Google Updates and SERP Changes - December 2012

[Wilburforce]

< continued from: [webmasterworld.com...] >

I had been experiencing gradual recovery since Penguin, with my key term page back at the bottom of page 1, and home page (in top three positions before penguin) up to page 5 for key term.

Today the key term page has dropped back to page 2, but the home page has dropped below page 50 (Startpage finds it on p 47) for key term.

I has all the hallmarks of Penguin 1: exact term and page (e.g. <key term location> is OK).

It might be just a temporary glitch (I hope so!): I can't see what on earth would cause that kind of penalty now.

[edited by: tedster at 2:51 am (utc) on Dec 3, 2012]

[SnowMan68]

@ Martin Ice Web

I have noticed the personalization effect increased as well. I noticed it with my own searching behavior. You are also unable to disable the search history like you could in the past. When I click on "web history" it takes me to a login screen, before you were able to stay logged out and disable this history feature.

Since the change has occured I have seen a decrease in "new visits" to the site from Google, but an increase in overall referrals from Google and Google keywords.

[zeus]

personalization effect, thats only when you are login, so thats a good thing, so you still have the option of finding new stuff online and personalization is a little creepy.

[Martin Ice Web]

personalization effect, thats only when you are login, so thats a good thing, so you still have the option of finding new stuff online and personalization is a little creepy.

That is not true, g$$gle personalizes your results even when you are not logged in. Maybe it is new. But I never log in, because google+ is just like a backyard where kids do not want to play.


ecom, germany

[zeus]

Well thats not clever in anyway by google, but that not the first time.

1. There is most of the time not only that is using the same computer.
2. When i do a search I want to see all kind of results, NEW stuff not related to previous searches.
3. Its creepy

[Martin Ice Web]

@ zeus,

up to now I didnīt think about it:

There is most of the time not only that is using the same computer.

You are right.

[Splugged]

@tedster

Sorry for being late.

Very interesting, Splugged. Can you see any particular pattern to the search traffic during those "rush" periods? Particularly, does the keyword proportion change? If so, that would seem to indicate some kind of SERP change.

Practically, during "rush" moments, I had the usual pre-penguin traffic. The percentage of keywords (ie "red widget" and "red widget" + "tail") has increased considerably, traffic was clearly targeted with considerable interaction on the site (10-20 pageviews per visitor).

Today, normal "penguinized" traffic. No "rushes", no "low hours". Plain.

From observations shared here recently, it sounds as though some updates phase in gradually. That "phasing in" involves shifts that include very weak SERPs on some keywords that used to have a stronger set of results... and then the SERPs eventually settle down again on a stronger set. Somewhere in the middle of the process, it seems to mess with things for a period, as well as making for surges in search traffic.

Exactly.

[JesterMagic]

That is not true, g$$gle personalizes your results even when you are not logged in. Maybe it is new. But I never log in, because google+ is just like a backyard where kids do not want to play.

You use to have to turn off your web history even if you were not logged in as it defaulted to enabled. I would check this like once a week because it would always switch back on for me. Now this feature is only available for logged in users. Good for Google (I have been cursing them a lot lately).

This is what google says about it under search settings and search history:

When signed in, you can receive more relevant results and recommendations based on your search activity. You can turn off or edit your search history at any time.

Google of course still personalizes your results on other things that you have no control about like location. If I Google a popular classifieds site on Google.com from Canada my results display a lot of Canadian city links to that site

[mihomes]

Quick history... for pretty much 12 years I had been on the first page if not the top of it for many keywords up until earlier this year with all the changes. This site is an EMD and dropped off the map for its main keywords. About two months or so ago I got up to page 15 or so, then 12, then 7, then 3, and last week was back on page 1. Mind you this wasn't for all keywords just one in particular - it appears everything else is still gone.

Now, today I check and I am back on page 3. I am at a loss what to even do anymore other than not care, but how can't you?

As far as the history and personalization goes I have been using this link, I think I found it here, which should wipe all of that out -

https://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0&hl=en&pws=0

I don't even know what to say anymore. I have noticed across the board that the amount of search terms has dropped on all sites... before incoming terms made sense and were in large numbers... now it seems there is this small group which while it makes sense... it doesn't when you compare it to a terms that it is not ranking for.

I am also seeing many 'new' sites show up which go completely against all of Googles new changes - one pagers, no content at all other than domain and a h1, cross site links, paid links, etc., etc.

[Panthro]

Disturbing about the Web History bit. I remember them testing this (only logged-in users could disable it) a few months back only to revert. Hopefully we get that option back, but I'm not so sure it matters anyway.

[Panthro]

Something's definitely happening today.

[Bewenched]

Yup, bring on the zombies again...

[RVSam]

I can not add anything because what I am seeing and have here is the same as posted. First time post but have been reading and following for awhile now. I feel better when I come here and see "my problems" posted by others. THANK YOU guys.

