Google April 2018 Core Update (16 April 2018): What Changed and How to Recover

The Google April 2018 core update was a broad core algorithm update released on Monday 16 April 2018 and confirmed by Google on 20 April 2018. It was the second confirmed core update of 2018, arriving about five weeks after the March 2018 core update. Google said it aimed to deliver more relevant results, and as with March, there was no specific fix for pages that dropped.

You can see where it falls in my full list of Google algorithm updates.

Detail	Information
Update name	April 2018 core update
Type	Broad core update
Rollout started	16 April 2018 (Ignite lists 17 April)
Rollout finished	Not announced
Rollout length	Not announced
Confirmed by Google	Yes, on 20 April 2018
Official source	Search Engine Land: Google confirms broad core update

What the April 2018 core update changed

Google called it a "broad core algorithm update" and said such updates are routine, happening several times a year. Its stated aim was more relevant results. As with the March update, Google said it could benefit pages that were previously under-rewarded, and that there was no specific fix for sites that fell.

What makes April 2018 interesting is the timing. Coming only five weeks after March, it gave site owners a rare chance to compare two core updates close together. That is useful for diagnosis, because it fits what Google kept saying: core updates reassess relevance rather than applying a fixed penalty, so a page can move differently in each one.

Timeline

• About 8 to 12 March 2018: March 2018 core update.
• Monday 16 April 2018: April core update begins rolling out. Ignite lists 17 April.
• 20 April 2018: Google confirms the broad core update released earlier that week.
• 1 August 2018: the next broad core update, later nicknamed Medic.

Who was affected

No particular category was targeted, and ranking changes were broad. The most useful way to think about who was affected is to ask what the sites losing ground had in common on your own queries, rather than relying on industry-wide winners and losers lists.

How to tell if the April 2018 core update hit your site

With two core updates five weeks apart, the main job is to attribute movement to the right one.

1. Set three windows. Before March (late February to 7 March), between updates (about 20 March to 15 April) and after April (21 April to early May). Compare each against the next.
2. Classify pages. Mark each important page as: hit by March only, hit by April only, hit by both, or recovered in April after a March loss. This tells you whether a problem is persistent or was re-evaluated.
3. Focus on the persistent losers. Pages that fell in both updates are the clearest signal that Google sees better answers elsewhere.
4. Study the new top results. For a few key queries, compare the pages that now outrank you. Are they more specific, more current or more trustworthy for that query?
5. Exclude unrelated changes. Check for site releases, redirects or tracking changes between 16 and 20 April.

How to recover from the April 2018 core update

Google’s guidance is the same for every core update: no technical trick, focus on content quality. Here is how I turn that into a plan for a site that lost ground in this update.

1. Prioritise by value. Start with pages that lost the most clicks on queries that bring leads or sales, not the pages that lost the most impressions.
2. Re-check intent. If Google now ranks guides where you have a sales page, or local results where you have a national page, your page may simply be the wrong format. Change the format or target a better-matched query.
3. Review against Google’s quality questions. Originality, expertise, trustworthiness and presentation. Be strict: if a page is no better than five others, it has little reason to rank above them.
4. Improve, merge or remove. Improve pages worth saving, merge overlapping ones, and remove pages that serve no one. Weak pages can weigh on how a site is perceived overall.
5. Strengthen trust signals. Clear authorship, an about page that explains who you are, contact details, and accurate, updated information.
6. Measure at the next core update. Recovery, when it happens, typically appears at a later core update after the improvements are recognised.

Pattern across March and April	Likely meaning	Priority
Lost in both	Persistent relevance or quality gap	High: rework or consolidate
Lost in March, recovered in April	Re-evaluated in your favour	Low: monitor
Lost only in April	New competitor or intent shift	Medium: compare with new top results
Gained in April	Previously under-rewarded	Learn from what these pages do well

Content work does not happen in a vacuum. If the pages that outrank you are also better linked, my off-page SEO services can help build genuine authority, while my on-page optimisation covers the page rework itself.

Is it still relevant today?

It is part of the ongoing series of broad core updates Google runs several times a year. The specific April 2018 changes have long since been absorbed, but the method of comparing consecutive core updates to separate persistent problems from temporary swings is still the best way to read your data after any core update.

Frequently asked questions

When was the April 2018 core update?

It rolled out on Monday 16 April 2018 and Google confirmed it on 20 April 2018. Ignite Visibility lists 17 April.

Was the April 2018 update a reversal of March?

Google did not describe it that way. It was a separate broad core update, so compare your data across both dates rather than assuming a reversal.

How many core updates were there in 2018?

Google confirmed broad core updates in March, April and August 2018. April was the second of those.

How long does it take to recover?

There is no fixed time. Recovery usually shows at a later core update after Google recognises improvements, and some sites do not fully recover.

Sources

• Search Engine Land: Google confirms broad core update earlier this week
• Search Engine Land: Google algorithm updates library
• Ignite Visibility: Google update history

If your rankings moved around one or more core updates and you are not sure which pages to work on, request a free audit. My SEO audit maps losses across update windows and gives you a prioritised list.