How To Diagnose & Recover From A Google Algorithm Update

In this episode of the 7 Figures and Beyond E-commerce Growth Podcast, host Greg Shuey chats with Kristine Schachinger, a technical SEO consultant with a wealth of experience in helping sites recover from Google algorithm updates. Kristine shares her journey from web design to a specialized SEO focus, working with clients who face significant losses in traffic due to algorithm changes. Her approach centers on in-depth technical audits, distinguishing her services from traditional agencies by directly engaging with clients’ site structures and providing hands-on, custom solutions. She explains her role as a "concierge consultant," offering expertise that goes beyond standard SEO by collaborating closely with in-house teams to execute necessary improvements.During their conversation, Kristine provides essential insights on the difference between core and helpful content updates and the types of site issues that commonly trigger visibility losses. Core updates often address technical SEO problems that have been accumulating over time, while helpful content updates target content quality and can impact smaller sites disproportionately. Kristine emphasizes the importance of using tools like Sitebulb and Screaming Frog for full-site crawls, which reveal underlying issues that basic SEO reports may overlook. For e-commerce brands, she highlights the need for strong internal linking, optimized site architecture, and compressed image files, which collectively enhance both user experience and Google’s crawl efficiency.In addition to these technical recommendations, Kristine advises brands to stay patient and avoid "quick fixes" like EAT optimization, which she clarifies is a conceptual framework rather than a direct ranking factor. Recovery efforts should focus on core SEO fundamentals and be in place well before the next algorithm update to allow Google’s systems time to recognize improvements. She also stresses the value of building unique, quality links over time and staying vigilant with site structure to guard against future hits. Her pragmatic advice is clear: if a brand encounters traffic drops, prioritizing a comprehensive audit and executing fundamental changes are essential to regaining lost ground.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Kristine Schachinger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kschachinger-seo/Sitebulb: https://sitebulb.comScreaming Frog: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/Google Incident Reporting for Ranking Issues: https://status.search.google.comSearch Engine Journal/Roger Montti - How Compression Can Be Used To Detect Low-Quality Pages: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-compression-can-be-used-to-detect-low-quality-pages/530916/Google Search Console (GSC): https://search.google.com/search-consoleGoogle Ranking Systems Documentation: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guidehttps://www.stryde.com/diagnose-recover-google-algorithm-update/