--- title: "April 2018 core update: dates, what changed and what to do" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/april-2018-core-update section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Core updates"] --- # April 2018 core update: dates, what changed and what to do ## The short answer Google released the April 2018 core update on Monday 16 April 2018 and confirmed it on 20 April through its Search Liaison account on Twitter, calling it a broad core algorithm update. Google gave no completion date, no impact figures and no fix, pointing site owners to its March 2018 advice to keep building great content. ## Key takeaways - Google's Search Liaison account confirmed on 20 April 2018 that a broad core update was released that Monday. - Google called it routine, one of the broad core algorithm updates it releases throughout the year. - Google stated no completion date and published no figures on how many queries or sites it affected. - Google's advice was the same as in March 2018; there is no fix other than building great content. - Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so checking for its effect now needs archived analytics. ## What Google changed Google did not describe what the April 2018 core update changed. It confirmed only the type of update. On 20 April 2018 the Google SearchLiaison account on Twitter posted: "On Monday, we released a broad core algorithm update, as we routinely do throughout the year." It added a link to its advice from the previous month rather than any new detail. That March 2018 advice set out how Google framed broad core updates at the time. It said there was "nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well," and that changes to its systems were "benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded." ## When it rolled out The Monday Google referred to was 16 April 2018. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable reported ranking shifts through that week and asked Google's Danny Sullivan to confirm them; the confirmation came on Friday 20 April. Google gave no rollout length and no completion date, so this page records neither. ## What is known about its impact Google published no impact figures for this update: no share of queries affected and no numbers on sites that gained or lost. Treat any percentage you see attributed to the April 2018 core update as a third-party estimate and check its method. ## What site owners should do Google's message in 2018 was that "there's no 'fix' for pages that may perform less well other than to remain focused on building great content." Its current core update guidance, which applies to every core update since, turns that into steps: - Wait until a rollout has finished, then at least one more full week, before analysing. - Compare the week after with a week before the update began. - Avoid quick fixes, such as removing a page element because you heard it was bad for SEO. - Assess content against Google's helpful, reliable, people-first content questions. - Expect improvements to take several months to show, possibly not until a later core update. ## How to check whether it affected you This is now historical. Search Console keeps 16 months of performance data, so it cannot show April 2018. Use archived analytics exports or rank tracking from that period, and compare organic traffic for the week before 16 April 2018 with a week in early May 2018. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists the other updates around it. ## Related updates - The [March 2018 core update](/updates/march-2018-core-update) was the broad core update before it. - The [August 2018 core update](/updates/august-2018-core-update) was the next one. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did the April 2018 core update start? Google said it released the update on Monday of the week of 20 April 2018, which was 16 April 2018. It confirmed the release on 20 April after SEOs had reported ranking changes all week. ### When did the April 2018 core update finish? Google did not say. It announced no rollout window and posted no completion notice, so any end date you see for this update is an outside estimate. ### Was there a fix for sites that lost rankings in April 2018? Google pointed to its March 2018 advice: there is no fix for pages that perform less well other than to remain focused on building great content, and over time that content may rise relative to other pages. ### Is the April 2018 core update related to the March 2018 one? Both were broad core algorithm updates confirmed by Google's Search Liaison account, and Google reused its March guidance for April. Google did not describe any link between their contents. ## Sources 1. [Google SearchLiaison on the April 2018 broad core algorithm update](https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/987397051997663232) - Google SearchLiaison on X (primary) 2. [Google SearchLiaison on broad core updates and what to do (March 2018)](https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/973241543636148225) - Google SearchLiaison on X (primary) 3. [Google Confirmed Last Week Algorithm Update As Broad Core Update](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-confirmed-algorithm-update-broad-core-update-25612.html) - Search Engine Roundtable 4. [Google Search's core updates and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-updates) - Google Search Central (primary)