WMT 'links to your site' disappeared

[bramley]

The Google WMT 'links to your site' have disappeared from both my main sites.

Is this happening to everyone? Is it something that happens every so often? Or should I be worried?

[tedster]

If a WMT reporting error is mirrored by ranking drops, then the error goes pretty deep. In all previous cases, it's been a reporting error only and did not affect rankings.

[indyank]

Oh my goodness..it is not just last week.I had seen this happen in Feb and march 2011.I too was thinking that it could just be a reporting glitch and recently these glitch happen quite often on all google properties - Analytics, WMT, Adsense etc. But what is happening really?


I haven't seen anyone mention one another glitch but it was in google analytics.Keyword information seem to have been completely lost for all pages for the period April 1 - April 4 2011. I am seeing this for several sites.

[tedster]

The analytics data loss was a reporting glitch only - and it only affected certain advanced reports. Google analytics does NOT affect rankings at any rate. Honestly it doesn't, tinfoil aside.

I agree that Google has had a whole lot of data problems lately. Makes me think they are re-configuring their back end for something or other.

[learnseo81]

@tedster

I agree that Google Analytics has nothing to do with rankings. It just shows your site stats.

Please note that links data were missing from WMT. Google says that had lag on Friday and exactly on Friday my rankings went to hell. I'm really very sad to see my hard work and money going to drain.

Do you think there is any connection between link data missing from WMT and same day, site ranking also dropping to nowhere.

Let me know your thoughts.

[tedster]

It has never happened before that missing data in WMT has also reflected a ranking change - it has always been a "reporting only" function.

WMT reposts are not on the same data servers that are used to calculate rankings. WMT only polls or imports that data, and sometimes there are errors in the data transfer.

That's always been the way it is, and I have no reason to think that it has changed - that would mean a massive infrastructure change (as well as a security vulnerability for Google.) It's much more likely that you really lost rankings. The fact that the two things happened on the same date does not mean a cause/effect relationship, it's only a coincidence.

Sorry to offer the bad news. It is only my opinion, but there is a lot of experience behind it.

[learnseo81]

@tedster

Thanks for your opinion. I don't see a single reason on my website to lose rankings and believe It is just a hiccup. In fact, other websites relying on much worse backlink portfolios are up in the SERPs.

I'll keep this thread updated with any comeback. I've seen numerous threads on boards and google webmasters forum reporting sudden loss of ranking on the same date. Lets see.

[jim25]

@learnseo81 - I hope your right fingers crossed!

[learnseo81]

@Jim25

Can you tell me one thing? ALL of your pages have gone down in the SERPs OR ONLY the pages which have the backlinks missing in WMT?

[jim25]

All pages that are missing have recieved ranking reduction, 2 other pages dropped but still showing backlinks. I know it doesn't make much sense.

[learnseo81]

Let us wait and watch. If things come back for you, please update the thread.

[jim25]

Don't worry you will be the first to know

[webtastik]

This whole thing I find stressful. Two of my sites have gone down to 1 or 2 links.

My ranking hasn't altered much though. The problem is that with a "glitch" like this it is dramatic, especially as everyone tells us that linking is key to ranking.

If something goes wrong in Analytics who cares? If you see what I mean. See how much power Google has to be able to put so many people into such a panic!

[jim25]

Data has returned but rankings have not....

[tristanperry]

Data and rankings/traffic have both returned.

[learnseo81]

@jim25

Keep us posted about how the rankings take shape in next two days.

[Robert Charlton]

learnseo81 - You're going to be disappointed to learn that Google has confirmed on the support thread that this was a WMT reporting glitch, not an indexing problem....

The "Links to your site" data should now be up to date for all sites.

Also to confirm what others on the thread have said... this delay in the reporting of links data is not related in any way to how your website is performing in Google's search results.

[learnseo81]

@Robert,

Yes, I've read that and I'm still not sure why my site suffered a SITEWIDE ranking drop. I'm still scratching my head.