The Google algorithm update on July 31, 2024, significantly impacted how businesses rank in search results. With AI-generated summaries, user reviews, and more personalized content playing a larger role, some businesses saw immediate drops in visibility. This shift means that businesses need to rethink their SEO strategies. As we often say, “Build Google to make it easier for conversational search.”
For years, businesses adapted to machine-based search by focusing on specific keywords. But now, platforms like Google and TikTok are flipping that model. AI is learning to think like humans, shifting the focus toward more natural, conversational experiences. One of the most impactful changes involves Google Business Profiles, which now allow 300-character descriptions for each service. This simple addition gives businesses an excellent opportunity to write conversational content, helping Google pull more relevant information during searches.
To help businesses regain their Google rankings, here are five strategies professionals are using—from optimizing Google Business Profiles to creating high-quality, niche content.
Optimize Google Business Profiles
One of the most immediate effects of the July 31st update was its impact on Google Business Profiles (GBP). For many businesses relying on local visibility, there was an almost instant drop in traffic. The key to recovering? Ensuring your profile is up-to-date and filled with accurate, high-quality information.
Andrew Lee Jenkins, SEO expert and business owner, emphasizes that even small discrepancies in your profile can hurt your rankings. His approach? Focus on generating customer reviews, and make sure your profile is stocked with high-quality images and posts. “We shifted our SEO strategy to focus on content aligned with AI-generated summaries while updating business profiles to reflect accurate, high-quality information,” says Andrew.
Additionally, aligning your website content with Google’s AI-generated summaries helps improve relevance in search results. “Within a few weeks, we began seeing their rankings stabilize and gradually improve,” he adds, highlighting the importance of staying consistent with your updates to keep your profile visible and performing well.
Transitioning from profile optimization, enhancing your local SEO efforts builds on this foundation by making your business even more discoverable in your area.
Andrew Lee Jenkins, Owner, Andrew Lee Jenkins
Enhance Profiles and Local SEO
While optimizing your Google Business Profile is essential, local SEO remains a crucial factor in maintaining visibility in location-specific searches. For businesses relying on local traffic, optimizing location-based keywords and building local backlinks can make a significant difference.
John Reinesch, Founder of John Reinesch Consulting, shares how local SEO helped his clients recover:
“We expanded efforts beyond Google Business Profiles, optimizing local backlinks, on-page SEO for location-specific content, and social media engagement.”
By building more user engagement, improving NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) details, and consistently updating location-specific content, John’s clients regained their rankings.
“By generating more user engagement, we saw the client’s rankings improve steadily over the following weeks,” John explains.
Keeping your NAP consistent across platforms and focusing on local SEO is critical for recovery and future growth.
After improving your local presence, it’s important to continuously refresh your content and metadata to stay relevant in search engines and in your customers’ minds.
John Reinesch, Founder, John Reinesch Consulting
Update Content and Metadata
Refreshing content and metadata is one of the most powerful tools for combating ranking drops after a Google update. Regularly updating 30-70% of content on key pages, adding semantically related keywords, and ensuring metadata is engaging can help businesses restore or even improve their search rankings.
Victoria Kurichenko, SEO Expert and Content Writer at Self Made Millennials, describes her experience:
“Updating 70% of the content on a key page saw a jump in rankings to third place, and impressions grew to 3.7k within days.”
By continuously updating your metadata and refreshing content, you maintain relevance to search engines and ensure customers see accurate and up-to-date information. As you refresh your content, remember that your visual elements are just as important as your written content, especially in an AI-driven world.
Victoria Kurichenko, SEO Expert and Content Writer, Self Made Millennials
Authentic Photos Outshine AI
As AI-generated content becomes more common, real, authentic visuals resonate more with customers. While AI can assist in scaling certain elements of content creation, the human touch remains critical for connection.
Abel Miranda, SEO Manager at Marketing Empire Group, emphasizes the value of authentic images: “Real-world photos and videos—like your team at work or completed projects—go a long way in reassuring customers that your business is authentic.”
Whether it’s showcasing your team in action or finished projects, these authentic visuals build trust with potential customers, helping you stand out in a crowded digital space. “In a time where AI is being used to mass-produce content, the human touch is what will ultimately come out on top,” Abel adds.
As you build trust through authentic visuals, ensure that your content remains niche-specific and high-quality to keep your audience engaged.
Abel Miranda, SEO Manager, Marketing Empire Group
Focus on High-Quality, Niche Content
Niche-specific content that is both detailed and relevant to your audience is a cornerstone of effective SEO. Businesses that focused on high-quality content were better able to weather the update, especially when they catered to their audience’s specific needs.
Ashley Rodriguez, SEO Manager at Semgeeks, shares her approach: “By focusing on detailed, relevant content that caters to target audiences, our clients saw minimal impact from the July update.”
Her team emphasizes removing broad, generic content and focusing on high-quality, niche content that resonates with both AI and human users. “By delivering detailed, relevant information, we’ve helped clients maintain strong rankings despite the algorithm changes,” she explains.
High-quality, audience-specific content not only helps businesses maintain visibility but ensures that you continue to engage your target audience effectively.
Ashley Rodriguez, SEO Manager, Semgeeks
Final Thoughts
The July 2024 Google algorithm update underscores the need to rethink how businesses approach SEO. It’s no longer just about optimizing for machines—it’s about creating content that appeals to both AI and humans.
From my own experience, clean data and updated profiles are critical to a business’s digital success. When I first took over the marketing department for two national brands, we were struggling with poor Google visibility, shadow bans on Facebook, and even flagged emails. After digging in, I discovered outdated links that had been sitting on accounts for more than two years. These links were not only hurting us on Google but also on Facebook. By systematically updating every location’s listings, changing our email services, and following best practices, we saw dramatic improvements within just three months. Our ads performed better, we stopped getting shadow-banned, and our overall digital presence was stronger.
Today, this focus on clean data is even more important with AI quickly catching errors. It’s not just about removing bad links anymore—it’s about making sure all of your business information is accurate, consistent, and clear across every platform.
Google Business Profiles, for example, have evolved beyond simple listings. They now offer space to describe services in a conversational tone, which makes a huge difference in how Google pulls information for searches. By taking advantage of the 300-character service descriptions, you allow Google to better understand your offerings and deliver more relevant results.
Embrace these changes by ensuring your profiles are fully updated, optimizing landing pages, and focusing on content that is both conversational and clear. The businesses that adapt to these shifts quickly will not only recover their rankings but thrive in a more intuitive, human-centered SEO landscape.
Amy Lofgreen, CEO/Founder, LofgreenMarketing
