants are downright amazing.
• Your knees hurt now, so you prefer somewhere with easy parking and not 3 flights of stairs.

If a friend asked for your list today, you’d rewrite it. Some old favorites might move down, new places move up, and a few drop off.

That’s all a Google core update is:
 Google re-writing its “favorite websites” list so searchers get better, more helpful results.

Do I need to panic?

Short answer: usually, no.

Most websites go through a core update with little or no drama. You may not even notice it happened.

You might want to take a closer look if:

• Your calls or form leads suddenly slow down, and
• Your website traffic chart suddenly dips around the same time folks are talking about a “Google core update.”

If the phone is still ringing and customers are still finding you, you’re probably fine. Grab a sweet tea and carry on.

Step one: Check if Google really changed anything

If you (or your web person) have access to Google Search Console — that little Google dashboard for your site — here’s a simple way to check:

1. Make sure the update is done.
   Google announces when a core update starts and when it finishes. You want to look after it’s rolled out, not in the middle of the shake-up.
2. Wait at least a week after it ends.
   Things bounce around at first, like traffic on I-24 after a wreck. Give it a little time to settle.
3. Compare the right weeks.
   Look at:
   • One week before the update started
   • One week after things settled
4. Check your top pages and search terms.
   Are you seeing:
   • A small drop? (For example, you went from #2 to #4)
   • A big drop? (From page 1 to page 3 or 4… ouch)

If it’s just a little slip — maybe from position 2 to 4 — that’s normal shuffling. Don’t tear your site apart over that.

If you dropped from “folks see me every day” to “buried where nobody clicks,” then it’s worth a closer look.

If your rankings took a big tumble

A big drop doesn’t mean Google “hates” you. It usually means other sites are doing a better job answering people’s questions than you are.

Here’s how to think about it:

1. Look at your site like a stranger.
   Not as the owner, not as the person who paid for it. Ask yourself:
   • Does this page actually help someone?
   • Is it clear what we do and who we serve?
   • Would I trust this if I’d never heard of my own business?
2. Focus on your most important pages first.
   Home page, main service pages (roofing, pest control, telecom, remodeling, etc.), and any pages that used to bring in a lot of search traffic.
3. Ask: “Is this people-first content?”
   Google loves content that:
   • Speaks directly to real people
   • Answers real questions (not just stuffed with keywords)
   • Feels like it was written by a human who knows the local area, not a robot who’s never been to Tennessee

If someone in Murfreesboro, Shelbyville, or Tullahoma lands on your site, do they think,
 “Yep, these are my kind of folks — this is exactly what I was looking for”?

That’s the goal.

What not to do (no “panic remodels”)

When a core update hits and traffic drops, it’s tempting to start randomly ripping things out of your website like you’re mad at it. Try to avoid:

• Quick gimmick “SEO fixes” you saw in a Facebook group
• Deleting useful content just because someone said, “Long pages are bad”
• Changing everything all at once with no plan

Instead, think like a good contractor or mechanic:

• Fix what’s actually broken.
• Upgrade what’s clearly outdated.
• Leave what’s working alone.

Smart, steady improvements beat wild swinging every time.

What to do instead

Here are simple, long-term moves Google tends to reward:

• Rewrite confusing pages in plain English.
  Less jargon, more “here’s how we help you.”
• Answer real questions from real customers.
  If people keep calling to ask, “Do you work in my area?” or “How much does this usually cost?”, make sure your website says it clearly.
• Clean up thin or junky content.
  If you’ve got old pages that don’t say much and never bring in traffic or leads, decide:
  • Can we rewrite this so it actually helps somebody?
  • Or is this just clutter we made for search engines years ago?

If it’s pure fluff nobody reads, cleaning it up or removing it can actually help the good stuff shine.

How long until things bounce back?

This part nobody loves: it takes time.

• Some smaller changes might help in a few days or weeks.
• Big improvements to your content — the helpful, human kind Google wants now — can take several months to show their full effect.
• Sometimes, your best improvements really pay off when the next core update rolls around.

The key is:
 If you keep improving your site for real people in your community, each new update is more likely to help you than hurt you.

Where Amrocket fits into all this (gently now)

If all of this feels like “too much tech and not enough time,” you’re not alone.

That’s exactly where a local team like Amrocket comes in:

• We speak both languages: Google and Southern small business.
• We can look at your traffic, your content, and your local competitors, then tell you in plain English what’s going on.
• We focus on people-first, hometown-friendly content that still plays nice with Google’s latest rules.

You don’t have to memorize every core update or stare at charts all night.
 You can keep running your business, and let a team that lives and works right here in Middle Tennessee help keep your website in good standing with Google.

If you ever want someone to sit down, walk you through what changed, and show you how to fix it without “burning the house down,” Amrocket’s happy to help.