Google Updates and SERP Changes - Jun 2013

[epmaniac]

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

[edited by: tedster at 3:52 am (utc) on Jun 2, 2013]

[Panthro]

Yeah something weird going on. Strange traffic drops on some sites this weekend.

[HuskyPup]

Now I am seeing my watermarked images copied and published, not holinked, on the most bizarre of sites PLUS the image is ranking right after mine in the image results ... Google you have totally lost the plot!

[Wilburforce]

Under this "Results for similar searches" Google will eliminate certain words from your query and also shows which query has been eliminated.

Yes, I'm noticing this. If it is any consolation to anyone, I first noticed it when I tried Google for a personal search as a last resort (they have not been my default for a long time), and their results were less usful than Bing.

[dolcevita]

Strange enough i've never looked for option 'Similar' but now i release that by my site only option 'Cached' is available and not 'Similar'. I think it is strange because my site seems to be almost only one in that niche where this option is not available.

Also when i look by another competitors sites in same niche for 'Similar' then i can see some good positions for my other site that lose long time a go key positions but for my main site that have a lot top 10 positions i do not see anything

Strange? Wonder why my main site does not have option 'Similar' and why it does not show up by looking by another website under 'Similar'?

[Wilburforce]

Incidentally, the drop in my own Google referrals since Penguin 2 is substantial (at least 30% accoring to WMT, which was already down over 60% from pre-Penguin 1).

This is borne out in my server logs (25% drop in overall traffic). Yesterday, I had more referrals from Bing than from google.co.uk.

The question is, if all of us are seeing this, where is the traffic going?

[dolcevita]

I know that Google usually does not have anything to do with logic but it is bizarre

- Blue widget and site have number 1 position
- Now when i chose any website from position 2 to position 10 and click on "Similar" then my website that have position 1 by regular search for that term does not appear at all by results?

Bug? Do not understand at all.

[rossell123]

The SERPs are a mess. You are probably getting a drop in traffic because less people are using Google. Most Brand searches for the top brand names return a lot of fake and replica websites. The update has taken a huge leap backwards with regard to customer experience in using Google.

[Wilburforce]

You are probably getting a drop in traffic because less people are using Google.

Less people using Google would explain a drop in Google-referred traffic. However, what are those searchers doing instead? They don't seem to be appearing in other search engine referrals in equivalent numbers.

[turbocharged]

How is the consistency of your ranking keywords? Are they jumping all over the place as if Google is rotating through different data sets?

From some of the larger sites we work on, I can see traffic originating from branded queries is up. This suggests that people are not finding these websites by the normal generic queries they are known for.

We are into a seasonal slump for some niches where users spend more time outside enjoying the warm weather instead of being in front of a computer. Many schools around me also end classes for the summer break this week and next.

[Wilburforce]

We are into a seasonal slump for some niches where users spend more time outside enjoying the warm weather instead of being in front of a computer.

That is always a factor, but my current stats look pretty bad year-on-year.

[diberry]

They don't seem to be appearing in other search engine referrals in equivalent numbers.

They're definitely going to Pinterest, Yelp and other social media for some queries - I can see this in my stats. Based on anecdotal evidence from my friends, they're also realizing there's no reason to search Google when you want to land on a big brand site - just go straight to Amazon or whoever and search internally.

[DigiSEO]

just go straight to Amazon or whoever and search internally

Exactly. I know many people that just skip Google altogether now and go to Amazon. The competition on Amazon for my B2B products is now almost as competitive as it used to be on Google.

[DigiSEO]

I don't know about you guys, but for about a month or so now I have been seeing pages upon pages of sites ranking in Google for my M&M searches hosted under Wordpress, Blogger, Blogspot and other reputable domains. They are in essence glorified doorway pages with links going to Amazon. I'm assuming they are Amazon affiliates hoping to get a commission for a sale. Most of the content is bot generated and the only thing relevant to the M&M search is the H1 and Title tags. Many use review rich snippets to falsify the popularity of a product in order to make it stand out in the Serps.

[robert76]

Don't know what M&M searches are but I've also seen this situation with A affiliates going back around a month. Google can clearly identify this type of page and I don't understand why they don't do something about it. They provide zero value to users.

[Wilburforce]

Well, this morning my site is #6 for widget service localtown, behind otherthing service localtown. Otherthing is related to widget like armadillo is related to cranberry.

On the other hand (I found this out after checking a referral in my server log), at least my site is #1 for brandname widget, in which brandname - not a brand I supply - is spelt incorrectly. Needless to say, the misspelling is not an anagram or part anagram or in any other way similar to any word on the site, let alone the landing page. The manufacturer's site doesn't show up until page 2.

Relevance? Ho. Ho. Ho.

[SerpsGuy]

looks to me like they are testing ranking based on not just what KWs are IN the title tag and domain, but by which words are NOT. ex. Far Cry 3 vs Far Cry 3 Review

I am also noticing terms with "review" or "rating" etc… won't rank for one word term of that same search.