[tedster]

bring on the zombies again

Does your zombie traffic always show up during shuffles in the rankings? Does it "only" show up then?

[backdraft7]

@tedster, with 500 annual quality updates, the rankings are always shuffling, so the zombie periods are now almost a daily event. I had two micro zombie periods today. My "everyday" sale at 7am +/- 30 min, then an ON period from 8 to 10, then off until 3pm, three consecutive conversions and now off ever since.

Patterns used to look "natural", now they look artificial and manipulated.
This is a logical progression when an "entity with a plan" is controlling the system.
Understanding the plan is easy...it's all about money.

[garyr_h]

Traffic down 11% from Google for Wednesday compared to last week. Traffic seemed normal until 3pm, matching almost exact traffic totals until that time. Then went back to normal from 5pm-7pm, off 8pm, WAY down 9pm, roughly normal 10pm and then WAY down 11pm. Today is down 1am and down 2am.

Keywords are different from the past week and two of my highest traffic pages showed decrease in visits.

[Martin Ice Web]

@backdraft,

so where is the real traffic now? Is it realy all amazon. If so, then g$$gle will loose all its consumer traffic to amazon in near time, because poeple will directly go to amazon. Besides, I see the very same.

On the other hand, there is so much crap in serps that i doubt poeple will buy there. It like g$$gle is on a journey to find the badest sites on net. And they are on a pretty good way.

ecom, germany

[claaarky]

Definitely a big shake up in my niche which started on Monday in a small way and escalated through Tuesday and Wednesday. Looks like the push we see from time to time which usually ends up with most of those new arrivals dropping away, eventually (usually within a few weeks).

Generally seems to be smaller sites, end suppliers. It's peak season for my niche so they'll be very happy right now, especially with just over a week to go before Christmas and the last minute panic shopping now in full swing.

Also seeing boosts for sites that are not big names as such but have been rising over the past few months at each Panda.

It seems to have settled down now so hopefully Google is now onto the sifting process and we'll see a few fall away (quickly hopefully).

[speedshopping]

We had a huge drop on the 11th December early hours UK time so assume it was pushed in the evening 10th in US. We are now seeing lots of pages in the -950 state...

[Jez123]

Definitely something churning. It's a sure sign for me when my penguin site starts getting weird semi related longtail .com traffic that is nowhere in the (targeted) UK google.

[mihomes]

Well, yesterday I wrote how I managed to slowly climb back to page 1 (after years of being there then when the changes happened to nowhere, page 13, and slowly getting back)... today I looked at the same keyword and I am completely gone again.

[Jez123]

@ mihomes I wonder if some of these things are targeted directly at people who have dominated SERPs for years (it's been about 9 or 10 years for me). My SERP has been almost completely turned on its head. Only 2 of the sites that I competed with for most of the most are still there. The rest are mostly the spammers that couldn't get past us into the top 10.

[mihomes]

@Jez123, well you could say that was the case for me for about 12 years or so. When the changes happened this year it just happened to be the same time I launched a new design for the site in question. I disappeared, then slowly started coming back, but only for a single main keyword... page 13, 10, 7, 5, 3, etc or whatever it was up to page 1 again last week or so... yesterday I went back to page 3 and today I am completely gone again. This is ridiculous.

[gehrlekrona]

Looks like something is going on today. It was "good" about 2 weeks but today is really slow actually from all SEs. Ask.com shot up so what's that about?

[Wilburforce]

Well, yesterday I wrote how I managed to slowly climb back to page 1 (after years of being there then when the changes happened to nowhere, page 13, and slowly getting back)... today I looked at the same keyword and I am completely gone again.

That was me two weeks ago. The problem now is that all the things that might have triggered it in April have been removed. Possibly some historic data are being reapplied (in which case there is no solution).

[Jez123]

@mihomes how long did the creep back take? I see that my penguin site creeps forward (from as far out as -950 for some SERPs) now it's on page 40 and it's traveled 10 pages forwards in about 2 weeks. Some days it will go backwards again but the overall movement is forwards. If this continues I might be near page 1 by next Christmas! Yay.

[Jez123]

Are you seeing any changes with your Penguin site @gehrlekrona

Just want to add: Worst Christmas Ever! Since launching 11 years ago.

[Mac_Guy]

My SERP went down 7 pages 2, 3 weeks ago and now I'm back in spot # 2 and 3 for key words. I use to be on page 1 for a long time for the same key words.

ecom Canada

[JesterMagic]

@Mac_Guy - Are you back to page 2 and 3 or spot 2 and 3 on page 1?

[Mac_Guy]

@JesterMagic, sorry, page 2, 3.
I'd like to add also, my page rank drop from 3 to 2 back in middle November. It's a 3 years old ecom website.
But the drop did not affect my conversion.

[Martin Ice Web]

7 PM CET, after a "normal" thursday, no traffic since.
Many keys down -7 places. What is up with this search engine?

ecom,germany