--- title: "October 2023 core update: dates, what changed and what to do" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/october-2023-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"] --- # October 2023 core update: dates, what changed and what to do ## The short answer Google's October 2023 core update started on 5 October 2023 and finished on 19 October 2023, a rollout of 13 days and 23 hours. Google announced it on the Search Status Dashboard without a separate blog post. It ran almost entirely alongside the October 2023 spam update, which had started one day earlier. ## Key takeaways - The Search Status Dashboard dates the rollout from 5 October 2023 to 19 October 2023, a run of 13 days and 23 hours. - Google announced it on the status dashboard only, without a dedicated Search Central post. - The October 2023 spam update started a day earlier and finished within a day of it. - Google later said the November 2023 core update improved a different core system than this one. - Google published no impact figures, so treat any percentage attributed to it as a third-party estimate. ## What Google changed Google released the October 2023 core update on 5 October 2023 and announced it on the Search Status Dashboard without a dedicated Search Central post. Its standing definition applies: core updates are "significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems" that "don't target specific sites or individual web pages." Google gave one more detail a month later. When it launched the November 2023 core update, it said that update "involves an improvement to a different core system than last month," meaning the October update and the November update changed different parts of core ranking. ## When it rolled out The [Google Search Status Dashboard](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/VKyoS53ULWzSp8BoDxqk) logged the release on 5 October 2023 at 08:54 PDT, noting the rollout could take up to two weeks. Google posted on 19 October 2023 that the rollout was complete as of that day, a total of 13 days and 23 hours. The October 2023 spam update started a day earlier, on 4 October, and ended on the evening of 19 October 2023. The two rollouts overlapped almost exactly, so timing alone cannot separate a core update effect from a spam update effect in October 2023. ## What is known about its impact Google did not publish impact figures for this update. Its framing is that pages which move down after a core update "aren't necessarily bad"; other pages may simply serve the searcher better. Treat any percentage you see attributed to this update as a third-party estimate, and check its method. ## What site owners should do Google's standing core update guidance is the relevant advice, since it published nothing specific to this update: - Wait until the rollout has finished, then at least one more full week. - Compare the week after with a week before the update began, not with the rollout window. - A small drop (position 2 to 4) needs no drastic action; a large, sustained drop warrants a site-wide self-assessment against Google's helpful content questions. - Avoid quick fixes. Improve content in ways that help readers; delete content only as a last resort. - Recovery can take months and may not show until a later core update. ## How to check whether it affected you In Search Console, set the Performance report to cover September to November 2023 and compare clicks for the week before 4 October with the week starting 27 October. Starting from 4 October excludes the spam update too; if you find a drop, check the site against Google's spam policies as well as its helpful content questions. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every confirmed update with its dates. ## Related updates - The [August 2023 core update](/updates/august-2023-core-update) was the core update before it. - The [November 2023 core update](/updates/november-2023-core-update) was the next one. - The [October 2023 spam update](/updates/october-2023-spam-update) overlapped this rollout. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did the October 2023 core update start and finish? The Google Search Status Dashboard records the release on 5 October 2023 at 08:54 PDT and a completion note on 19 October 2023, stating the rollout was complete as of that day. ### Did the October 2023 core update overlap the October 2023 spam update? Yes. The spam update started on 4 October 2023 and ended on the evening of 19 October 2023, so the two rollouts ran side by side for their whole length. ### How was it different from the November 2023 core update? Google said the November 2023 core update involved an improvement to a different core system than the October one, while its guidance for both was the same. ### What should I do if my site dropped during the October 2023 core update? Google's core update guidance is to wait at least a week after the rollout finishes, compare the week after with a week before it began, and only do a deeper content assessment for large, sustained drops. ## Sources 1. [Released the October 2023 core update (incident)](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/VKyoS53ULWzSp8BoDxqk) - Google Search Status Dashboard (primary) 2. [A Q&A on Google Search updates](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/11/q-and-a-on-search-updates) - Google Search Central Blog (primary) 3. [Google Search's core updates and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-updates) - Google Search Central (primary)