I also believe its a struggle they have to go through, trying to find a way to rank websites based less on the bad links and more on good links and good content. They know negative seo kinda #*$!ed up how they determined who mattered.

My personal rankings? I see my one word key terms rank dropping slowly. Very slowly, but its happening. I also see my two word terms ( review ) rank the same, havent moved.

I just disavowed over 780 domains from a negative seo attack, so that could play a role in my drop - but I seriously doubt it. Google knows what domains are trash from multiple reports.

[chrisv1963]

looks to me like they are testing ranking based on not just what KWs are IN the title tag and domain, but by which words are NOT. ex. Far Cry 3 vs Far Cry 3 Review

I'm seeing something similar.
I have a page with "How To Make Widgets" as title. The URL is how_to_make_widgets.htm

I do not rank at all for "How To Make Widgets".
I Do rank with that page for
"widgets making" (8th place for 60,500,000 results)
"making widgets" (11th place for 128,000,000 results)
"how make widgets" (13th place for 520.000.000 results)

It looks like Google thinks I'm a sort of spammer because the title and URL actually reflect exactly what the page is about.

[rish3]

Regarding "kept my SERP positions but lost traffic"...

One thing I've noticed is that Google seems to have a tripwire when it discovers some commercial value in a query. Once it trips, you'll see

- More ads, product ads with pictures, etc.
- More local search results
- More inline image results

Try changing your location from search tools and see how much the SERPS change. For example, the #2 or #3 spot can look really good, but once you search from some popular cities, you'll see that the spot gets pushed down by either local results or product ads.

[Str82u]

However, what are those searchers doing instead? They don't seem to be appearing in other search engine referrals in equivalent numbers.

I see increases from other search engines equivalent to losses from Google.

once you search from some popular cities, you'll see that the spot gets pushed down by either local results or product ads

Or vice-versa and your site is the top result.

[diberry]

I have a page with "How To Make Widgets" as title. The URL is how_to_make_widgets.htm

I do not rank at all for "How To Make Widgets".
I Do rank with that page for
"widgets making" (8th place for 60,500,000 results)
"making widgets" (11th place for 128,000,000 results)
"how make widgets" (13th place for 520.000.000 results)

It looks like Google thinks I'm a sort of spammer because the title and URL actually reflect exactly what the page is about.

This has been noted on a few sites affected by Penguin 1.0. Were you affected by Penguin at any point?

[Jez123]

My upturn in traffic that I noted on here last week has gone back to normal levels. The high point was last Wednesday when I was about 50% higher than the previous weeks. This Wednesday is most definitely back to a very slow trickle.

Is anyone else noticing that traffic they gained last week has gone? I remember a few were reporting that same as me. Just wondering if they have dropped back as well.

No idea what that was all about. All I can say is that it was nice to have a bit more action but conversions were the same as usual. In fact slower if anything.

[chrisv1963]

This has been noted on a few sites affected by Penguin 1.0. Were you affected by Penguin at any point?

No, not at all. Traffic increased after Penguin 1.0

[diberry]

Interesting, suggests this phenomenon isn't related to Penguin. It reminds me of when the algo started distinguishing more between the singular and plural of a keyword, and suddenly you could rank high for "pie filling" but not at all for "pie fillings", or vice versa. I never found a pattern to that one either, as sometimes pages with the plural version would rank better on the singular, or vice versa.

[SerpsGuy]

Today I noticed one of my one word terms, that I have held position for for a long time just dropped one spot. Urban Dictionary outranks me. Its not as relevant, but the site has authority.

[SerpsGuy]

Something I have observed that I can say with confidence is true; Google is putting a ton of videos in search right now. High rankings too

[JesterMagic]

@SerpsGuy

I am also noticing terms with "review" or "rating" etc… won't rank for one word term of that same search.

I have noticed this trend as well. Started back in April of 2012 with Penguin.

[diberry]

Something I have observed that I can say with confidence is true; Google is putting a ton of videos in search right now. High rankings too

While this is generally true, I just went looking for a much-discussed clip from a recently released movie - no luck at all. Switched to "videos" at the top - still nothing. Went to Bing, found it. That's so bizarre, LOL.

[JesterMagic]

Yeah in my niche Youtube always has at least one video on the first page and sometimes as many as 4. They have a nice photo in the results which probably makes most people click on them. Very few of these videos deserve to be there and are just from people trying to promote their own site. At least with a website page Google can tell what content is available. With video they have to take there cues from the title and any comments which obviously doesn't work very well.

[Kelowna]

Not necessarily the case. The traffic for our high ranking keywords has diminished despite their rankings going up...

You are not looking at the whole picture. You see your rankings going up but others do not. The change is the way they show local searchers what they feel is best personalized for them.

A searcher from Miami will see something very different from a searcher in the next town, and of course very different from what you see.

Try a search on google.com, then compare to search.aol.com, same search engine but different results

[epmaniac]

has there been an update? my websites completely vanished from serp